In addition to providing Saint Philip’s with a grant of $150,000, being part of the National Fund for Sacred Places 2026 cohort opened the door to technical support to determine the parish’s economic impact.

This proprietary research approach was developed by Partners for Sacred Places with funding from the William Penn Foundation and in collaboration with Dr. Cnaan and the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice.

It is called the “Economic Halo Effect of Sacred Places,” and it determined that Saint Philip’s has an overall economic impact of $6.6 million.

Over the coming weeks, some of the surprising insights from their study are being shared. Today’s story is about the impact of what they call the “Magnet Effect.”

Magnet Effect (quoted from the Halo Effect report)
Congregations attract visitors for the purposes of worship, education, programming, and special events—and Saint Philip’s is no exception.

In addition to regular worshippers, the church draws hundreds of visitors each year. These visitors—whether family members observing a rite of passage such as a marriage or Tucson area residents attending a Rising Stars concert held in the Sanctuary—spend money in the vicinity of the building on food and drink, transportation, entertainment, and sometimes, lodging.

In a typical year, visitors to the church spend nearly $700,000 in the area. This is a conservative approximation based on visitor data provided by the church, as well as spending estimates published by the General Services Administration.

In 2025, worship visits accounted for most of the spending catalyzed by the church.

Event Type Total Spending
Worship visits: $500,598
Rites of passage: $144,712
Arts events: $35,154
Other: $3,557

So, if you are one of those parishioners who, after church on Sunday, shops at Trader Joe’s or visits the farmer’s market at St Philip’s Plaza—thank you! And ditto to those of you who enjoy brunch at Seis, Ghini’s Café, or one of the other great restaurants nearby.

If you come to church meetings during the week, why not emulate the members of the Fiber Guild, who often grab a coffee and pastry from Ren or Caffe Luce on their way?

Let’s invest in our community by giving local stores our retail business.