Church to launch fund drive for expansion, food pantry
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Minot has announced plans for a capital fund drive to support building expansions and a new food pantry.
The church reported it has set a minimum goal of $3 million for its “Vibrant Vision” Campaign, which along with the $ 2 million already set aside, would allow for ground breaking and completion of phase one of its plan. The first phase consists of updating and expanding the rectory, expanding the parish center and building a dedicated food pantry.
The Rev. Adam Maus with Our Lady of Grace said a new food pantry is necessary to accommodate the existing program.
“Right now, it’s in a very small space in our church. People that come to it, they wait outside. It’s just not a good way to do that,” he said. In addition, many items are stored in a warehouse and must be transported to the panty.. Having enough space to operate the program in one location would be more efficient, he said.
“We are hoping for a lot of community support for that,” Maus said.
The expansion of the rectory and parish center are necessary due to growth in the church. Maus said the church is short of office space now and would not have room for more staff should it need to add more help. The growth in its children’s program also has led to a shortage of classroom space. The church lacks enough meeting room space to do the things it would like to do, Maus added.
The capital campaign will officially begin with a Kick-Off Celebration Sunday, June 9, culminating on Commitment Sunday or, in this case, a Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 10 and 11. Maus said by the end of September, the campaign will have closed and decisions will be made regarding construction plans for 2025.
A master plan was developed to identify the steps to accommodate the church’s growth. It was followed by a feasibility study that included parishioner input and prioritized the projects to establish the first phase of what is expected to be three phases.
Walsh & Associates, a Burnsville, Minnesota-based fundraising consulting firm that specializes in church capital campaigns, is providing campaign advice and assistance.
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church has been a part of the Minot community since 1959.