Our Property Fundraising Campaign is over – and it has been amazing! Our goal was to raise $150,000 in four months – and God raised $166,000 in two months!! We had over 70 different people and families give to this effort – including kids selling lemonade, college and career having a rummage sale, other churches contributing, and many others who gave generously. God has raised more than we planned – and this allows us to have bigger plans for ministry.
Our goal is not the building – our goal is changed lives through the building. The building is not the mission – it is a tool for the mission. We will have our first services in September – two services because we know God wants to bring in a lot more people to know His hope. We will then be having a Grand Opening (food and fun) in October. We will be putting up banners and signs and handing out cards to let others know. We will be painting most of the inside of the church. We will be decorating and we are looking for help and input. Our Kids ministry will be buying furniture (and could use some donations too) and painting walls and getting things ready to create spaces for kids to learn about Christ. Our Youth and CG2 ministries will be meeting in different spaces and filling up those spaces with their energy and love for God. We will paint our sanctuary and decorate and bring in new lighting.
There is a lot to do. What do we do first? We PRAY. Pray a ton with me sisters and brothers.
Then we work. The staff are each leading a different set of projects. We are also trying to set up our offices on campus – and we will need help with that project. In August we will be having an All Church Workday to get the property ready for our first services on September 13. We want you to be involved! This may not mean you get all the design choices or colors you want – but our focus is on Christ and serving together. We need your help, and we want to do ministry together. This is the next chapter for our church family as we follow Christ. Don’t take a sigh of relief – take a big breath before we jump into the deep end with Christ!
One of the big projects we are hoping to do (we are consulting with an engineer to consider feasibility) is to tear down two walls in the entryway, so there is more room for people to connect and talk. This is a bigger and more expensive project (a rough sketch is attached, cost is about $12,000), but we know that connecting is so important on Sunday mornings. We need to have space to welcome people in to God’s family. The space in the entryway right now is just not big enough. God has provided, and we are planning big as we follow Him. These are exciting times!
If you have any questions or concerns, we want to hear from you. If you are ready to work, we want to hear from you, too! Our staff has worked and planned and gotten help from experts – and now we are ready to get to work! We get the keys on July 16th – so join me in prayer. There is a lot of work to do – but our focus is not on the building. Our focus is on Christ, and on reaching people with Him.
As we tear down these walls, may our hearts continue to be on fire for Him, and may we never stop reaching out to our world, and sharing His hope.
