St. George's Episcopal Church
“Growing into Christ + Reaching out in Love”
 905 Princess Anne Street, Fredericksburg VA 22401
Telephone: 540-373-4133 Fax: 540-374-0923

Campaign Goal: $1,6 million—Challenge Goal: $2.0 million

As of November 16, 2007: 172 pledges totaling $1,512,408

Renewing for Ministry Capital Campaign...

The time has come to renew St. George’s for a future of expanded ministry—a future that welcomes new members and allows our many ministries to thrive well into this new century.

The Renewing for Ministry campaign will preserve, expand, renovate, and transform our historic and aging facilities comprehensively.

Please consider a generous gift.

Below is a brief summary of the project—further details are available in the Renewing for Ministry Brochure. Click here for: Renewing for Ministry Brochure (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader )

1. RENEWING the Nave
   Our beautiful church interior requires plaster repair and painting; a fire suppressant sprinkler system; upgraded electrical wiring, sound system, and lighting; and our aging floor will be reinforced and leveled. Project cost: $1,134,000.


2. RENEWING the Chancel
   To enhance participation in our liturgy, the chancel will be reconfigured, bringing the altar forward, closer to the people, creating space for a three-sided communion rail on the same level as the pews for accessibility, and eliminating the current congestion during communion. This new arrangement will create much-needed additional space in front of the pews for baptisms, confirmations, weddings, and funerals. Through these changes, all will be able to more fully participate in worship. Project cost: $152,000.
3. RENEWING the Sacristy
   The current Sacristy is too small to accommodate the altar guild, flower guild, ushers and priests as they prepare for Sunday services. Our plans will move the reredos forward to where the current altar rail is located, enabling a greatly enlarged Sacristy to be built behind it. This will provide additional storage space for the groups using the Sacristy and will also create a small quiet area for our priests to have a few moments of meditation before leading the service. Project cost: $55,000.
4. RENEWING McGuire Hall
   Our growing congregation requires more classroom and meeting space to alleviate overcrowding. We will complete the vision they had when McGuire Hall was constructed in the 1950s and add a third floor. The new space will be at the Nave level and accessed where we currently return from communion. It will provide two accessible bathrooms directly off the Nave, a large music/meeting room, and additional storage and will free up the current choir room for much needed classroom and nursery space. Project cost: $675,000.
5. RENEWING the Gallery
   The Gallery floor is becoming unsafe and must be rebuilt. While the flooring is removed we will install the fire suppressant system, improve the under-gallery lighting, and renew the wiring. We will also extend the elevator to the gallery level to provide accessibility. Having the organ pipes inside the tower will allow us to place both the organ and choir in the West Gallery. New gallery seating will be installed for both the choir and congregation. Finally, we will be able to reconfigure space for our Hand Bell Choir to function more efficiently as they enhance our worship. Project cost: $280,000.
6. RENEWING the Organ
   Our organ, cobbled together since 1876 with additions of consoles and pipes from other organs, has reached the point where our organ consultant advises that the most cost effective use of our resources would be to buy a new organ rather than reassemble and repair the existing pieces; a new, smaller organ will produce better sound. Project cost: $879,000.
   Although a part of our current plans, the organ project will be the last phase to be completed. We will be making a commitment now with an organ builder; however, inasmuch as it takes a couple of years to build an organ, we will not have to outlay most of the organ’s cost at present. Therefore we will be conducting a separate campaign for the balance of the organ funding and debt reduction in roughly three year’s time.

Total Project cost $3.175 million. As costs keep rising, the Vestry approved going ahead with the entire project now. This will involve short term borrowing to complete the project. There will be another capital campaign in three or four years to retire whatever debt and interest charges are incurred. The more we can raise now, the less we will have to borrow and finance.

How YOU can help...

We invite you to join others who have already made a commitment to the campaign.

Contact the office for a pledge card (540-373-4133)
or click here to Pledge Online (Secure Link and Server)

Campaign phases:

1. Advanced Giving: March 4 through March 24, 2007
2. Kick-off Breakfast: March 25, 2007 Click here for Jim's sermon summarizing key events in St. George's history
3. Congregational Events: April 15 through May 12, 2007 (see invitation below and make your reservation to attend one or more of these events)
4. Campaign cleanup: May 1 through May 19, 2007
5. Celebration: Sunday May 20, 2007

"Renewing for Ministry"
Capital Campaign Events

Kick-off Breakfast and Program