What Would Courtenay be Like Without Us?

Find out more about the initial Toronto Halo Project here.

What would the Comox Valley be like if St. George's were to cease to exist? We know that our lives would be negatively impacted. But what about the broader community? Would they miss us?

There's no easy way to answer that. But St. George's is part of the Halo Project, a nation-wide study on the local impact of faith communities that seeks to answer that question, at least economically. Basically, we gave them all the information on money we spend, volunteering we do, groups that use our space and other factors like that, and they use that to see what kind of net economic benefit the local community gets by having us here. We've received a preliminary report, which says that the wider community receives nearly $1 million in economic benefit, far far far more than the church gets in tax exemptions.  It's pretty impressive for churches across the country, with St. George's above and beyond the national average. We're excited to receive the full report, but you can download the initial one here.

Of course, the church doesn't exist simply to make an economic impact. The most significant benefits, such as spiritual growth, forgiveness, acceptance and transformation, are almost entirely intangible. However, it does suggest that when we gather together to talk in the footsteps of Jesus not only for ourselves but for the world God loves. Sounds like the "investing" part of our mission statement to me. It means that your generosity towards the mission of the church makes a huge difference beyond our walls.