The PC(USA)’s Office of Innovation will host a pre-conference event on social enterprise initiatives
by Beth Waltemath | Presbyterian News Service
“Your neighborhood is full of people who will likely never come to your church” reads the call to action inviting leaders to a “missional entrepreneurship immersion” event in Sterling, Virginia from Jan. 29-31, 2025.
The event will be hosted by National Capital Presbytery in partnership with Fresh Expressions, “a global movement of churches following the Spirit,” which began in 2004 through the initiative of Anglican and Methodist churches in England.
The immersive event will focus on “missional businesses” that build relationships and income for churches by considering how to use “underutilized properties to address local needs, such as tiny home communities, affordable daycare, and community gathering spaces.” It takes place at Riverside Presbyterian Church, a congregation that worships in both English and Spanish and is “home of the bustling Ridgetop Café.” It’s designed to explore how churches repurpose facilities, become community hubs and build new income streams through listening to leaders who have navigated these shifts and through engaging with peers currently working through the possibilities. Members of the Riverside Presbyterian Church staff and National Capital Presbytery are among the featured speakers for the main conference.
The Rev. Chelsea Spyres
On January 28, 2025, the PCUSA’s Office of Innovation and 1001 New Worshiping Communities will host a pre-conference event featuring speakers the Rev. Chelsea Spyres, founder of the Wilmington Kitchen Collective in Delaware, and the Rev. Mark Elsdon, editor of “Gone for Good: Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transition.”
Participants will engage in activities and learning related to the Good Futures Accelerator course which helps churches discern and build social enterprise initiatives for a more connected and sustainable future for churches and their communities. According to their materials, the Good Futures Accelerator “is a dynamic and proven course designed to help congregations creatively use their church buildings and property to align money and mission.”
Register for the pre-conference event here. A $70 fee includes three meals, snacks and a book.
The Rev. Mark Elsdon
Until January 6, 2025, the cost of the main event is $225. Hotel reservations made before December 31, 2024 at Hyatt Place in Chantilly, Virginia, are offered at $119 per night.
Can’t make the conference, but are interested in discerning how social enterprise fits into your ministry context? Thanks to a partnership with the PC(USA)’s Office of Innovation, the Good Futures Accelerator course is offered at a 50% discount. Go here to learn more.
You may freely reuse and distribute this article in its entirety for non-commercial purposes in any medium. Please include author attribution, photography credits, and a link to the original article. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDeratives 4.0 International License.