As the saying goes, when one door closes, another opens. This is how many of the parishioners at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Guelph talk about their recent leadership gift to the Home for Good campaign.
The $600,000 gift was made possible not just from the generosity of the St Andrew’s congregation. These funds came from the proceeds of the sale of the Westminster-St Paul’s Presbyterian Church that closed in in October 2021.
As individuals and as a congregation St Andrew’s has a mandate to serve others in the community. As a faith community, they are continuously challenging themselves to get involved in their local neighbourhood. Looking for the best place to share the resources from both congregations was a responsibility they took seriously. For many years, St. Andrew’s had been looking at needs in the community, learning about the importance of affordable housing and the powerful role that permanent supportive housing plays in reducing homelessness.
After extensive research, internal discussion and interviews with campaign organizers, it was clear that the Home for Good campaign was a perfect fit for St. Andrew’s resources and energy. In fact, when the opportunity arose for the church to be recognized as a lead gift to the campaign, their team sprung into action to make sure that the logistics for the cash gift were in place. It is hoped that the church’s support of the campaign with a large gift will draw attention in the community to this critical need.
The $600,000 gift is the largest cash contribution the Home for Good campaign has received to date. This donation is a huge boost to the campaign and has already been leveraged with government donors to open up other sources of funding.
