08034
January 11, 2008

A unique fundraising vehicle

Resurrected ’67 Mustang brings new life to Riverside Presbytery’s Joining Hearts & Hands campaign

by Emily Enders Odom
Associate, Mission Communications
Presbyterian Church (USA)

Before. Photo courtesy of Brad Copeland

Riverside, CA – Brad Copeland took his son-in-law’s urgent phone call straight from a vacant lot, where the neglected shell of a vintage car had come to its presumed final resting place.

Copeland, pastor of the 350-member Magnolia Presbyterian Church here, listened patiently as Aaron Cohen made his plea.

“About a year and a half ago, Aaron called to tell me that he had discovered a 1967 Mustang that needed restoration,” Copeland explained.  “He asked me to buy it so that we could restore it together.”

A veteran pastor with considerable woodworking but no automobile experience, Copeland immediately saw the restoration project as a potential bonding experience with his son-in-law, whom he sought to know better. 

After first examining the car and later consulting with his brother-in-law, owner of a 1966 Mustang, Copeland agreed to both the purchase and the arrangement.  “Aaron had the brains,” Copeland said, “and he mistakenly supposed that I had the deep pockets!”

At the start of the laborious restoration process, Copeland and Cohen, an elder at Magnolia church, agreed that they would eventually sell the car and split the proceeds, only to find that God had orchestrated a detour for the vehicle.

After. Photo courtesy of Brad Copeland

“While we were restoring the car, I began to hear presentations by Riverside Presbytery about an exciting new church development opportunity at French Valley,” Copeland recalled.  “My wife, Lori, also happened to go to presbytery last summer when the subject of the new church came up.  We both agreed that we had never seen such a high level of energy and enthusiasm for a project.”

Shortly afterwards, Copeland had a late-night brainstorm. “I realized how tired I was of hearing bad news about the PC(USA),” he said.  “I knew it was time to lift up the good things that are happening, and I knew how my wife and I could help.  We would donate the car to benefit new church development through Joining Hearts & Hands.”

“The Mustang’s restoration has literally become a vehicle for our own spiritual renewal across the presbytery,” Copeland said.

Riverside Presbytery launched its two-year, $500,000 campaign in partnership with the Mission Initiative: Joining Hearts & Hands (MIJHH) in November 2007. A total of $400,000 of the campaign goal will be used for new church development within the bounds of the presbytery, while $100,000 will go toward support of a Presbyterian Church (USA) mission co-worker. 

MIJHH is the five-year campaign of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to raise $40 million for new international mission personnel and for church development in the U.S., particularly racial ethnic and immigrant congregations.  

Riverside Presbytery’s New Church Development Task Force, chaired by the Rev. Ken McCullen, has been charged with developing the presbytery’s fundraising strategy.  “I’m a convert to new church development,” said McCullen, former organizing pastor of the Laguna Niguel Presbyterian Church in Los Ranchos Presbytery, which grew from five families to a membership of nearly 700.  “I believe the Church needs to start new churches.  It needs to be in the fabric of people’s thinking that they are there not just to be served but to reach out with the good news of the gospel.”

Aaron Cohen (left) and the Rev. Brad Copeland (right) restore the seats of the ’67 Mustang that’s being raffled off to raise funds for Riverside Presbytery’s Joining Hearts and Hands campaign. Photo courtesy of Brad Copeland

McCullen, who is now honorably retired in Riverside, sees the presbytery’s campaign goal as attainable.  “Because God is doing a new thing in our presbytery, it is truly a kairos moment for us,” he said.  “As we find ourselves again catching a spark of what the gospel is all about, we are already seeing our churches respond to the campaign with incredible support.”

“What especially touches me about Brad’s own response,” McCullen added, “is that this is his personal sacrifice.  It’s an exciting example for everyone in our presbytery to follow in making their own personal financial and prayer commitment to spread the good news of Jesus Christ in French Valley and to the ends of the earth.”

Well aware of the presbytery’s ambitious fundraising goal himself, Copeland was not content to dedicate only the proceeds from the Mustang’s sale to the campaign.  A former trustee of the Presbyterian Foundation, Copeland focused instead on how to maximize the gift. 

“Not only did I gain a better understanding about funding and fundraising by being on the Foundation board, I consider my service to the Foundation a highlight of my 30-year ministry,” said Copeland.  “I have seen what the Foundation can accomplish.”

Copeland soon had the idea to raffle the now fully restored car, enlisting and mobilizing key church volunteers, including Gary and Pat Platner, to sell 250 tickets at a cost of $250 apiece.  One ticket comes free with the purchase of eight. 

To date, the church has collected approximately $38,000 in ticket sales, with some 95 tickets remaining.  The raffle will be held on Super Bowl Sunday, February 3.

“One of the things we’re hopeful of is that the enthusiasm that Brad has experienced will be caught by other churches in the presbytery,” said the Rev. Jack Schutte, acting executive presbyter of Riverside.  “We are hoping that people will say, ‘Wow, we can be as creative in bringing in the funds to reach our presbytery’s new church development goal for Joining Hearts & Hands.’”

Magnolia Presbyterian Church, which is also planning other activities to benefit the campaign, has already received separate gifts to offset the fundraising costs associated with the raffle. “Every dollar raised is going to Kingdom building,” Copeland said.  “This is not our project, it’s God’s.”

To those would-be ticket purchasers who remain unconvinced of their need for a car, Copeland has quickly responded that he doesn’t need one either.  “But French Valley does need a church,” he said, “and people need the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

For more information or to purchase a raffle ticket to benefit Riverside Presbytery’s Joining Hearts & Hands campaign, visit the Magnolia Presbyterian Church’s Website or phone the church office at 951/684-7200.