Wilson United Methodist Church from Foundation Mountain Sky on Vimeo.
It’s a celebration when a mortgage gets paid! Let’s burn it! Rev. David Hiester, Wilson United Methodist Church and Kristi Kinnison, Executive Director Mountain Sky United Methodist Foundation Watch Vimeo Video here.
In 2008, Wilson UMC began construction on a new addition. To pay for this, many members of the congregation made contributions and the church borrowed $450,000 from the Methodists Helping Methodists fund. This is a group of investors consisting of churches and church members in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana.
Since then, the church has been a beacon of hope in its Colorado Springs community. I am reminded about how the church was miraculously spared in 2012 when the Waldo Canyon fire ravaged the entire neighborhood around it. On the first Sunday after the residents were able to return to their properties, the church held an emotional reunion for the neighborhood on its front lawn. This was a vital connection as the community began to heal.
Today, Wilson UMC continues to connect its community during the Covid-19 pandemic. For the church’s leaders, this has created a new challenge with financial implications. As they were assessing the budget, the cash flow, and other financial resources, a generous donor came forward to help take the monthly $2,497 mortgage payment out of the equation and finally payoff the remaining loan balance. This donor joins the congregation that steadily and faithfully paid their debt service over the years.
They managed even when the community was on fire. They managed when the economy crashed in 2008, just 5 months after they took the loan and began construction on the new building. Today, they will manage as the pandemic ravages the health and finances of this world. Wilson UMC will continue to be good stewards of all that God has entrusted to them so that they provide essential community and connection, in Jesus name.