RUSTBURG, VA – The Fray Family Charitable Trust has received a generous $330,000 donation from Rustburg Presbyterian Church, which recently held its final worship service in its historic building in the center of Rustburg.
The Rustburg Presbyterian Church has been a fixture in the Rustburg community since 1850; however, declining membership and attendance led to church leadership reevaluating continued services.
Ultimately, church members decided to sell the church property to Campbell County in 2022 and work toward dissolution of the congregation in 2024. The building is currently slated for restoration and preservation by the County's Department of Public Works.
Once the sale and preservation of the property were determined, church members discerned a path to dissolving the congregation and distributing church funds - a balance that had been used for community ministry projects and activities to benefit the common good of the Rustburg village and Campbell County.
The Fray Family Charitable Trust is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization created in 2011 to support and improve the lives of Campbell County citizens and named for its benefactor - attorney and lifetime resident, James Burks Fray.
"After much prayer and thoughtfulness, we believed the Fray Trust to be the best vehicle to channel our remaining funds," said Dr. Allison Jennings Jordan, Rustburg Presbyterian Church representative.
Fray's vision for the trust was to provide for the benefit, welfare, education and betterment of the present and future citizens of Campbell County, which church leadership determined aligned with their priorities as well.
"For 145 years, our church ministry supported the Rustburg community," Jordan added. "Now, our membership can continue to bless and serve others - just through a different vessel."