Audrey Schaus

When I was asked to serve at Christ Church Greenwich as Junior Warden, I told the Rector and the Senior Warden that I would do anything for the Church but ask for money. Six months later, we kicked off our Capital Campaign and I found myself asking for money every week (several times a week) for the next nine months. My transformation from resistant fundraiser to willing Campaign caller was two-fold. In the first place, this new role was what leadership was called to do and so I stepped up to serve. Secondly, and more importantly, I realized that I wasn’t asking for money so much as I was giving fellow parishioners the opportunity to participate in this seminal moment in the life of our beloved Church. As soon as I recast the conversation from an “ask” for money to a reflection on all the Church has meant for us as a congregation and as individuals, I became a passionate advocate for the opportunity to respond in faith with gratitude. The consultant was an invaluable support in my conversion and has been endlessly amused by it as well. I am grateful for his expertise and perspective and although I wouldn’t have believed this when we first started out, I am so very grateful for the experience of the Campaign and the conversations I had with fellow parishioners about our needs, our aspirations and our faith.