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The public policy report "Sacred Places at Risk" was released at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. this past fall. The study, done by Partners for Sacred Places of Philadelphia, details for the first time two key findings; one, that older sacred places are extremely important community centers that benefit the public at large; and two, that these places are at risk due to their age and fragile physical condition. The report features research findings from over 110 randomly selected congregations with pre 1940 buildings. St. Mary's Church in Beaverville was one of the churches selected for this study.

Among the detailed findings over 90% of the congregations with older buildings open their doors to the larger community and, on average, house four ongoing community service programs. Over three-quarters of these programs depend on space in congregation owned facilities. For every congregation member served, more than four individuals from outside the congregation benefit from the program supported by the churches and synagogues. Children and youth benefit from congregation supported service programs more than any other group. The vast majority of the community programs supported by the churches and synagogues are initiated by congregations. The average congregation will have to spend more that $200,000 over the next several years to repair its building, straining the budgets of all but the most affluent churches and synagogues. These are just a few of the facts from their research findings.

The goal of this report by Partners for Sacred Places is to encourage real change in the way key constituencies support the care and active use of sacred places. Among its proposals:

• New funding vehicles to encourage government and philanthropic support
  
• Increased technical assistance and grants to local organizations to help their congregations with the care and use of their buildings.
  
• A national coalition of key stakeholders and advocates charged with developing and implementing a long term strategy to sustain and preserve America's sacred places.