The Client:
The Presbytery of Charlotte
THE OPPORTUNITY
After over 100 years as an active church in the community, Plaza Presbyterian held its last congregational service in June 2022. After closure, The Presbytery of Charlotte became the owner of the 35,000 square foot property and wanted to explore options for the campus that would serve the community in a new way while preserving the buildings and honoring the church's legacy. Give Impact was engaged to lead a task force of diverse community stakeholders to determine the key pillars of success and a path forward.
How We Served
Conducted strategic planning sessions with The Presbytery and Task Force to determine areas of focus for community impact and parameters for success
Created a low-barrier and inclusive process for local parties to express interest in participation in the campus redevelopment (Request for Interest aka “RFI”)
Interviewed respondents and conduct Request for Proposal
Negotiated MOU and Long-Term Lease Agreement
Lead bi-weekly Task Force Meetings
Presented recommendations to the local Presbytery Council and Full Governing Body for approval
THE IMPACT
Give Impact helped The Presbytery establish a vision for the campus to create multi-layered community impact. Our team developed and launched an inclusive process, which resulted in 28 responses from the community.
From this, local non-profit Arts Plus was selected as the proposed master tenant with the opportunity to explore inclusion from many other respondents in their master plan. The proposed plan was unanimously supported by the task force and approving bodies, resulting in an executed MOU with Arts Plus in May 2023. The project is in due diligence through November 2023 but expected to result in an $18MM investment in the campus, creating a hub for arts education and supporting non-profits that will serve a broad range of incomes in the community.
In Their Words
Every community needs an organization like Give Impact, especially in these shifting cultural waters. As a Church leader, I work with congregations discerning how they can most faithfully use their property to address what breaks God’s heart in their neighborhoods. Because churches thrive when they serve their neighbors, Give Impact is the perfect partner to consider options from affordable housing to job-training services to children’s programming. The Presbytery of Charlotte has successfully collaborated with Give Impact to discern the best use of the Plaza Presbyterian Church property in Plaza Midwood. Our goal was to use that historic church space for the benefit of the broader Charlotte community and we are very pleased with the progress we are making. Liz Ward and Maya Bullock have made this community effort a pleasure.
— Jan Edmiston, General Presbyter, The Presbytery of Charlotte
