JUST OVER THIRTY YEARS prior to our capital campaign, New Life Presbyterian Church was meeting in a rented gymnasium on Meetinghouse Rd in Jenkintown. In faith, we purchased the Casa Conti restaurant in Glenside and turned it into a house of worship and prayer.
NOW, we look back on our history and remember God’s amazing Providence. Although he had given us the necessary resources to pay off the mortgage early, our building had over $1 million in deferred maintenance. Modernization, security, and handicapped access were other concerns.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE, we asked, “What does God have in store for us here in Glenside?”
Our current building started out life as the Weldon Hotel, built in the 1855 on the corner of Jenkintown and Easton Roads. In 1919, the Conti family purchased the hotel and transformed the property into a burgeoning restaurant, expanding the facility several times until 1952. It would became a mainstay of the Glenside area for the next 60 years, hosting numerous parties, banquets, and weddings.
New Life Church began meeting in the living room of Jack and Rose Marie Miller in 1974. We quickly outgrew these accommodations, and later met in a library, a YMCA, and a school gymnasium. During this time, we planted six churches in the Philadelphia area, have sent out many missionaries around the world, and have started a thriving thrift store and nursery school for the benefit of our local community.
New Life Church bought the Casa Conti on March 15, 1988, and subsequently began renovations. The first services in the new building were held on July 17 of that year.
Our mission then, and continues to be, “To Know Christ and to Make Him Known.” That means our building must serve not only the needs of the New Life congregation, but also to be a witness and service to our community and neighbors along the Easton Road corridor.
At the start of the capital campaign, the current building had been our beloved, quirky home, wonderfully located on busy Easton Road for the past thirty years. Admittedly, we had been more committed to using the building than allocating funds for its regular maintenance, and many substantial repairs are now necessary. But beyond this, we had an opportunity to enhance our facilities and improve them in multiple ways to enable strong ministry for the next thirty years.
In 2017, we solicited comments and suggestions from members in the congregation during a three-day architectural design charrette. From that series of discussions, we identified five major concerns. The capital campaign was intended to address these deficiencies.
The facility had served us well for thirty years, but it was not well-prepared to provide adequate service for another thirty. There were significant repairs and upgrades required, and a long-overdue need for increased accessibility. Navigation was also a problem, especially for our guests, who frequently got lost. And although we are committed to a church planting model, we preferred to see a modest increase in seating capacity as well.
After much deliberation and prayer, the Session concluded that raising funds for this endeavor should come from within, with no outside fundraising. Thus, our goal was to promote maximum involvement from everyone within the church.
In response to the design charrette outcome, we introduced the idea of a capital campaign to the church on April 27, 2018. We then held an enlistment meeting for all interested members on June 7, 2018. From this point onward, our campaign leaders were being empowered to make all necessary preparations.
The campaign was officially introduced to the congregation on October 21, 2018, also known as Vision Sunday.
We then embarked on a month-long period of prayer and fasting. During this time, the entire church was called to daily pray in humble contemplation:
“Dear Lord, What would you do through me to accomplish your vision for our church? Help me discern a sacrifice which is meaningful and joyful for you and for me.”
On Commitment Sunday, November 18, 2018, each family was requested to pledge an amount to give, decided for themselves over the previous month.
During the campaign, we received approximately $2.15 million in pledged support, about half as much as the full cost of the initial design phase. As a result, the Building Operations Team went back to the drawing board to see about revising the design. Click here to read more about that process.
Consider a commitment to the next 30 years of New Life Presbyterian Church.
Commitment Sunday was on November 18, 2018, capping off a month-long season of dedicated prayer and reflection. However, we continue to pray for how God will use us for his purpose, and for the future of our church here in Glenside.
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