Christ Presbyterian Church Celebrates Capital Campaign Kickoff, Rejoices in Early Success

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
January 12, 2026

Oxford, MS – Christ Presbyterian Church officially launched its “Rooted & Raised” Capital Campaign with a kickoff celebration on Sunday, January 11, 2026, where more than 380 members attended. Through a special reveal from founding member, Dr. Doug Sanford representing the great history of the church, and 7-year-old Sallie Levy, representing the future generations, shared with the congregation that $4,962,954 that has already been pledged, from just 51 households, toward needs totaling $15.8M. There was great rejoicing from the congregation in God’s provision! This amount is significantly more than was raised by the entire congregation in their previous campaign seven years ago and represents more than two times their current annual giving. This is a significant milestone worth celebrating!

The church’s capital campaign is centered around “honoring the past while providing for the future”. In 2020 the church moved into their new building on Sisk Ave. and have been growing steadily since. It was known then that there would need to be an addition at some point as space for adult Sunday Schools was knowingly sacrificed in favor of ensuring the youth and children’s ministries would thrive. To encourage people to “find the little church in the big church”, a concept introduced by former pastor Curt Presley, the vision is to build an expanded space for the youth and children’s ministries, along with a full-size gymnasium, so current class-rooms can be repurposed as adult Sunday School rooms, enabling pathways of enfolding within the church.

Christ Presbyterian Church (CPC) is a member of the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) denomination and is located in historic Oxford, MS. In 1995, ten families began meeting for bible studies and began prayerfully considering their vision to see a new PCA church formed in Oxford. Throughout its history, CPC has grown and continues to impact this city with sound Biblical teaching, care for the congregation, and responding to needs in the community.

The visionary project, led by Lead Pastor, Les Newsom, the Session, and a capable design team, used the services of Dave Benham from Incipio Consultants to envision a design and lay the groundwork for the “Rooted & Raised” Capital Campaign over the past two years. Pastor Les shared, “Christ Presbyterian sees this project as essential to moving forward our vision to proclaim a Hope, build a Home, and launch a Healing in ourselves and the world around us. As we look to the Lord’s guiding hand, we have been humbled by the response of this congregation and anticipate serving this community for years to come.”

Campaign Chair, Pamela Grafton, shared, “The overwhelming support of the capital campaign thus far is a direct reflection of the dedicated body of believers at Christ Pres who care deeply about preserving our legacy while also preparing for the future. We feel blessed to have the guidance of a full-time consultant as we journey onward and step out in faith together as one Body in Christ.”

James D. Klote & Associates, Inc., a firm specializing in capital funding projects for non-profit organizations, is providing full-time, resident counsel. Campaign specialist and director, Dan Reese, is representing the firm. “I have had the opportunity to assist several churches across the country in similar projects;” said Reese, “however, I have rarely seen a situation where the project scope is so aligned with the mission of the church. The desire for this congregation to enfold people well and care for this community is at the heart of the new building – I see it – I get it! The design aids in fulfilling the mission, ensuring it will flourish for generations to come.”

With offices in Great Falls, Virginia; Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; Dallas, Texas; and Toronto, Ontario, Canada, James D. Klote & Associates is the largest full-time, on-site stewardship consulting firm in North America. For additional information, please contact the firm at www.jdklote.com or (800) 360-2315.