Comprehensive Campaign

Trinity’s Comprehensive Campaign
New and Renewing: The Next 150 Years

UPDATE

Thank you to all who have made gifts and pledges for our New & Renewing – The Next 150 Years Campaign! Currently, we have received over $1.1 million of the nearly $2 million pledged to the comprehensive campaign. With those funds, we have been able to apply over $610,000 to pay down the principal of our mortgage, complete necessary maintenance at our drive-In property, submit funds to the Saint Paul Area Synod Planting Hope Campaign, and set aside money for Trinity’s Outreach Mission commitments. Nearly 200 households are already participating in this effort. Thank you for your generosity and for being part of this amazing community of faith!

Please view our Trinity Today newsletters for monthly updates.

LAUNCH
Trinity has launched a three-year comprehensive campaign called “New & Renewing: The Next 150 Years.” As we just celebrated our first 150 years, we are being called to plan for a vibrant future for all generations. The campaign has three important objectives:

  • Mortgage Debt Reduction
  • Deferred Maintenance of Assets
  • Financial Accompaniment (Mission Component)

Mortgage Debt Reduction—70% of gifts received: Eliminating our debt will unburden the future Trinity community and free up resources in the short term, allowing us to better serve each other and the world. 

Many are surprised to hear that Trinity has a mortgage of more than $3 million. The balance of our mortgage debt as of 12/1/2022 is $3,097,495 with an annual debt service of $214,056.

The terms of our loan with Thrivent are:
Current interest rate of 3.5%—3-year adjustable with next adjustment on 5/1/2024 with an expected loan interest rate of 6%. The maturity date of our loan is: 5/1/2043. At the current interest rate (before the expected increase next year), Trinity would pay more than $4.28 million in mortgage payments over the next 20 years.

Deferred Maintenance of Assets—20% of gifts received (to a cap of $650,000): Part of renewal for the future is to tend to the present, and that includes stewardship of our building and drive-in property. We place a high value on hospitality and welcoming the community to share this tremendous resource. We will use a segment of the campaign to fund some long-awaited facilities improvements.

The following priority order was established by Trinity’s Facilities Team, shown with estimated costs.

  • Drive-in Renovation (screen, concession building, stage): $50,000–150,000
  • 3rd Street Heritage Chapel Exterior: $100,000–250,000
  • Lower Level Bathroom Renovation (East and West Bathrooms): $150,000
  • Church Offices Update (paint, carpet, etc.): $40,000
  • Worship Center Floor Upgrade to Polished Concrete: $60,000

Financial Accompaniment—10% of gifts received: Just as we are individually called to give our first fruits to God, so are we called as the Body of Christ. We will tithe 10 percent of all funds raised for the campaign to mission—regardless of the total amount raised. This tithe will serve two primary purposes: 

  • We will give to the shared work of the Saint Paul Area Synod through their Planting Hope Campaign (2.5%).
  • We will establish funding of missions in our operating budget (7.5%). The balance of the financial accompaniment will be used to fund the first 3-5 years of a transition to making Trinity’s Outreach Missions a part of our operating budget, to reflect our core value of Compassionate Action.

Download the brochure that includes more information and answers to frequently asked questions.

Campaign Brochure & FAQs>>

Background
Over the summer 2022 we conducted a feasibility study for a comprehensive campaign for Trinity to address three areas: financial accompaniment, deferred maintenance and debt reduction. With your input and the guidance of our consultant, Steve Olson of Olson Advancement, the council voted to move ahead with a vote for this campaign at the annual meeting on Nov. 20, 2022. At the meeting there was a nearly unanimous congregational vote in favor to proceed with a comprehensive campaign. The full case statement is available to download below. We look forward to your questions and input!

Download Case Statement>>