by Carol Moskel
The Church of the Apostles in Columbia, SC raised $1,000,000 in one month as a result of their “Give as If…” capital campaign. Driven by a need for more space, the church launched their campaign to achieve several goals: 1) allow more space for children by building new offices and adult education space, taking those programs out of the existing children’s space; 2) reduce their existing mortgage principal; and, 3) give significantly to two causes: their church plant in Newberry, SC and the Walk with Rwanda Campaign.
The campaign was a success, and on Sunday November 13, The Rev. Brandon Walsh, Chaplain to Archbishop Rwaje of the Church of Rwanda, visited Church of the Apostles and was gifted with a giant (22×48″ to be exact) check. The check wasn’t giant in size only; the parish of 400 on a Sunday pledged $100,000 to Walk With Rwanda.
“We owe a debt to Rwanda” said Dean Chip Edgar, “We couldn’t pay down our own financial debt without acknowledging in a tangible way the spiritual debt we owe the Church of Rwanda for the critical role they played in the formation of the ACNA.”
Dean Edgar would like to challenge other churches in the ACNA to give generously to the Church of Rwanda in their Walk With Rwanda. Edgar says, “Rwanda helped give us a secure church. Now let’s help them secure theirs.