UPDATED 9/24/25
Watts Street Friends,
Our 100th Anniversary Capital Campaign is a little over a year old. It has been a busy and successful year. We are nearing the end of the “pledging phase” and we want to provide an update on the progress so far. If you haven’t yet made a pledge or contribution to support the campaign, we invite you to do so.
This fall, we will have a donor recognition event and will install a permanent memorial expressing our gratitude to those who have supported the campaign. It will include a listing of all donors who do not wish to remain anonymous and any memorial gifts. The memorial will include those who pledged or donated on or before September 30. If you are considering whether to participate in the campaign and haven’t done so yet, we encourage you to do so soon so that your name can be included in the memorial. You can pledge or give at this link or by being in touch with the church office. Funds received after that deadline will certainly be welcomed, of course, but we would like to include as many donors as possible for the memorial.
Here’s an update on the work supported by the campaign so far. Many of you have already fulfilled your pledge and we have received sufficient funds to pay for all the projects we have undertaken so far. With those funds, the following projects have begun or been completed:
- Construction of a solar carport, which is generating enough electricity to operate our building.
- Ongoing repair work on the leaking roof.
- Replacement of aging and failing heating and cooling units with energy efficient heat pumps.
- Installation in the sanctuary of a hearing assistance system to improve access for the hearing impaired and a smoke detection system.
- Converting the old steam boiler for our main heating system to a modern, efficient hot water boiler—this is a major expense that has long been deferred and the work on this major project has begun.
Other projects are in the planning stages, including:
- The repair of the Good Shepherd window. This project is scheduled to begin next year. This is highly specialized work and not many people have the skill set to do this work, so it is necessary to schedule the work pretty far in the future.
- Improvements to the sanctuary (lighting, sound system and painting).
- Improvements to the children’s classrooms (finishes, lighting, millwork and furnishings).
Finally, the campaign made a generous donation to support the building of a Welcome Center at Catawba Trail Farm.
All this is possible by the generous support of our congregation and friends. Our building is not just a structure—it is the home to our ministries that help the church respond to its call to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God. Thank you for your part in making this church home a place where that work can happen.
WSBC Capital Campaign Committee
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After 100 years, Watts Street Baptist Church remains a vibrant witness to God’s love in Durham and beyond. Our future is bright as we enter the next century with anticipation and energy. However, our church building is showing signs of its age, and needs love and attention in ways that our annual operating budget cannot support. The funds raised in this capital campaign will provide critical maintenance and improvements that will enable our church to better fulfill its mission. A portion of the funds raised will be allocated to community projects.
Click here to view more information about the proposed projects and our 100th Anniversary Capital Campaign.
You are invited to join with the entire congregation in making a capital campaign financial pledge to help fund our building projects. Each gift will be unique to each person’s circumstance. It will take each of us acting with sacrifice to make this campaign a success. All gifts will remain confidential.
Print a Capital Campaign Pledge Form here or make your Capital Campaign pledge online here. You may also use this form to set up your automatic draft for your Capital Campaign pledge.
Click below for video messages on our 100th Anniversary Capital Campaign.
We ask for your prayers throughout this campaign that we might find God’s Spirit accompanying us at each turn.