Church on track to meet 10-year goal

Florence - Less than a year into their 10-year goal of raising $1 million for the St. Francis Project, members of Trinity Episcopal Church in Florence are on track to meet the goal.

Organizers of the community charity project say they are nearing the $100,000 mark.

"We've raised most of that, and we're already starting to plan events for next year," said Mary White, a Trinity member who helped bring the idea of the St. Francis Project to life locally. "The church is having a good time, and this is something that has served to connect people."

The St. Francis Project got its start at Christ Church, in Charlotte, N.C. It's an idea based on St. Francis and his vow of giving away all of his possessions to those in need. Many churches of all denominations and faiths have outreach programs for their communities and missions, but St. Francis Project involves the church raising money, all of which will be given back to community organizations or individuals in need.

In addition to various fundraisers that most recently included an art sale that will end Friday, Trinity members also have put together a St. Francis Faire, which will be Saturday on the grounds of the church in downtown Florence. White said this would likely be the last official fundraising event for the year.

Becky Dethero, of Florence, and her family have been canning pickles, jarring sauces and making potpourri to sell at the faire, which will also involve children's activities and a rummage sale.

"It's been a wonderful way to involve our family and make it a teaching experience for people of all ages in the church about how they can participate," Dethero said. "The thing I like best (about the project) is that charities apply for the money through a sort of grant process, so we know where the money will go and what it will be used for. Every penny we raise will be used for that purpose."

And that's the goal: Give it all away.

Dethero, who has been a member at Trinity for more than a decade, said charity is not a difficult concept to grasp "but it's been a challenge of our faith because we're in economic times when people ask how this can be done. Well, it will be, and it's been a great way to build our faith."

Participating in the St. Francis Project also fits into Trinity's vision for itself, said senior deacon Tom Osborne.

"About seven or eight years ago, we went through a visioning process of who we are and what we want our priorities to be," he said.

"This is kind of a living out of the visioning process. The idea is to make a commitment to give away a million dollars to the community in 10 years. That about doubles, in rough terms, what we've been doing in outreach so far. It's quite a challenge but it's doable. It causes a little lump in the throat," he said.

Already, local agencies have applied to Trinity for the money, and a nine-member board has been appointed to review the requests.

And the needs are great, according to the Rev. Andy Keyse, rector at Trinity.

"People in the Shoals tend not to think there are people who go hungry, but the need is there," he said. "One big thing I see being at the church every day is people looking for assistance, help with rent or utilities or gas money to get to work."

Keyse said he hopes the project will continue long after the 10-year goal has been reached.

"As we go through this process, I would hope it would spur other churches in the community to do this too so that we're able to raise enough money to eradicate many of the problems we face. And in the end, we're all able to keep this going."

Michelle Rupe Eubanks can be reached at 740-5745 or michelle.eubanks@TimesDaily.com.