First Presbyterian Church of Hartford
How can use our buildings to express our ethos love of neighbor?
Hartford, CT
Working with the Presbytery of Southern New England, we identified the First Presbyterian Church of Hartford as a community that has the appetite and energy to embrace change. Like many churches, they have experienced great change in the surrounding neighborhood over the years since their founding. The church wanted to thoughtfully discern whether to sell their building or keep them, and to weigh the implications of both scenarios for their sense of purpose and ministries.
We looked together at how and by whom their space was being used. We looked at the surrounding area and trends in population and building development. We worked with the community partners they had built relationships with to clarify what that might look like going forward. Through this process, we helped First Hartford create a set of core values and a strategic filter to use in evaluating choices going forward. In this way, the church is equipped to better understand and nurture its existing relationships with its neighbors and to think intentionally about who else they might invite into a mutually supportive community. They have a plan now, and they are now working their plan.
With “love of neighbor” as their ethos, we also guided First Hartford through a process of reviewing their annual giving opportunities within the congregation.
“Vandersall Collective came alongside my team and me at a crucial time in our church's life. In the wisdom of the group, through precise questions, intensive listening, and genuine care for the work of the Church, Vandersall brought our group into a balcony-view of our landscape: within our city, our presbytery, and indeed as a church that ministers in the world.
They understood us, believed in us, and helped us to refine and galvanize our approach to ministry. Moreover, they did not leave us where they found us: where we were once full of great ideas and lacked follow through, we are now focussed and directed; where we were once diffuse in our senses of purpose, we are now aligned and unified; where we once sensed possibility, we now have tools and management to build.
Working with TVC was transformative not only for our congregation but also for me personally as a midcareer female pastor. I needed support as I learned to trust my instincts--like a mirror or trusted advisor, TVC helped me to see how the Holy Spirit has been moving with and for me in all my days. There's no doubt this work was essential to our church's wellbeing and ability to minister fully into the future.”
— The Rev. Nancy Baseel, Pastor