Sacred Places Summer 2011 | Page 10

UPDATE on Partners: Texas Office celebration and awards program generously supported by Texas Advisory Board Member Robert Pence and Freese & Nichols, an architecture and engineering firm with offices across the state. The evening began with a reception in the fellowship hall where guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, visited with one another, and reflected on the past five years. At the reception in honor of the Texas Office’s fiveyear anniversary: (l. to r.) Reverend Jonathan Adams, Mt. Gilead Baptist Church; Marty Leonard, Texas Advisory Board Member; and long-time supporter, Kay Nader Texas Office Celebrates Five-Year Anniversary The Texas Office celebrates five years of service to Texas congregations! In 2005, Partners for Sacred Places was contacted by James Nader, a Fort Worth architect and civic leader who wanted to bring a Partners regional office to his hometown. Nader helped Partners connect with local philanthropists who funded a planning study that affirmed that north central Texas had all the right ingredients – local leadership, congregational need, and funding resources – to sustain such a venture. With the aid of a $1 million grant from the Dick Bundy Donor Advised Fund at the Wichita Falls Area Community Foundation, Partners’ Texas office was launched in 2006. The anniversary was marked by three days of activities in Fort Worth, and coincided with a meeting of Partners’ Board of Directors. Events kicked off with a tour of the Marty Leonard Community Chapel, named after Texas Advisory Board member Marty Leonard, who gave a tour of this magnificent interfaith Chapel that provides an uplifting environment for worship, inspiration, prayer, guidance, celebration, research, education, music, and cultural e