“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has,” said American cultural anthropologist, Margaret Mead.
This is the story of the Project Legacy Builders, a small group of lay Methodists from the two Natal Districts who came together in 2015 to explore fundraising initiatives for the long-term sustainability of the seminary.
The group was moved by the plight of students who had to struggle to find suitable and affordable accommodation close to the seminary.
Accommodation for seminarians has been a huge challenge. Properties in the vicinity of the seminary, a fairly affluent neighbourhood, are well beyond the means of most seminarians. Some would find cheaper accommodation in town, very far from the seminary. At times the cheaper option was not safe and inconvenient to students who rely on public transport. Furthermore, it made it difficult for students to visit the library in the evenings.
The Project Legacy Builders then took it upon themselves to embark on various fundraising initiatives to purchase a targeted property a stone’s throw from the seminary.
They approached ordinary Methodists in circuits for donations and set up a debit order facility with the seminary’s bank. In May the group hosted a successful fundraising gala dinner in Durban in which a substantial amount of money was raised.
In less than three years, well over a million Rand, enough to buy the property, was raised!
