Newsletter 3 / 2009

Background
Several years ago the decision was made to allocate Great Valley’s congregational giving by means of a “Unified Budget” that supports all components of our mission – worship, teaching, service, evangelism, and fellowship.  The Unified Budget identifies the resources [e.g., personnel (incl. missionaries), programs, operating costs, and physical plant] that are needed to carry out the ministries which fulfill our mission. 

In addition to the Unified Budget, since May 2006 we have encouraged the congregation to give “above and beyond” by designated giving to a Capital Campaign to pay for the $1,050,000 cost of major renovations to our downstairs facilities (including new kitchen, classrooms, restrooms, elevator, electrical service, and water-abatement measures).
That original three-year Capital Campaign ended this summer, and our debt for these renovations is down to $280,000. 

In early 2009 a Stewardship Campaign committee* was formed to make recommendations to the Session and Trustees on both these financial issues – the Unified Budget and Phase II of the Capital Campaign. 

Stewardship Campaign Took Back Seat to Shepherding Initiative and Resulting Ministry Planning
In February and March, as we considered how to address financial needs, the Session realized there was an even greater need – the need for the elders (with help from the deacons) to hear individual needs and concerns and to answer questions of the congregation about the ministry to which we believe God is calling Great Valley.  We anticipated that by visiting with the congregation we would gain fresh insights as to our ministries, and the resulting “shepherding initiative” was an unprecedented step (at least in recent memory) to connect with the entire congregation.

This summer, as we again considered the 2010 Unified Budget and the outstanding loan at Malvern Federal, we once again recognized an even greater need – the need to take what the elders learned in the shepherding initiative and develop a clear ministry vision for 2010.  By so doing, we intend the ministry vision to drive the 2010 Unified Budget, not visa versa.

Stewardship Campaign Plan
So, how will we develop the 2010 Unified Budget and address our outstanding building project indebtedness?

First, we believe that support of our ministries, as represented in the Unified Budget, is more important than paying off our building loan. We don’t want to minimize the importance of paying down the outstanding balance, but rather view it as an opportunity for "above and beyond" giving.  Thus, the Session intends that the primary focus of this fall’s Stewardship Campaign will be the 2010 Unified Budget. 

We plan to effectively share three things with you, the congregation:

1.  The scriptural basis for and blessing of being good stewards
2.  Our financial status and income concerns
3.  What the Session envisions for 2010 that will require additional resources

Our hope is that these three components will motivate the congregation to give (more) generously to the Unified Budget

Stewardship Campaign Details
Pastor Dan Stewart has started preaching a series of sermons from 2 Corinthians to set out the scriptural basis for generous giving.  Paul’s teachings and Christ’s own teaching are instructive for us today as to how we view the financial resources that God has given us.  This series of sermons will culminate on September 13th, when we will also have an Information Briefing for the congregation after the morning worship service.

This Information Briefing will cover points #2 and #3, above – our concerns about income, and what the Session envisions for 2010 that will require additional resources. 

At the conclusion of that Information Briefing, a stewardship packet will be given to individual families/giving units.  [Families/individuals not attending will have a packet mailed out the following day].  In that packet, for the first time in Great Valley’s history, families and individual members will be asked to submit “faith promises” to provide us with an important indication of the congregation’s support for the ministries Session envisions for 2010.

We are asking that families/individuals bring their faith promise to church on Sunday, September 27th. There will be a collection of faith promises on that Faith Promise Celebration Sunday, and those promises will then be compiled and used to develop a 2010 draft budget. We will field questions on that 2010 draft budget after church on October 18th.  The final 2010 Unified Budget will be published in early November.  The results of the faith promise collection will be shared with the congregation during this process. 

In Conclusion
The idea of making a “faith promise” of your anticipated giving is new to Great Valley.  But we believe it is a financially responsible and scripturally sound way of indicating and assessing the congregation’s support for the ministries we believe God is calling us to accomplish in 2010.  

We will be addressing your questions and concerns (e.g., confidentiality; the concept of a faith promise, etc) over the next several weeks.  Plan now to attend the congregational Information Briefing after church on September 13th to better understand what we envision in 2010. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me (610 647-2795 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or members of the Stewardship Campaign committee.

Ted Wray
Chairman
Stewardship Campaign Committee

Stewardship Campaign Committee Members: Dick Ford; Brian Gilbert; Bob Harmon; Donna Levan, Janet Medrow; James Palmer; Ted Wray, Rev. Dan Stewart

History of Buildings

A congregation was in existence at Great Valley in 1710.  How long before that is unknown, but the first public reference to it was in the Minutes of Philadelphia Presbytery on September 20, 1710.

In the beginning the members met in the woods or in homes.  The first church building was made of logs and erected in 1720.  During the 1777-78 Valley Forge encampment the log church had been standing for 57 years!  The site of it is north of where the old vault building now stands and it is marked by the grave of Thomas Hutchinson, who asked to be buried beneath its pulpit.  The members contributed the material for the log church and most of the labor.  It was constructed of unhewn logs, notched at the corners, and the cracks filled with coarse clay mortar.  The roof was covered with shingles split and shaved in the woods.  The floor was hard clay.  Except for the window glass, the material was all hand made, even the nails.  Since there was no provision for heating, the women took heated blocks of wood or stone to church with them to keep their hands and feet warm.  The log church served the congregation for 73 years.

The cornerstone for a new wooden second church was laid on May 20, 1793, on the very same day that President George Washington laid the cornerstone for the Capitol in Washington D.C.  It was located on the site of the third church and was built with donations of grading, landscaping, and materials from members.  Only the shingles were purchased.  There were four wood burning stoves located in the corners of the room.  The aisles were covered with mortar and the ornate pulpit was elevated above the congregation.  The church was dedicated in 1794 and the “upping block” used for mounting horses was built which still stands in the parking lot just inside the fence along Swedesford Road.  The second church served for 97 years.

In 1795 the Session House was built on the site of the current Chapel.  In addition to being the meeting place for the Elders and Trustees, it was used as a public school for a few years.  Later it was used as a Sunday School, and was torn down in 1868.

The colonial style Chapel was built in 1868 on the site of the Session House.  It was later used for worship while the second church was torn down and replaced by the third stone church.  In 1891 the Chapel was enlarged.  The connection between the Chapel and the Sanctuary known as Dickerson Hall was built in 1927.  Between 1952 and 1956 the members excavated beneath the Chapel to provide additional Sunday School space.

The new gothic design stone third church was dedicated on May 8, 1890.  It had a seating capacity of 300.  New walls of blue limestone were built on the old foundation.  While the men did not furnish
the labor for the new church, they did a lot of the work on the grading and landscaping.

A Christian Education building, designed by architect William T. Allison, was built on the site of the carriage sheds which were located to the east of the church, built in 1832, and destroyed by fire in 1947.    The new CE building was dedicated on April 10, 1960.

A major enlargement of the church was started in 1967.  Some graves had to be legally and carefully moved.  Every effort was made to retain the original architecture, and the renovation increased the seating capacity in the Sanctuary to 560.  It was dedicated on November 24,1968.
The offices and Fellowship Hall were also added that year.

A major enlargement of the Christian Education facilities took place in 1980 by adding 15 additional classrooms, a new library, a Sunday School office, choir rehearsal rooms, a new crib room, and a women’s lounge.  The dedication was held on November 9, 1980.

The 2006-07 renovations upgraded the lower level classrooms, restrooms, and Fellowship Hall, as well as the electrical, security, and fire alarms, and adding a commercial quality kitchen along with an elevator to make the entire building wheelchair accessible.

Today, as Great Valley prepares to celebrate its 300th anniversary, marking the beginning of our fourth century of ministry, we honor the traditions of our founders while seeking to be sensitive
to the changing world around us.  Through all those changes, however, Great Valley Presbyterian Church continues to be “an historic church exalting the historic message”.

Betty Colmery
History Committee Chair
GVPC 300th  Committee

• The Log Church (1720-1793  -  73 years)
• The Second Church (1793-1890 -  97 years)
• The Session House (1794-1868)
• Carriage Sheds (1832 – destroyed by fire in 1947)
• The Chapel (1868)
• The Third Church (1890-1968 – 78 years)
• Church Enlargement (1968)
• The Christian Education Building (1960)
• Christian Education Enlargement (1980)
• Church Improvements (2007)

The Preschool in the Valley will be off to a running start on September 10th, when we welcome all the parents back for an open house.  This is an opportunity for them to tour the building, see their child’s classroom, and meet the teachers, as well as fellow parents.  The teachers give a talk that evening to the parents of their respective students, telling them of our curriculum, routines, and answering their questions.  It is a very valuable time, and always well-attended.

We are opening our doors on September 14th to 98 children.  There are two classes for two and a half year olds, two for three year olds, and three classes for four year olds (one four year old class meets in the afternoon).  We also have a “Mommy and Me” class which meets once a week. There are sixteen on staff, five of whom are new this year.  Also, the school has added a gym teacher this year – Tina Riggs.  Each class will now have one gym lesson per week.

The congregation will have the opportunity to meet the Preschool staff on Sunday, October 11th, during the morning worship service, when there will be a time of prayer and dedication.  The
children will also sing during that service.

Perhaps the most noticeable change this year is the playground expansion.  This project was taken on by Owen Howson, as an Eagle Scout venture, and the materials were paid for by the Preschool. We are very grateful to Owen and his helpers for all their hard work.  As a result, the playground space has been increased by at least one third.  With the new space, we are now looking into the purchase of new playground equipment.  The parents are interested in helping to raise the funds to pay for this new equipment.

This is a place of fun, learning, and daily ministry opportunities.  We are grateful to have a part in furthering God’s Kingdom in this way!

Karen Erickson, Director

Spiritual Moments

Scary, Sad and Disruptive Moments

Truly Funny and Heart Warming Moments

These were funny moments either initiated by the homeless, a PHR team member or something totally out of our control.  You had to be there in some of these cases but maybe you can place yourself in the situation and find humor in it.
1.    When a homeless person steps up in line and we don't know how to address them because they look and sound like a man but is dressed and acts like a woman.
2.    One of the regulars, a lovable and rotund fellow named John asking Irene not to yell out his size for underwear, which she does anyway as he cringed.
3.    A young homeless man fussing for a specific color of brand new winter hats Irene was giving out and an older homeless man saying why he didn't ask for chartreuse.
4.    Several homeless doing standup comic, including lovable and rotund John, which was very entertaining to the younger members of the PHR team.
5.    A homeless man after being given a new pair of socks, buries his face in the socks to draw a deep breath and yell, "Aaahhh, there is a God!"
6.    A homeless man flicking out carrots from the casserole that Irene made while being surrounded by pigeons enjoying his rejects.
7.    As we began serving the homeless one morning, a squirrel lost its grip in the high branches of the trees in Logan Circle Park and plummeted to the concrete with a sickening splat. The PHR team and the homeless gasped in unison, most notably, Lauren Turner who squealed in horror, absolutely certain that the squirrel was dead.  Arnie, being the outdoorsman, grabbed a shoebox to scoop up the squirrel, which came to and opened its eyes.  Upon spying what was coming toward it, the squirrel sprang up in terror and bolted for the nearest tree as people jumped and darted to get out of the way.
8.    Observing Linda Barbour hug a homeless woman who initially pulled back but then accepted the hug as Linda then brushed and pulled the women's collar up and fixed her scarf.
9.    Listening to many of the homeless, lecturing the younger members of the PHR team on the perils of substance abuse and not staying in school.
10.    A homeless man enjoying the hot casserole Irene had made, telling Craig Smith that he'd better get in line to get some good stuff.  We dress down to join the homeless and Craig was obviously very dressed down.

It’s hard to believe, but 2009 marks the beginning of the fifth year of the Philadelphia Homeless Run.  We believe that God has led us to this point in time and we continue to seek His wisdom as the PHR team members have changed, evolved and grown through their experience on the streets of Philadelphia.  There are so many stories from the five years in this ministry and we couldn’t possibly tell them all, but this is a snippet.  Irene and I have certainly grown spiritually from the years we have spent with the very least of them.

for more info, check our calender at http://calendar.gvpres.org