2023 Church & Community Placemaking Lab
Overview of the Church & Community Placemaking Lab
For six months, the Ormond Center partnered with six churches across North Carolina. The cohort experience included content-focused monthly Zoom meetings with the leadership team and a trip to Washington, DC to learn how other churches have repurposed their property. In addition, the pilot study design required each team to schedule their own 60–90-minute project meetings and included at least one visit with the Church & Community Lab leadership team. There was also opportunity for peer-to-peer learning.
Over 80 individuals from several denominational and organizational affiliations convened on September 16, 2023, at Duke Divinity School's Goodson Chapel were able to catch a glimpse of the work that these churches have committed to.
The morning began with an introductory message from our very own, Dr. Linda Silver Coley, who welcomed participants and guests. She shed light on the important work that these churches seek to do in their respective communities reminding all present to serve our shared communities in ways that “bring life.” Offering similar sentiments, Dean Edgardo Colon-Emeric, likened the work of these churches as “little Pentecost's that are showing that we are not just in a place, but for a place.” Attendees listened to 20-minute presentations from six churches across North Carolina and gave them feedback on their respective projects.
As with most graduations, the end of the lab experience was simply the beginning for the work that must be completed. Thus, the closing event was a “commencement.” Now, as the work commences, each team has been invited to join the Ormond Center’s Pathways Towards Impact process; as we encourage them with words from wisdom scripture, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
The presenting churches were: Central United Methodist Church, Asheville; Macedonia United Methodist Church, Cary; Church of the Holy Spirit, Greensboro; First Presbyterian Church, Greensboro; First Presbyterian Church of Kinston; All Saints Episcopal Church, Warrenton.
See below for a brief snapshot of what each of these churches have been dreaming and what they hope to accomplish.
Story Profiles
SHARING GOD'S HOPEFUL AND PARTICIPATORY LOVE
CENTRAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH—ASHEVILLE
For almost 190 years, Central United Methodist Church has been placed in the heart of downtown Asheville. The church’s motivation is to impact its local neighborhood, walking alongside its downtown community. This goal led the church to rethink how it repurposes its space, understands its assets, and meets the needs of its community. They developed a four-fold strategy focused on education, food accessibility, a public park, and utilizing building space.
CONNECTING THE ISOLATED TO GOD'S FAMILY
MACEDONIA UNITED METHODIST CHURCH—CARY
In the mid 1990s, Cary experienced massive growth and became an up-and-coming area. Macedonia United Methodist Church was uniquely positioned in Cary and church attendance peaked. Over the past years, church attendance has dropped, and the church struggled with utilizing its 25,000 square foot facility in service of its mission—to connect isolated people to God’s family. Rev. Kevin Johnson, Pastor of Macedonia United Methodist Church, shares how Ormond’s Placemaking Lab accompanied the church with putting this mission into practice. They researched to learn more about the mental health community and are planning to offer services through mental health providers. Rev. Johnson believes the Church is called to continually look outside itself to see who they are called to serve next.
STEWARDING LAND FOR THE LEAST OF THESE
CHURCH OF THE HOLY SPIRIT—GREENSBORO
Church of the Holy Spirit roots itself in eleven acres of undeveloped wooded land. Founded in 1983, the church has always had a mission to serve its community in a meaningful way. When buying the property, church and community leaders dreamed of stewarding the land to impact the community. The Placemaking Lab accompanied them in holding both their commitment to environmental preservation and affordable housing. They came to see their property in a new light by recognizing their church and land as beautiful assets that can serve the “least of these.”
CREATING SPACES OF BELOVEDNESS
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH—GREENSBORO
For almost 200 years, First Presbyterian Church has served the city of Greensboro. This downtown church is made up of teachers, doctors, entrepreneurs, and community leaders. The church community deeply lives into stewarding its space to serve the neighborhood. They came to the Placemaking Lab with a question of how to best utilize their Shelter building which is currently empty. Alongside the Ormond Center, they dreamt of how this property could offer affordable housing and community to the elderly. Rev. Dr. Jill Duffield, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, dreams that the church space becomes a place where people know they are beloved by God—where their names are known by the community and where people want to be part of each other’s lives.
GROWING INTO GOD'S CALLING
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF KINSTON—KINSTON
Founded in the late 1800s, First Presbyterian Church of Kinston used to have 850 church members and currently has 180 church members. As church membership dwindled, the church adapted a mentality that they could program their way back to thriving—instead of focusing on its community, the church became insular and lost its identity. Now the church wants to live out its faith and repurpose its property to allow others to grow and thrive in its space. Travis Allen, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Kinston, shares that the Placemaking Lab was a golden opportunity to learn how church space could serve its neighbors who are substantially food insecure and hungry. The church is working to partner with the Boys and Girls club by allowing the group to grow in its space, with the hope that they will one day be able to build on the church’s adjacent land. In addition, First Presbyterian is partnering with the local school district and the local food bank to help provide food for children over the weekend when schools are closed. Pastor Allen hopes the church property can be a space that helps people grow into who God is calling them to be.
REIMAGINING SERVICE AND WORSHIP
ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH—WARRENTON
All Saints Episcopal Church is a testament to the resilience of the community and the desire to have a black church where people could worship in Warrenton. All Saints offered regular worship from 1910 to 2015 when it closed for regular worship due to property repairs that it could not sustain. This gave an opportunity to re-envision how All Saints could be a loving presence in Warrenton aside from regular worship. The Placemaking Lab helped the church see how their space could be a platform to jump into where God is leading. One way is through a partnership with the neighborhood food hub that provides education on environmental and economic justice. Alongside this service, Rev Kathy Walker, Canon for Black Ministries Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, shares how the church wants to continue being a space for worship that grows Warrenton’s community.