The Rt. Rev. Gethin B. Hughes, Chair	Los Angeles
Mr. Stanley I. Garnett, Vice-Chair	Southwest Florida
Mr. Thomas D. Haines, Treasurer	Connecticut
Mrs. Joyce P. Austin, Asst. Treasurer & Secretary	New York
Mr. Brewster Caesar	Colorado
Mrs. Marina Carrott	Chicago
Lawrence M. Knapp, Esq.	Pittsburgh
Ms. Barbara Losse	Utah
The Rev. Richard Petranek	Texas
Phoebe A. Roaf, Esq.	Virginia
The Rev. Martini Shaw	Pennsylvania
The Rev. Ralph R. Warren, Jr.	Southeast Florida
Robert Royce, Esq., Legal Counsel	Virgin Islands
The Rev. Charles N. Fulton III, President	New York
Mrs. Sarah D. O’Brien (non-trustee staff), Vice President

In faithfulness to our baptismal covenant and our mission as the church to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ and in recognition of the importance of place and space for worship, proclamation and service, the mission of the Episcopal Church Building Fund is to aid in the building, improvement, and repair of churches, rectories, parochial, and diocesan buildings by providing assistance in planning and loans, and to aid in the development of congregations through providing training, education, and resources.

The Episcopal Church Building Fund (ECBF) was established by the General Convention in 1880 as the American Church Building Fund Commission, a self-supporting agency. In addition to its own funds, the ECBF manages the General Loan Fund portfolio of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society. The ECBF assists congregations with the process of planning for a building project. The goal of these services is to provide the church with buildings that are tools for ministry. The ECBF also assists congregations in addressing issues of congregational health and growth.

Fixed rate, non-mortgage, loans of up to $350,000 are available to qualifying congregations and organizations of the Episcopal Church, through the diocese, within the domestic United States. Loans of up to $100,000 are available to dioceses throughout the Anglican Communion. Loans are issued to a diocese for the applying congregation and are awarded based on evidence of the ability to repay. These monies are available from the ECBF’s revolving loan fund. As loan demand increases, additional monies are secured through a Debenture investment program with Episcopal parishes, diocese and organizations.

The ECBF produces printed resources for congregations. A Congregational Planning Process is a workbook for the congregational planning committee which outlines a planning and decision-making process designed to minimize conflict, set a manageable budget, and clarify the architectural implications of the ministries which the building must support. Also published is The Church for Common Prayer, A Statement on Worship Space for the Episcopal Church, which sets forth the theological principals for worship space. A video, Churches for Common Prayer, Buildings for the Liturgical Assembly, provides a tour through two church buildings, one a new building and one a traditional building which has been renovated. The video depicts the benefits of flexible space and ways to make church buildings inviting to the newcomer. The Congregational Builder newsletter focuses on practical issues for parishes concerned with how their buildings serve as tools for ministry, and on issues of congregational health and growth. The Congregational Builder is mailed to every active ordained person and others upon request; all other resources are available at a nominal cost.

The ECBF conducts free daylong workshops for congregations planning a new building or repair, renovation, or expansion to an existing building. Topics include congregational life cycle, building support for change, decision making as a community, determining a realistic budget, the congruence between the ministries and building, and a slide show depicting the principles of liturgical design.

The ECBF coordinates the Start Up!Start Over! Congregational Development Seminar in cooperation with the Office of Congregational Development. Now entering its second decade, the five-day seminar provides basic congregational development and growth training for those planting new congregations and existing congregations. Topics include: congregational life cycle, dealing with conflict and resistance to change, marketing the church, new member incorporation, reaching the unchurched, and the use of multi-media in worship and ministry. The training is designed for clergy and laity and is particularly effective for those attending as teams. Registration demand continues to increase, with up to three seminars offered annually.

Consultation	To provide services of education and support to dioceses in their efforts to develop congregations.
Resources	To expand the written and video resources available to the church for building, congregational health and development.
Financial	To increase the capacity to make loans that meet the variety of needs of dioceses and congregations