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United Church of Penacook is not just a building; it is not just a place of worship open only on Sunday mornings. UCP is people serving people in the community throughout the week.
The value of this community service can be measured from a religious as well as a social perspective. Based on a two-year national research project entitled Sacred Places at Risk, the total number of ways that a congregation provides services to a community can also be translated into a dollar value for these services.
After studying over 100 congregations in six cities, Sacred Places at Risk identified an array of human services and cultural programs that are housed in older, religious properties; put a price tag on the economic subsidy congregations provide to communities through support of the programs; and highlighted the disrepair of many of these buildings.
They then converted research into a practical tool which the UCP Capital Improvement Committee is now using to access our publc value.
Calculating Public Value
Public value is defined as what it would cost for a secular provider to offer this same service or program in this community. Three steps are used to determine the public value:
- Identify programs that the congregation hosts or supports that benefit the wider community
- Interview representatives from these programs about who they serve and how they serve.
- Use a web-based tool which performs the needed calculations on collected data and compares figures to the national pattern.
Products of the Calculation
1. A list of programs that the congregation hosts or supports that benefit the wider community including:
- Open Door Community Kitchen
- Food Pantry
- TOPS
- Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, and Girl Scouts
- Diaconate Assistance
- Penacook Community Center
- Concerts
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2. A calculation in dollars of the public value for each of the programs and total value for all programs combined.
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| Supporting Data |
The sum of the following UCP contributions minus any fees or other funds the congregation receives is the public value of the programs.
- Staff, clergy, and volunteer time
- Value of space provided
- In-kind services
- Utilities
- Cash support
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3. A comparison of what the congregation offers to the national Sacred Places at Risk results.
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Supporting Data |
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4. An appreciation of the time UCP volunteers donate.
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| Supporting Data |
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5. An understanding of who we serve
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Supporting Data |
| More About these Programs |
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How the Community Benefits |
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It isn't just about dollar values. These programs for the community
- represent a congregation responding to and acting on their faith
- offer the different segments of the community sustanance, social interaction, and enrichment.
- serve all who come to our door.
- 78% of those served come from outside the congregation.
- Services are directed at children and youth as well as adults.
- Services address social and cultural needs as well as the basic human needs such as food.
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