Simulcast with Bethlehem
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens
Ecclesiastes 3:1
Seasons change, and this is a time to prepare for the next season of ministry at the Church of the Advocate. It will be a season that we approach with wisdom. It is a season where we gather many laborers for the field.
To be clear, the Church of the Advocate is not closing. The Church will still be open for worship on Sunday mornings. The after-school program will still operate. However, with great sadness, the feeding ministry will close until there is adequate funding.
The worshipping community diligently seeks to engage help from partners and institutions but faces the reality of decades of deferred maintenance of the buildings. It will take more than $15 million to bring the campus up to safety standards. (If you can help in any way, contact us, advocate@diopa.org.)
The Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania has invested $1,365,226.00 in the Church of the Advocate's operations, buildings, and ministries in the last few years. As long as we can safely support the community, the Washington Center will be open to hosting voting and events that serve the neighborhood.
Several groups are pursuing grants and fundraising for the church. One team is made up of leaders from around Philadelphia dedicated to preservation, education, and public life. Another group is made up of leaders from the legal community, activists, educators, and church leaders who are working to develop the Barbara Harris Center for Race and Reconciliation out of the Church of the Advocate. We are also looking to see if the Advocate could be a pilgrimage site for those interested in the church's history or headquarters for a prison rehabilitation and reentry program like the successful Homeboy Industries.
While the church remains open for worship and some services, our dreams for the future start this fall with full completion within five years.
We hope that if you are reading this, you will understand the importance of your role in these efforts. We need your prayers, your support, and your donations to make our shared vision a reality.