An MIF loan helps Saint Peter’s deliver on its gifts to the people of New York City

Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in New York City is an arts church, a jazz church—with gallery spaces for visual artists and a robust weekly jazz Vespers service. The devotion to the arts is especially evident in the church’s Chapel of the Good Shepherd, filled with the magnificent white wood sculptures by celebrated sculptor Louise Nevelson. The work is timeless, but the materials used were not. Over time, heat and humidity resulted in significant deterioration of the sculptures.

The congregation turned to the Mission Investment Fund for a loan to ameliorate the space and restore the treasured artwork. MIF’s loan funded the installation of a new HVAC system necessary to stabilize the chapel environment. With climate controls in place, the congregation was able to assemble conservators and artists to begin the extensive, multi-faceted restoration of the sculpture, returning the chapel to its intended purpose as a place of beauty and spiritual repose.

Then, in January 2021, a city water main ruptured, flooding Saint Peter’s lower-level sanctuary, theatre, and music room. Nearly everything was destroyed—and the congregation looked to MIF’s still-active original loan once again. Says the Rev. Jared Stahler, senior pastor: “MIF worked as a true partner with us to adjust draw periods and reallocate some of the approved expenditures on the original loan. MIF’s flexibility made it possible for Saint Peter’s to turn tragedy into opportunity. We were able to restore the sanctuary and rebuild it in ways that preserve it for the future.”