Press Release: Invested Faith and St. Peter’s United Church of Christ Announce Six-Figure Gift
For Immediate Release: February 14, 2024
Invested Faith and St. Peter’s United Church of Christ Announce Six-Figure Gift
St. Peter’s United Church of Christ in Ferguson, Missouri
Photo Credit: Cliff Vaughn, Good Faith Media
Washington, DC: St. Peter’s United Church of Christ in Ferguson, Missouri has made a $200,000 gift to the Invested Faith Fund, continuing the church’s ongoing partnership with Invested Faith, a fund for faith-rooted social entrepreneurs. For the past year, St. Peter’s and Invested Faith have met together regularly to worship, to learn about shared values and vision, to explore ideas for partnership, and to collaborate with Good Faith Media to produce this powerful film about the life of the congregation.
This initial monetary contribution to Invested Faith reflects St. Peter’s mission and vision and their long history as a justice seeking community and signals the beginning of ongoing investment by the congregation. St. Peter’s long-time presence and impact in the Ferguson community through their resource center and local partnerships now expands to include justice issues across the country.
Rev. Dr. Amy Butler
Invested Faith founder Rev. Dr. Amy Butler values these partnerships. “While Invested Faith proudly identifies, funds, and supports faith-rooted social entrepreneurs, my goal in starting Invested Faith was to create a vehicle by which traditional faith communities could use their considerable resources to fund a future we cannot yet see. St. Peter’s is leading the way, showing traditional faith communities how to live boldly into the future God imagines for us,” said Butler.
Rev. Patrick Chandler, Senior Pastor, St. Peter’s UCC, Ferguson, MO
Patrick Chandler, senior pastor at St. Peter’s UCC, sees the gift as an expansion of the mission of this thriving congregation. “Our partnership with Invested Faith is a natural continuation of St. Peter’s long history and witness. Through our ongoing relationship with Invested Faith, this initial gift from our endowed funds not only helps equip new models and understanding of what it means to be “church,” it also seeks to model God’s justice as an act of reparations, seeds planted in often overlooked and underserved communities. Our work together is a bold act of faith."
Invested Faith supports social innovators creating businesses that impact systems of injustice across the U.S. and this funding will provide additional resources for that work. Through this gift, made through the Invested Faith Thriving Church program, St. Peter’s is proud to be able to undergird this ground-breaking model of justice seeking work through financial support.
About St. Peter’s United Church of Christ, Ferguson, Missouri: Established in 1843 in downtown St. Louis as a German Evangelical Church, St. Peter’s UCC is grounded in Jesus’ example of caring for and connecting with those often overlooked, oppressed, or marginalized. A presence in Ferguson since 1957, the church has continued to support justice efforts in the community and, in 2016, opened a resource center on their property, offering space for non-profit work and much needed services and programs for the community.
About Invested Faith: Invested Faith is a fund for faith-rooted social innovators founded by Rev. Dr. Amy Butler in 2019 in response to declining church attendance and the need for new models of philanthropy in faith circles. Invested Faith works to become a bridge between traditional churches and social innovators who are creating new expressions of faith and community. .
Media Contact:
Anita Flowers, Coordinator
investedfaith.org/press-center
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