Small Brookfield Church Nears Fundraising Goal

BROOKFIELD, IL – Three days ago, a Brookfield church went online to raise money for a new air conditioning system, which it said stopped working and cannot be fixed. It has nearly reached its goal.

Holy Covenant MCC, 9145 Grant Ave., posted its fundraiser on GoFundMe, with a $1,500 goal. As of Monday morning, it is $25 away from that amount.

The entire cost of the project is $7,500, but the church said it received a significant gift.

For the last two years, the church said it has been closed because of the pandemic. That affected its ability to fundraise, it said.

The church was founded in 1975 as part of the Metropolitan Community Church. It moved into its current building in the 1990s.

"Our air handler unit is in our attic, so the company has to work way up in our steeple area to replace the air handler," the church said in its fundraising message. "It is quite a lot of work that the HVAC has to do to get everything working again for us, so our costs are a lot higher."

The church said the costs are more than its small congregation can give.

"We are a church that lives from the generosity of our congregants, along with many other types of fundraisers like dances, garage sales, and other events," it said. "Our building is also used for AA meetings seven days a week."

The church said it is active in the Christian community. Among other things, it said it feeds the poor and homeless in Chicago and volunteers at the Share Food, Share Love pantry in Brookfield.

"We celebrate our call to embody the spirit of hospitality," the church said in its message. "In this spirit, we welcome people of all genders, races, sexual orientations, gender identities, ages, and socio-economic means to participate in our church's full life and ministry."

Editor's Note: Patch is a GoFundMe promotional partner.