May 26, 2010
By Pat McCaughan

Parishioners at a growing New Mexico parish are praying for a miracle and hustling to raise a final $75,000 to build a much-needed sanctuary.

The Rev. Robert Mundy, vicar of St. Matthew's, Los Lunas, in the Albuquerque-based Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande, said plans for a 3,500-square-foot multipurpose building depend on creative solutions, member efforts, fundraising and, hopefully, a miracle.

It wouldn't be the first for the church. The 11-year-old congregation began with a few families using bales of hay for pews in a local feed store on Mother's Day, 1999. Shortly afterwards, St. Matthew's moved to its present location, a vacant chapel on a former state facility for the disabled. Recently, the state has begun phasing out the campus.

Feeling the press of time, the congregation, which has doubled in size in the past four years, to 60, began feverishly fundraising.

That's when the "miraculous" began happening, said Mundy during a May 24 telephone interview from his office.

First, Jack Huning of Huning Land and Development, donated 3.8 acres of land, valued at more than $600,000, for construction of the planned wood and stucco building, about two miles from the church's current location, Mundy said.

Then in February an anonymous donor offered to match, three to one, donations up to $100,000.

"We met that goal, nearly doubled it, and with savings we already had, have raised $400,000," Mundy said.

"That we were able to do so in this economy is amazing. We know God's working a miraculous thing. God is very much behind this and the Spirit is moving people in a wonderful way," added Mundy.

Members thought they'd met their fundraising goal. But recently they learned that design adjustments and upgrades had inflated the project's bottom line by an additional $75,000.

Now, members like bishop's warden Tom Vincent are seeking creative ways to whittle away at the costs, including possibly negotiating with contractors to use parishioners' labor.

"We just had a meeting of the building committee," said Vincent. "Everyone was saying, we can paint, I can do this or that. "Even 80-year-olds were saying I know how to paint, I'll be glad to pitch in. There's not a lack of enthusiasm or volunteerism in terms of getting anything done. We believe it's going to happen. We worked hard for it, so let's get started."

Vincent, a member for seven years, said the need for a new building became obvious recently.

"The state is gradually shutting down the facilities on that campus. While we certainly are grateful that the state allows us to use the facility to worship, we feel at some point in time the state might close the facility and we wouldn't have a place to worship," he said.

"Plus, we need a larger facility with classrooms and storage. We feel it's very fortuitous that we make this move now, especially as our congregation has grown."

University of New Mexico sociology professor Noé Lara agreed. "When we have a potluck dinner, we have to move the pews to the sides," he said.

The 3,500 square-feet building planned in the project's first phase would be used for worship and workshops, and would include a Sunday school classroom and child-care area. Seating capacity would triple, to about 150.

It would also offer the potential for development of after-school and other programs, and other outreach to the community, an exciting prospect, Lara said.

Lara, who is Hispanic, said he is especially drawn to the congregation because "it's a place for everyone" including members of a nearby residential addiction treatment center.

"My wife is Anglo," he said. "We have Hispanics attending the church. We have African American families, Native American families. It is a multicultural church and we get along well. Everybody feels at home. We feel this is what the Lord wants us to do."

Because of that hospitality, the church is "growing and we don't have a place for children and that's got to be a big deal," he said. "There are a lot of families with young kids. We feel like the new building is going to be as much for the community as for the people we have now."

Ongoing fundraisers have also been community builders, he said. "We've had a good time fundraising and socializing" from traditional raffles and bake sales, to golf tournaments and even the auctions of a donated car and a recreational vehicle.

Members got creative, he added. "A local pilot offered aerial tours of Valencia County while an author designated book proceeds" to contribute to the fundraising efforts.

"Little by little, everything counts. It's been wonderful. This is the first time I've been at the very bottom raising money for a particular church and it's been exciting."

Also under consideration to close the final fundraising gap are memorial bricks "and we're open to suggestions," said Mundy.

"I'm confident that we're going to get this building built," he added. "We're exploring what we might be able to do to make those ends meet. We're working really hard at it.

"We're bringing the Gospel to a very broken place," he added.

Episcopal News Service
The Rev. Pat McCaughan is a national correspondent for the Episcopal News Service. She is based in Los Angeles.