Capital Campaign – Trinity Lutheran Church

Campaign Prospectus

Having completed Phase 1A of our renovations to create spaces for Trinity’s Preschool, children and youth ministries that are efficient, flexible and safe, we turn our attention to Phase 1B and our new Shining Together Capital Campaign to finish what we started. After taking time to wrap our hearts and minds around the new realities of life during and after a pandemic, Trinity’s leadership team has re-examined the project, re-envisioned its funding, and reflected upon how Covid has changed so many of our ways of “doing church.”

Prior to Covid, as a church family, we acknowledged that in addition to quality worship, music, youth, and educational ministries, our congregation needed to embrace more fully its identity as a downtown congregation and be more intentional about our impact within our community.

Since Covid, as we have lived into our missional narrative, “Be a Light,” we have recognized that patterns of worship attendance and member engagement have changed in all congregations. Churches, like other organizations, businesses, and families, need to position themselves to be more open and flexible. However, because of the intentionality and work of our dedicated planning team, flexibility was already integral to our original design improvements, as was our need to create spaces that will be utilized all seven days of the week.

Specifically, we learned

1. Trinity’s mission has a tremendous impact upon our community.

2. We need to address the practical issues of air filtration and air exchange, wayfinding, and safety.

3. We cannot delay or pass the problems and challenges of our infrastructure on to future generations.

Estimated Project Total: $13,900,000

Raised to Date: $7,400,000

To Finish What We Started: $6,500,000

“What has come into being in Jesus was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not overcome it.” John 1:3b-5

Phase 1 Projects

Preschool

Shining together means brining our preschool out of the basement and into the world.

Our preschool was showing its age. For 50 years we have run a successful Christian preschool ministry with scholarship support for families in need. Trinity is known for being inclusive which makes the preschool the most diverse part of our shared ministry. While our current preschool facilities had been grandfathered in with respect to code requirements, our new facility equals or surpasses all standards with respect to security and accessibility for all our students and their families. As construction is completed, our preschool children and families will thrive in their newly dedicated and thoughtful space designed intentionally to meet their needs.

Partnerships

Shining togerther means walking alongside groups in our community to lift up and support their efforts to improve the lives of all God's people.

Prior to Covid, a growing ministry of hospitality offered at Trinity was evidenced by an ever-increasing number of community organizations meeting in our space. Instead of having our parking lot full on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays only, we were beginning to see activity throughout the week by hosting 24 separate organizations like the Teen Autism Club, Bio Girls, Alzheimer’s Support, and others. We are working to not only bring this aspect of our ministry back to pre-Covid activity levels, but to also expand it. This Community Center “feel” gives us an avenue for being light in the community together.

Wayfinding

Shining together means breaking down Trinity's fortress-like appearance by creating an entry that is attractive, open, and inviting.

We know that many people who have not grown up in a church find church buildings to feel like fortresses. They are confusing, grand buildings, that say past, not future. Like all congregations, we want to meet the changing needs of the generations who will come after us, but also those in our community right now searching for belonging and accessibility. We hear and see time and again that potential visitors are deterred by our many entrances and once inside the building feel lost in the dark maze of hallways. By opening a central gathering space with glass walls and a clear primary entrance, we remove any and all barriers that make it difficult for people to trust us with their story. With this project, our outward appearance will help better tell the story of our personal, inward spirit of welcome and love so more people will take the step to be part of us and share in what we do.

Trinity Commons

Shining together means intentionally providing space that gathers and fosters deeper relationships.

The Trinity Commons will join our two worship spaces together. This hub, or gathering space, will serve our community far beyond the times before or after worship. The community will gather around the coffee bar. They will be grounded in a gallery of art with meaning and purpose. Organizations will build strengths and transform lives through their own ministries here in this place. While the power and potential of this space must bring us together into the light of open windows, we will also be taking the very critical step to remove asbestos to create a safer and healthier environment for everyone in our Trinity family.

Our long term legacy

We invite you to prayerfully consider how God is calling you to provide a Shining Together gift that will ensure that the commitments of past generations of the Trinity Lutheran family will live on into the future to provide genuine welcome, Spirit-filled worship, generational faith formation, and outreach with dignity.

Through this bold and exciting Shining Together Campaign, we seek to secure a total of $6,500,000 in gifts and pledges. Your generosity – as an aspect of our Shining Together – will enable us to finish what we started.

WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO ACHIEVE OUR GOAL TOGETHER
To fully attain our goal of $6,500,000 the following gifts in the quantities listed will need to be received by Trinity Lutheran community members.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SHINING TOGETHER CAMPAIGN MAY BE COMMITTED IN THE FORM OF A ONE-YEAR GIFT OR A THREE-YEAR PLEDGE GIFT.
Signed commitment cards that indicate the amount people are intending to give over a three-year payment period, must be in hand so that construction financing can be arranged, and construction can begin. Payments toward commitments will be gratefully received on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual basis and on a beginning/ending schedule convenient to you.

Various Ways to make a gift to trinity

Most people think about writing a check to make a gift or using their credit card. However, here are three strategies that may be far better than writing a check.

1. If you own appreciated stock, mutual funds, or other capital assets, you can gift these assets to Trinity and avoid the capital gains tax, while getting a tax deduction for the fair market value. This double tax savings makes this another attractive way to make a gift.

2. Making a regular gift every month from your checking account can allow you to make a bigger gift than you ever thought possible. A gift of $30 per month ($1 per day) comes to a total gift of $1,080 over a three-year period. A gift of $100 per month is $3,600.

3. If you are over age 70½ and have a traditional IRA, you are eligible to contribute directly from your IRA to a qualified charity, such as Trinity, through a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). The benefits of a QCD are: you avoid income taxes on the distribution, you can make a tax free gift to Trinity with taxable dollars (the maximum allowed per year is $100,000), and it satisfies your required minimum distribution (in 2023 this is required after age 73). If you have another type of qualified retirement account,
you can roll over that account to an IRA and then use this gifting method.

– Everyone’s situation is different. This campaign will be successful if everyone prayerfully determines the best way for them to make their best gift to the appeal. There is no one size fits all. Please pray about and discern how God is calling you to be involved.

Commonly asked questions

Q: What am I being asked to do for the Shining Together Campaign?
A: We are asking that you fill out an intent card with a financial commitment. That commitment can be fulfilled through a one-time payment, over a three-year period, or on a schedule of your choosing.

Q: When do my gift payments for the appeal begin?
A: Unless you prefer a different timetable, the offering period begins in April 2023. The intent card has a place for you to indicate how and when you will fulfill your commitment.

Q: How long does the appeal last?
A: The appeal will last for three years: through April 2026. However, if you feel you can make a larger gift by extending the time, you are welcome to do so. You may also make a one-time gift or contribute over less than three years. The more quickly we can finish the project, the more quickly we can focus resources on developing our ministry.

Q: Is it possible to just make gifts to the appeal without making a specific commitment?
A: Yes, but written responses, while never legally binding, give us an indication of what we can expect and permit us to plan. Please fill out an intent card indicating how you will respond even if you do not make a commitment. The response from the congregation will be a compelling story as we prepare for even more impactful ministry.

Q: Will I be asked to give a specific amount?
A: You will be asked to prayerfully consider an amount based on the gift chart to reach our goal. If every gift on the chart is fulfilled, we will exceed our goal.

Q: How do I make a gift of appreciated stock?
A: Have your broker transfer shares from your account to the church. The church’s broker will sell the stock and you will receive gift credit for the average market value on the day it is transferred. Contact the church office for transfer information.

Q: What is the advantage of giving appreciated stocks or property?
A: You can avoid capital gains taxes and possibly also receive a tax deduction in the amount of the appreciated value.

Q: Why are we being asked to give to the annual ministry as well as the campaign at the same time?
A: The Shining Together Campaign is our response to caring for our facilities and positioning us for the future as our congregation grows and ministry changes. We will continue to provide our ongoing ministries to children, youth, families, and adults. We will continue to offer worship and pastoral care. These are all funded through the generosity of our members on an annual basis through our annual stewardship appeal and regular giving. The projects listed in this Shining Together Campaign are above and beyond our regular and ongoing ministry and annual giving.

Q: What happens if we don’t meet our goal?
A: Although we are confident in our ability to meet our campaign goal, if we should fall short the congregation will look at options including adjustments to the project, borrowing, or extending the fund-raising campaign.

Q: Do all gifts to the campaign have to be cash?
A: No. Gifts of property, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, life insurance policies, CDs, and grain, are just some of the ways we can give. All these gifts may be subject to restrictions and limitations and each giver’s circumstances are unique, so it is wise to consult your financial advisor or accountant.

Note: Contact the church office to make non-cash gifts. Important! Do not sell the asset yourself or you will be unable to avoid capital gains tax. If you are trying to capture a capital loss, you may want to sell the asset yourself. Please consult your tax advisor on the best approach for your own circumstances.

These images and plans will be updated as new information becomes available. Thank you to Jim Cole for his expertise and renderings.

Council Members: Tara Iversen (President), Shannon Parvey (Vice-President), John Beitelspacher (Treasurer), Mark Jensen (Past President), Paul Holtan, Steve Iverson, Kristin Johnson, Dave Kath, Rhanda Laqua, Maisi Pedersen, Randy Scofield, Jean Stout, Tim Wollenzien

Building Committee: Eric Greiff (Chair), Ericka Barnett, Jim Cole, Simon Fensom, Tara Iversen, Mark Jensen, Curt Kasper, Matt Leiseth, Frank Pierce

Steering Committee: Larry & Joy Wohlrabe (co-chairs), Simon Fensom, Tara Iversen, Mark Jensen, Tracy Jensen, Eric Johnson, Jana Kasper, Janelle Leiseth, Kathy Lindquist

Questions? Email us at: campaign@trinitymhd.org

To make your pledge, fill out the online pledge below or print a pledge card and mail it to the Church office, 210 7th St. S., Moorhead MN, 56560.