CBCP Projects Impact Lives

Church Buildings for Collaborative Partnerships project (CBCP) of the Episcopal Dioceses of Indianapolis and Northern Indiana - 2026

Unseen church infrastructure is often viewed as “not flashy enough” to be inspirational for a capital fundraising effort or grant requests. This is probably true if people hear something like: “We have to replace the old boiler because it keeps breaking and replacement parts no longer exist.” Yawn.

We could all learn from the Cub Scout who came to our house one day with a popcorn sales pitch ready. He did not plea for the financial stability of his troop. He told us: “This chocolate-caramel-coated popcorn will change your life.” We handed over money on the spot.

Think about the life-changing experiences that have taken place in your church building. Those events and special memories can help you tell a story when it comes to raising funds for maintenance and improvement projects. CBCP witnesses this as we track the partnerships that continue or are created by projects supported by our Phase 2 capital grants. On the surface, the grant supported projects may seem mundane. But the impact is flashy! Here are some examples:

St. Paul’s, LaPorte: Parish Hall and kitchen upgrades

Impact: Community meals, Garden Club activities, a partnership with the County to provide emergency shelter space. (see photo)

Good Samaritan, Brownsburg: Exterior windows, LED lighting, automatic openers on entry doors, ADA restroom conversion

Impact: Reduced barriers to accessibility and extended a welcome to all by improving the appearance and function of the building. Over the last 12+ months, GSEC has partnered with and/or welcomed more than nine entities including Theater for Christ, Family Promise, and Good Sam’s Gaming Group (see photo).

St. Anne’s, Warsaw: Exterior Lighting

Impact: More children and parents at the church playground into the evening, more nighttime users of the outside food pantry.

St. Michael’s, Noblesville: Parking lot improvements

Impact: Girl Scouts; Boy Scouts; CPR training classes; Halloween trunk or treat for South Harbour subdivision; "reenactors" annual meeting and dinner event.

St. John the Evangelist, Elkhart: HVAC

Impact: Mosaic of Northern Indiana space partnership that includes parishioners interacting with individuals served by this not-for-profit, faith-based agency that recognizes that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities desire and deserve greater independence and closer ties to the community.

St. John’s, Mount Vernon: Safety equipment for church-owned house

Impact: Solidified partnership with the Posey County Department of Child Services (DCS) to utilize the house for child counseling and supervised parent-child visitations.

These are just some of the life-changing impacts of capital improvements made during CBCP Phase 2 with the help of 23 matching capital grants. The ripple effect will touch countless people into the future.

What capital needs are being delayed by your faith community because no one seems very excited about them? Brainstorm the desired IMPACT of those projects when completed. In fundraising terms, the impact is “the WHY” people will be inspired to support the projects financially. Communicate that and your fundraising will find blessings as sweet as chocolate-caramel-coated popcorn.

By Linda Buskirk, Project Director

For more information or to discuss stewardship ministry strategies, contact Linda Buskirk, CBCP Project Director at Info@cbcpindiana.org.

Inspirational Boilers/HVAC/etc.

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