Columbia District Church Extension Society
Welcome to the Columbia District
Church Extension Society webpage!
The best way to contact the CDCES during the COVID-19 pandemic is to send an email to our Administrative Assistant. Mail can continue to be sent via the USPS to 1505 SW 18th Ave, Portland, OR 97201, but is only picked up once a week, so we recommend you contact us by email first to determine the best way to communicate about your issue. We do want to stay in touch with you!
Jump to CDCES contact information
Jump to grant/loan applications
Jump to CDCES meeting schedule and minutes
Jump to CDCES policies and bylaws
What is the Columbia District Church Extension Society? The CDCES is composed of the churches of the Columbia District working together to help those congregations that have special needs that they alone cannot (financially) meet. In other words, “churches helping churches.” These needs may be to the physical facility (church or parsonage), may involve strengthening current ministries, or may involve developing new ministries.
Columbia District congregations are eligible to apply for grants or loans to work on physical plant or start new ministries.
Every church in the Columbia District belongs to the Extension Society. As a member church in this partnership, one of your roles is to have your church representatives attend the CDCES Annual Meeting. The pastor and one other lay person are your church’s members of the Society. Other interested folks are also invited and encouraged to attend. Your presence is important to us! If you will not be able to attend, please make sure someone else in your congregation is there. There is no cost to attend, and lunch is provided. The 2020 meeting will be on Tuesday, February 11, at Oak Grove United Methodist Church. Click here to register for the gathering (we need your registration form to make sure we have enough lunch for you!)
The goal of the CDCES is to partner with churches in the Columbia District to develop a shared vision so that “dreams may become reality.” As partners in ministry we each have our role to fulfill. In this partnership, the role of the CDCES and its Board of Directors is to:
- Provide grants and loans for purposes including emergencies, capital improvements, repairs & development of healthy congregations.
- Oversee and maximize investments to generate income for ministry.
- Share consultation resources with churches to support healthy and vital ministries.
Policies and By-Laws
Church Loan Investment Agreement
CDCES Articles of Incorporation (amended 2020)
Grant and Loan Applications
Note that each application form is available in two different formats: a PDF that can be downloaded, printed, completed by hand, and then mailed in (or scanned and emailed), or a "fillable form" PDF that can be completed and saved on your computer, then signed and returned by mail or scanned and attached to an email. We do accept digital signatures on our applications; instructions are included on the fillable form versions below.
Please note that if an application is to be considered for possible funding at the next meeting of the CDCES Board of Directors, the submission deadline is two weeks prior to the meeting. The meeting schedule can be found below.
Grant or loan applications will not be considered at the Annual Meeting in February.
The application must be completed in its entirely, and must contain all required signatures in order to be considered for funding. Grant recipients will be required to submit reports indicating progress on meeting benchmarks. Applications should be submitted to ColumbiaDCES@umoi.org. Please email our administrative assistant if additional information is needed.
Loan Application (fillable form; type out application then sign and submit; digital signatures are accepted)
Loan Application (print form and fill out by hand)
Vital Ministry Grant Application (fillable form; type out application then sign and submit; digital signatures are accepted)
Vital Ministry Grant Application (print form and fill out by hand)
General Grant Application (fillable form; type out application then sign and submit; digital signatures are accepted)
General Grant Application (print form and fill out by hand)
NOTE: The Rose Balcomb Memorial Music grant application process will be open by the end of June. Check back here for a link to the application form (deadline: Sept. 15).
CDCES Brochure
Columbia District Church Extension Society (CDCES) Brochure
CDCES Contacts/Board Officers
To contact any of our officers, please send an email to ColumbiaDCES@umoi.org.
Vice-President: Heather Riggs
District Superintendent: Tim Overton-Harris
Chair, Grants/Loans Committee: Donna Ward
Chair, Investment Committee: Norm Dyer
Secretary & Administrative Assistant: Laura Jaquith Bartlett
You can find a list of the complete Board of Directors, along with their committee assignments, here.
2021 CDCES Meeting Schedule and Minutes
To view or download the minutes of a meeting, click on the highlighted date below.
Unless otherwise indicated, all meetings take place on the third Tuesday of the month at 12:00 noon in the Albright Room of the Oregon-Idaho Conference Office (1505 SW 18th Ave, Portland, Oregon). For further information about an upcoming meeting, please contact Laura Jaquith Bartlett (CDCES administrative assistant)
January 19 via videoconference
February 16--Annual Meeting: postponed due to power outages
March 16--Annual Meeting
March 16--Brief Board Meeting
April 20 via videoconference
May 18 via videoconference
June 15 via videoconference
July 20 NO MEETING
August 17
September 21
October 19
November 16
December 21
2021 CDCES Investment Committee Minutes
January 19 via videoconference
April 20 via videoconference
May 18 via videoconference
June 15 via videoconference
2021 CDCES Grants/Loans Committee Minutes
January 19 via videoconference
March 15 via videoconference
April 20 via videoconference
May 18 via videoconference
June 15 via videoconference
2020 CDCES Meeting Schedule and Minutes
To view or download the minutes of a meeting, click on the highlighted date below.
Unless otherwise indicated, all meetings take place on the third Tuesday of the month at 12:00 noon in the Albright Room of the Oregon-Idaho Conference Office (1505 SW 18th Ave, Portland, Oregon). For further information about an upcoming meeting, please contact Laura Jaquith Bartlett (CDCES administrative assistant)
February 11 Annual Meeting at Oak Grove United Methodist Church
March 17 Special Called Meeting via videoconference
April 21 via videoconference
May 19 via videoconference
June 30 via videoconference
July no meeting
August 18 via videoconference
September 15 via videoconference
October 20 via videoconference
November 17 via videoconference
December 15 via videoconference
2020 CDCES Investment Committee Minutes
April 21 via videoconference
May 19 via videoconference
June 30 via videoconference
August 18 via videoconference
September 15 via videoconference
October 20 via videoconference
November 17 via videoconference
December 15 via videoconference
2020 CDCES Grants/Loans Committee Minutes
April 21 via videoconference
May 19 via videoconference
June 30 via videoconference
August 18 via videoconference
Sept 15 via videoconference
October 20 via videoconference
November 17 via videoconference
December 15 via videoconference