Project Overview:
Central Presbyterian Church (St. Paul, Minnesota) was approached by one of its ministry partners—Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul—about the possibility of using a large portion of its historic space to provide space for migrant families seven days a week, from 7am-7pm. Due to the time-sensitive nature of both the federal grant funding the initiative and the acute need to support these families, Central needed to make a decision and develop a plan in the span of less than two months.
Project Details:
Given the urgency of such an important initiative, Central asked Flourish to assist in the following ways:
- Assist Central with lease terms to ensure that the agreement honors the ministry and needs of the church while also establishing terms for a healthy and equitable partnership with Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul
- Draft a working plan to address the specific guidelines and procedures to guide how the space will be shared, delivering clear expectations to both Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul and Central Presbyterian Church
- Connect with the congregation and other key stakeholders, facilitating listening sessions to gather the feedback and input necessary to provide clarity and confidence for everyone impacted by the potential partnership
- Provide support and recommendations regarding various considerations of space use, agreements, and overall discernment regarding if the proposed project with Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul should move forward
In Their Words:
“Flourish was invaluable in leading us into a new space-sharing relationship that’s helping the mission of both of our organizations thrive. Matt and Tim were attentive to everything from the big picture (how can we share our resources for something that’s mission-driven?) down to the details (how do we make sure we have good procedures for safety, communication, etc.?).
Matt and Tim’s leadership created a culture of trust in the congregation. Everybody had a clear opportunity to be heard and clear, straightforward responses were given every time. We had a short timeline to launch a critical program to aid asylum-seeking people experiencing homelessness, and their insistence that we needed to move “quickly, but not more quickly than we should” helped us get the job done with full congregational support and with the resources our leadership needs week after week.
As the pastor, I felt supported by Flourish at every step—we became a team to get this work done, and I couldn’t have done it without them.”
Chris Chatelaine-Samsen | Pastor, Central Presbyterian Church
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