We did it together.
The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists has officially completed its Here We Grow Campaign, raising and pledging $1,027,000 and surpassing our ambitious $1 million goal.
For more than two years, member congregations, Rainbow Circle members, individual donors, foundations, educational partners, and friends of AWAB invested in a shared vision for the future of welcoming and affirming Baptist ministry.
Every gift represented something larger than a dollar amount. It represented belief in AWAB and confidence in the work still ahead.
A Campaign Rooted in Legacy
The story of Here We Grow is also connected to the remarkable legacy of Petra Stephanie “Stevie” Neal.
Stevie was a trans woman who had experienced rejection from both family and church and wondered whether she would ever find a faith community where she could fully be herself. Her journey changed after meeting former AWAB Board Chair the Rev. Dr. Jill McCrory and discovering a Baptist community that welcomed and affirmed her.
Before her death from a terminal illness, Stevie arranged for her assets to support LGBTQ+ organizations, including AWAB. Her generosity became part of a legacy that continues strengthening this ministry today.
At AWAB’s Fifth Annual Lecture in September, we honored Stevie’s life while celebrating the successful completion of Here We Grow. We also recognized Jill for her extraordinary commitment to AWAB’s work.
More Than a Fundraising Goal
Here We Grow was never simply about reaching $1 million.
The campaign was about building greater capacity for the work AWAB is being called to do.
That work includes supporting welcoming and affirming Baptist congregations, helping individuals searching for places of belonging, and strengthening relationships with seminaries and divinity schools.
It also means continuing to advocate throughout Baptist life and the wider religious landscape for transgender, nonbinary, and queer people.
As AWAB Executive Director Brian Henderson shares in his message below, completing this campaign does not mean completing the work.
It gives us greater capacity to continue it.
What Comes Next
AWAB is already entering a new season.
Our network of congregations and educational partners continues to grow. We are expanding staff capacity so that AWAB can respond more intentionally to churches and individuals seeking support and resources.
The success of Here We Grow helps make that next chapter possible.
In the October edition of The Welcoming Spirit, we described campaign gifts as seeds whose impact may continue growing for years or even generations.
That image feels especially appropriate now.
The campaign may be complete, but the growing is not.
Thank You
To every person, congregation, foundation, organization, and friend who gave or pledged to Here We Grow, thank you.
Thank you for believing that welcoming and affirming Baptist communities matter.
Thank you for believing LGBTQ+ people deserve faith communities where they can belong fully.
And thank you for believing in AWAB’s future.
As Brian reminds us in his message below, we still need one another for what comes next.
Here We Grow.
Now, let’s go grow some more.