Columbia District Church Extension Society

Welcome to the Columbia District
Church Extension Society webpage!

Jump to CDCES contact information

Jump to grant/loan applications

Jump to CDCES meeting schedule

Jump to CDCES 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, lay leader, 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 2018 meeting was held on February 13 at the Rockwood Center, a new ministry endeavor of Gresham United Methodist Ministries, supported in part by CDECES funding. Click here to read the minutes from the 2018 annual meeting.

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

Loan Policy

Investment Agreement

Investment Policy

Church Loan Investment Agreement

CDCES By-Laws (amended 2014)

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 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.

Please note that if an application is to be considered for possible funding at the next meeting of the CDECES Board of Directors, the submission deadline is two weeks prior to the meeting. The meeting schedule can be found below.

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 Donna Ward, the chair of the grants/loans committee, with copies to Laura Jaquith Bartlett, CDCES administrative assistant. Please email Laura if mailing address information is needed.

Loan Application (fillable form; type out application then sign and submit)

Loan Application (print form and fill out by hand)

Vital Ministry Grant Application (fillable form; type out application then sign and submit)

Vital Ministry Grant Application (print form and fill out by hand)

General Grant Application (fillable form; type out application then sign and submit)

General Grant Application (print form and fill out by hand)

Rose Balcomb Memorial Music Endowment Fund Application (print form and fill out by hand)

Rose Balcomb Memorial Music Endowment Fund Application (fillable form; type out application then sign and submit)