Capital Funding Program

St Michael Anglican Church is amazing! We are determined to make our town and the Bow

Valley a better place. We do that by helping, hosting and supporting events like Canmore

Community Food and Friends. We focus on serving God and serving people in the town of

Canmore. But there are some important things we need to do if we are to continue. So we have

developed exciting campaign to raise money to enable our church to continue to have a special

place in the Bow Valley. The goal is no small sum, but it is achievable.

This campaign is necessary and timely; here’s why. We need to raise about $300,000 over three

years to cover the cost of a new roof for the church and hall ($130,000) and a new floor in the

hall (another $30,000). We believe that it would be good stewardship to establish a fund to deal

with other capital expenses coming our way over the next 10 years, so we have budgeted

$140,000 for a capital reserve fund. But if we left our campaign there, we wouldn’t be doing our

job responsibly. For the last two years we have been dipping into our savings to meet our

operating expenses. This year we will have a deficit of some $10,000. Each year we trim

expenses but still we are getting further behind. The programs we have fostered are important

to our church and to Canmore. We don’t want to lose them. So, in addition to giving to the

capital costs, we need church members to provide additional support for our operating

expenses. We think those are convincing reasons for this campaign.

There is some urgency to this work. We need to ensure the roof is watertight before it starts to

leak. And it would be irrational to continue to run a deficit, so we need to balance our budget.

In fact all the work and all the expenses need to be met very soon. Our church finance team has

looked at the campaign and believe it is the best thing to do. So yes, we are asking for what we

need, nothing more than what is necessary for sound financial planning. St. Michael’s is a

church and a building that we are all proud to call our spiritual home. It is a place and a way of

life worth preserving.

Over the coming weeks we will be asking church members to think and pray and look at ways

we might all pull together to put a new roof on the building this year, have a new floor installed

next year, and to start building a capital reserve fund, as well as helping to balance our budget.

If each of our present supporters increase weekly giving by 10%, our deficit would disappear.

Not everyone will be able to do that; some may be able to do more. Please consider how you can

support St. Michael’s.

With best regards,

Howard Thornton