All Saints Episcopal celebrates paying off $670,000 debt with mortgage burning

There was plenty of fire but not so much brimstone at a recent service at All Saints Episcopal Church on Hilton Head Island.

One hundred fifty members of All Saints participated in a liturgical service and dinner to celebrate the retirement of the church's $670,000 mortgage. Prior to the dinner, parishioners helped burn various mortgage documents and then shared in a celebratory toast. The dinner was followed by a short DVD which underscored the various outreach ministries enabled in light of the fundraising effort.

The mortgage-burning event was made possible through the church's successful three-year "Cornerstone" Capital Fundraising Campaign that resulted in three-year pledges totaling $1.184 million.

With two and a half months of the pledge period remaining, all but about $200,000 of the pledged amounts have been received.

This influx in contributions, beyond the traditional stewardship pledges made by parishioners, has allowed All Saints to retire its debt, which had been a drag on annual budgets for a number of years. In addition, the church:

• Made plans to allocate $100,000 over five years in grants to local nonprofit groups

• Set aside $100,000 over five years to construct a new church and school in the Dominican Republic

• Committed to provide initial funding for the calling of the Rev. Mark R. Brinkmann as associate rector in August of 2007

• Agreed to make several building improvements

The church also was able to fulfill a previous pledge of support to Camp St. Christopher, the Diocesan Retreat Center.

Local nonprofit groups that have been assisted through this effort include: ABLE (The Disabilities Foundation of Beaufort County), The Deep Well Project, Family Promise of Beaufort County, Low Country Legal Aid, Lowcountry Pregnancy Center, Martin Luther King Planning Commission, Neighborhood Outreach Connection, Operation R&R and Senior Services of Beaufort County.

Also as a result of this fundraising, this spring the new Iglesia La Redencion in the City of Barahona was dedicated by the Bishop of the Diocese of the Dominican Republic, providing a new church home for about 100 Dominican and Haitian parishioners.

This fall the new Episcopal school there will be completed to educate 200-250 Dominican and Haitian children.

During his homily as part of the "Service of Thanksgiving for the Retirement of a Debt," the Rev. Richard Carroll Lindsey, rector of All Saints, noted that the capital fundraising campaign has "enabled us to reach out to others both domestically and globally. ... I cannot tell you how precious it is for others to receive what they did not expect.

"I am so thankful that all of you sought to honor Christ in this way."

All Saints Episcopal Church is at 3001 Meeting St., just off Main Street on Hilton Head Island.

Details: 843-681-8333.