You don’t need to be a fundraiser. The most helpful thing is to tell people what we’re doing and invite them to be part of it.
Our simple challenge
Make your own gift or pledge, if you are able.
Choose 10 people you know.
Send each person a personal message.
Share the campaign once on social media.
Share occasional progress updates.
Thank anyone who donates, shares, or offers to help.
Think of family, friends, coworkers, neighbours, Orthodox friends at other parishes, people with ties to Niagara, local businesses and trades, and people who care about historic buildings. There is no pressure: we’re simply sharing our story.
Make it personal. Add one sentence about why this matters to you, for example: “I’m excited to see this old church become a place of worship again.”
Messages you can use
Copy these or change them to sound like you.
Personal message
Hi! I wanted to share something our parish has been working toward for a very long time.
Our parish, Our Lady of Pochaev Orthodox Church, has long outgrown its current space. For nine years, we have been waiting and praying for a permanent church home. We now have the opportunity to restore an 1880s church in St. Catharines and make it our own, with room to worship, gather, and grow.
The building needs a great deal of work, but our parishioners have already put in many hours cleaning it out and beginning the restoration.
We're raising funds to continue the work, and I thought you might be interested in being part of it. Any contribution would be greatly appreciated. You can give by Interac e-Transfer to donate@pochaev.ca (message: “Building Fund”).
And please keep our parish and the restoration in your prayers!
Short message
Our Lady of Pochaev Orthodox Church has long outgrown its current space, and after years of waiting and praying, we finally have the opportunity to establish a permanent church home.
We're restoring an 1880s church in St. Catharines, and our volunteers have already accomplished a tremendous amount.
If you'd like to help us continue the restoration: You can give by Interac e-Transfer to donate@pochaev.ca (message: “Building Fund”).
Please keep us in your prayers and feel free to share!
Email to family and friends
Subject: We're building a permanent church home
Our parish, Our Lady of Pochaev Orthodox Church, has long outgrown its current space. For nine years, we have been waiting and praying for a church building of our own.
We now have the opportunity to make that hope a reality by restoring an 1880s church in St. Catharines as our permanent home, with room to worship, gather, and grow.
When we began, the building had suffered from years of deterioration, water damage, mould, and rodents. Over the past several weeks, parishioners have been contributing their time, skills, and labour to clean it out and begin the restoration.
It's been wonderful to see how much has already changed, but there is still a great deal of work ahead. We're now asking our families, friends, and wider community to help us continue.
If you would like to contribute, any gift would be sincerely appreciated. You can give by Interac e-Transfer to donate@pochaev.ca (message: “Building Fund”).
If you aren't able to give, sharing our project with others and keeping our parish in your prayers would also mean a great deal.
Thank you for helping us establish a permanent home for Our Lady of Pochaev Orthodox Church. May God bless you.
Social media post
Our parish has long outgrown its current space, and after nine years of waiting and praying, we finally have the opportunity to establish a permanent church home.
Our Lady of Pochaev Orthodox Church is restoring an 1880s church in St. Catharines. Our parishioners have already put a tremendous amount of volunteer work into cleaning and restoring the building, and we're inviting our families, friends, fellow Orthodox Christians, and wider community to help us continue.
Every gift helps us take another step toward opening the doors. You can give by Interac e-Transfer to donate@pochaev.ca (message: “Building Fund”).
Thank you for your support, prayers, and shares.
If someone can’t give
That’s completely fine. Ask them to pass the project along, or to help by volunteering, donating materials or services, introducing us to someone who can help, or keeping the parish and restoration in their prayers.
