(Marshall, NC) — The Marshall Presbyterian Church PC(USA) is pleased to announce that it has received an Emergency and Disaster Response Fund Grant of $25,000.00 from The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) for the project entitled “Recreating Marshall Presbyterian.”
The Community Foundation is a nonprofit serving 18 counties in Western North Carolina. The foundation is a permanent regional resource that facilitated $34 million in charitable giving last year. CFWNC inspires philanthropy and mobilizes resources to enrich lives and communities in Western North Carolina.
Marshall Presbyterian Church has been a vital part of the downtown Marshall, North Carolina, community for generations and a valuable meeting place for area nonprofit organizations serving Madison County residents. Those organizations include:
- Aptly named, Neighbors in Need aids Madison County residents experiencing a short-term crisis with heating, utilities, and food. Neighbors in Need is a faith-based nonprofit organization that is staffed with volunteers and has operated out of the Marshall Presbyterian Church building for more than 20 years.
- The fellowship hall at Marshall Presbyterian Church has served as a meeting space for area Alcoholics Anonymous meetings since the 1970s.
- Community Housing Coalition (CHC) of Madison County, a community-based nonprofit agency that facilitates urgent home repairs for low-income Madison County residents in need of assistance. CHC holds its monthly Board of Directors meetings in the fellowship hall of the Marshall Presbyterian Church.
- The church’s shower facilities serve residents who are in a housing crisis.
- Steve Davidowski’s Annual Community Christmas Concert is an annual benefit concert raising funds for Neighbors In Need. It has been held in the sanctuary of the Marshall Presbyterian Church since 2009.
- Marshall Presbyterian Church also provides space for a local Pediatric Occupational Therapist who provides regular therapy for children with disabilities.
- A congregation of The Religious Society of Friends, known as the Quakers, uses the Marshall Presbyterian Church’s sanctuary and fellowship hall monthly for their worship services.
In recent weeks, countless community volunteers have given tireless hours to help the Marshall Presbyterian Church building emerge from the flood waters of the French Broad River and tropical storm Helene. Due to the storm’s flooding, river mud, and storm debris the interior of the church had to be stripped to the floorboards and studs. It is currently not usable by the congregation or any of the area organizations that depend on the use of the church facilities.
According to the Rev. Merri Alexander, the congregation’s transitional pastor, “This wonderful grant from The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina serves as a leadership grant that enables the Marshall Presbyterian Church to take our first steps toward bringing this iconic 1950s building into the 21century. The congregation plans to renovate the building’s interior with an eye to the church’s future ministry and expanded community service. We certainly look forward to being able to worship in our renovated sanctuary in 2025. And as all new plumbing is installed throughout the building, we intend to add accessible rest rooms, provide two showers for those in need, and install all new kitchen equipment. We are looking forward to the time when the fellowship hall will again serve our community as a valuable meeting space and the downstairs rooms will serve the community’s need for some additional office space lost in the flood. And, in December 2025, we hope to invite the whole community to fill the sanctuary again for Steve Davidowski’s Annual Community Christmas Concert. This generous grant from The Community Foundation is a major gift that sets us well on the road to recovery.” Alexander said.
