In God we trust In God we trust (December 23, 2005)

Churches funding for unparalleled growth
by Kathy Cordova

'Tis the season of faith and hope, and, for remembering the true meaning of Christmas. It's the time of year when the flock finds its way back to the fold--at least for a day or two.

This year, as the holidays approach, Pleasanton churches are not only scrambling to find room for the usual crowds that attend services during the Christmas season, but several are seeking millions of dollars in funds to expand their facilities because of a surge in year-round attendance.

Four of them--St. Clare's Episcopal, Trinity Lutheran, Pleasanton Presbyterian and the Catholic Community of Pleasanton--are in the midst of fund-raising campaigns for building projects that range from $2 million to over $7 million. These churches have seen their congregations grow and change along with the population of Pleasanton, and they are gearing up to serve more members and provide new programs to meet the expanding needs of the community.

The Rev. David Beard has seen a lot of changes in the 15 years he has presided over Trinity Lutheran, located at 1225 Hopyard Rd. at Del Valle Parkway. In that time, the number of worshippers at Trinity has increased from 70 to more than 1,000, with about 20 percent under 18 years old. In 1999, the church undertook a $2.3 million project to build a new sanctuary that holds 350-400 people and hosts many community events.

"The need was then very dramatic," Beard said. "We'd gone to three services and there was no more room in our worship space. As our ministry grows, and more and more people become a part of that ministry, we need to increase our facilities and outreach."

Trinity founded Sonshine preschool in 1992 as a way to reach out to young families. Its efforts have been so successful that the church has run out of room for preschool and Sunday school classes. Last September, it launched the "Today's Hope, Tomorrow's Joy" campaign with a goal of raising $2 million in pledges over three years. The total projected cost of between $3.5 and $4 million will be completed with loans to construct two new buildings--an outreach and ministry center that will house the Sunday school and preschool.

The new centers will be especially valuable for Trinity's youthful congregation.

"Our average age is probably 35-40, with lots of young kids," Beard said. We're just overflowing with young people."

Erika Lipscomb, 4 years old, is one of those young people who enrolled at Sonshine two years ago. Her parents, Allen and Camille, had been looking for a church since they moved to Pleasanton when Erika was 11 months old. "We had tried two other churches in town," said Camille. "One was too big and one was too small. I felt like Goldilocks!"

The Lipscombs got to know Trinity Lutheran and Pastor Beard through Sonshine and realized that the church was just right for their family. "I think it was a miracle the way it all fell into place," says Camille.

Beard believes that the family-oriented nature of Pleasanton contributes to the growth of church attendance.

"People often reinvigorate their faith and return to church when they have children," he said. "You look at your children and say, 'I want to raise them up in a tradition, a Christian faith, and give them ethics--something to hold onto in their lives.'"

Another local church that attributes a lot of its growth to families is St. Clare's Episcopal. The Rev. Ronald Culmer, who has been the rector of the church for about a year, said:

"Pleasanton has a large number of families, and we reflect the community we draw from. Our focus has been children and youth. We have a new program, called "Journey to Adulthood," which is helping young people explore the depths of their spirituality and grow into Christian maturity."

St. Clare's, which has about 600 members and an average attendance of 200, began a capital campaign two years ago. The congregation raised close to $1 million and is working with their diocese to get the remainder of the $2 million they will need to expand their current sanctuary, build a new multi-purpose building and make other renovations.

In addition to families, Culmer is pleased to see the ethnic diversity of the congregation growing as well. He tells of a 15-year-old girl who came from Mainland China who was recently baptized in the church. "The kingdom of God is filled with all kinds of people," said Culmer. "That people of different backgrounds feel warm and accepted here is an exciting thing."

Gillian O'Farrell is one Pleasanton woman who found St. Clare's welcoming to her family, including the two young sons she and her husband adopted from Taiwan O'Farrell was not raised in any particular religion, but she said she's been looking for a church since the age of four.

"I think I've been to every different type of church, except a synagogue," she says. "When I adopted my first son, it hit home that life was moving too fast. I wanted my children to grow up in a church, but finding a church was also for me."

Ethnic diversity in a congregation was important to O'Farrell. She found that quality, along with traditional services and a warm, friendly congregation at St. Clare's.

But most of all, Culmer believes his church is expanding because of the" heart and desire" of the congregation. "(The growth) is what they wanted," he says. "They feel the message they have is important, and they want to do more ministry, have a more public face in Pleasanton and the Tri-Valley."

The Catholic Community of Pleasanton has seen steady growth over the 20 years that the Rev. Dan Danielson has been a priest there. Five thousand households are registered in the parish, which includes Sunol as well as Pleasanton, although they don't all attend regularly. The parish is unique because it includes two churches--St. Augustine on Bernal Avenue and St. Elizabeth Seton on Stoneridge Drive, which opened its doors in 2000 to accommodate the growing membership.

The parish is in the midst of a capital campaign that, by the end of last week, had raised $3 million in pledges over five years for the construction of a new activity center on the St. Elizabeth Seton property.

"We're at the point where we are maxed out in terms of space for various ministries and programs," said Danielson.

To be called the John Paul II Activity Center, it will be financed in part through loans and will cost about $5 million. The building will be about 21,000 square feet, including three meeting rooms, a childcare room, a large multi-purpose conference room and a full-sized gymnasium that will be used by the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) basketball program.

"Many people in town participate in the CYO, not just our own Catholic young people," said Danielson. "They've never had a place where they could adequately play. They've had to use gyms in town and schools and rent them."

The oldest church in town, Pleasanton Presbyterian, which was founded in 1876, is embarking on the most ambitious church construction in Pleasanton-- a new $7-10 million church complex on a six-acre site at the intersection of Busch Road and Valley Avenue. The church will be part of Ponderosa Home's Ironwood community and will serve members of that neighborhood as well as over 400 people who are currently active in the church.

The church raised $1.6 million in a campaign completed in 2004 and soon afterwards began another three-year campaign to contribute toward the building, according to the Rev. Mike Barris, who has been the church pastor for eight years.

The church is still designing the new site, but plans include increasing the amount of space allocated to youth and doubling the size of its KinderKirk preschool.

"We want to take that great history of our past and build on it for the future, serving the Tri-Valley," Barris said.

Barris suggested that there are two kinds of church growth in Pleasanton. The first is transfer growth--a result of people who have been part of a church in another community moving to Pleasanton and looking for a new church to call home. The second is what Barris calls "kingdom growth," which occurs when people who have not previously been a part of a church come to faith in a new way.

Kerry Trembath, a new member of Pleasanton Presbyterian, is an example of kingdom growth. Trembath is a self-described, left-brained engineer and former agnostic who never saw any evidence of God. On his 45th birthday, Trembath's wife Robin gave him Lee Strobel's book, "The Case for Christ," which had been recommended by Barris. That book changed Trembath's mind.

"I was so amazed by the idea that (God) could be real," said Trembath. "I used to think that life occurred accidentally and then through evolution. My wife thinks God arranged it so that she would go (to Pleasanton Presbyterian) because Pastor Mike was the right guy to tell her about this book."

Kingdom growth can also be the result of life events that draw people back to church.

"When times get tough, I think people have within them the desire to seek things spiritually," Barris said.

Beard agreed.

"People will radiate to churches much more after major events in our lives, tragic events," he said. "September 11 was an example when we saw an upsurge of people coming to worship."

Sometimes that increase will be short-lived, people looking for temporary solace, and sometimes it will translate into a life-long commitment.

"We're experiencing interesting times right now, a lot of in-between times," Beard said. "There is some struggle going on, but it's not dire for a lot of folks. We are seeing a steady growth right now. We'll see what happens in the coming years."

All the religious leaders agreed that the church growth in Pleasanton is exciting.

"It's important to say that churches are in no way competing," added Barris. "We are all sharing God's love, and each doing it with a gifting that is specific to each congregation. It's neat to see that variety and diversity. Every church has its own character and personality and we celebrate what other churches are doing because each one brings something unique to the kingdom of God."

"One of the things we are finding as a church that is renewing its own ministry," said Barris "is the joy of seeing new people come in and sensing that God is up to something good."

Churches sponsoring multi-million-dollar campaign fundraisers to expanded facilities

Catholic Community Of Pleasanton 846-4489 www.catholicsofpleasanton.org

St. Augustine Catholic Church

3999 Bernal Avenue

St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church

4001 Stoneridge Drive
Pleasanton Presbyterian Church 4300 Mirador Drive 846-4436 www.pleasantonpres.org
St. Clare's Episcopal Church 3350 Hopyard Road 462-4802
Trinity Lutheran Church 1225 Hopyard Road 846-6363 www.trinitypleasanton.org

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