Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Last week the Finance Committee finalized plans to work with the Brethren In Christ Foundation in regards to the loan that we'll assume with the Building Project. As you know, we have close to 1.6 million in hand and will look to borrow up to 1.3 million on the 2.9 million dollar project.
The Finance Committee met with various banks before deciding to partner with the BICF. The BICF provides financing for many church-related projects, including the construction or remodeling of Brethren in Christ Churches.
The BICF offers a standard interest rate for congregational mortgages of 5.25%. However the Foundation does offer a "preferred" rate of 4.5% that we were able to receive due to meeting certain criteria. This rate is variable and subject to change on a monthly basis, but historically is only adjusted once a year reflecting changes in economic conditions.
A strong motivation for partnering with the BICF is an awareness of how our participation will help other Brethren In Christ churches accomplish similar types of building projects in the future. We see this as an investment in the work of God's Kingdom.
Our attorney and the officers of the BICF will be completing paperwork over the next few weeks, and we anticipate breaking ground perhaps as early as the first week of July.
The payments will be spread out over 20 years, and initial monthly payments should come in around $8,224 per month. So far in 2009 we have placed the following into the Building Fund:
January: $16,203
February: $24,131
March: $17,229
April: $26,715
May: $18,344
These dollars come from various sources...$13,500 is taken from the spending plan each month...$4,100 came from excess funds at the end of 2008 and went into February's figure...contributions come in each month from the red "Laying Bricks For Jesus" envelopes...we gain a modest amount in interest, as well as the rent collected from the Home School Organization that uses the facilities once a week during the school year. Later this year we will have our Fall Festival and the proceeds go to the Building Fund.
So far in 2009 we have averaged $20,524 per month. If giving continues at this rate, we will be able to double up on our monthly payments and pay the loan off in 10 years or less, saving a significant amount of interest. Thanks for your support of this project...let's continue to work together over the course of the next nine months as the building becomes a reality.
Thursday April 9, 2009
Update on the "Laying Bricks For Jesus" Project
On Tuesday evening the Building Committee met with Rockwell Construction for the first time since last Tuesday's Special Congregational Meeting. As you know last Tuesday the congregation approved (with 94% in favor) a church expansion that will begin this summer and carry on until the Spring of 2010.
Discussion this past Tuesday focused on the degree of slope on the auditorium floor. A decision was made to increase the degree of slope just a bit to approximately 3/4 inch of drop per foot. (There is a range of "acceptability", but the 3/4" per foot appears to be most ideal according to industry standards.)
We also talked about the necessity of being able to communicate to the congregation any issues with access ability from the parking areas to the church during the period of construction. There will be a lot of dirt moved and the driveway around the church will be moved of course, and we talked about how we want to be able to keep the congregation informed in regards to what they will be facing on any given Sunday.
We also talked about the need of forming sub-committees that will work on various issues connected to the transition into the new building.
Mark Flohr (chairman of the Building Committee) suggested that the congregation see this project as a "Short Term Ministry Opportunity".
He pointed out that there will likely be 100 people or more who will come in contact with Five Forks over the next 12 months of this project. We should take the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of these people.
Mark suggested we form a team that would gather at the church once a week and spend an hour in prayer for the people who are working on the project. Some workers would be on site while others would not. We could pray for the workers and their families and anything else that would come up. We would need to be sure we do not get in the way of the project or the work being done of course.
Some weeks it might be possible to provide coffee and donuts and place them somewhere at the site that is accessible to the workers. Perhaps you would be one who would be willing to be on this prayer team, or to provide refreshments to the workers throughout the year.
Please continue to be in prayer for this project. It will be an exciting year in many ways, a challenging year in others. But if we all work together, we can glorify Jesus and truly be a light in this community.
Wednesday April 1, 2009
Recommendation Passes
Last evening 250 attended the Special Congregational Meeting in order to vote on whether or not we break ground this summer with the Building Project (Laying Bricks For Jesus).
The recommendation passed with 94% in favor of the recommendation (80% was needed in order for the recommendation to pass).
Another motion was made that we spend an additional $100,000 to have a sloped floor in the auditorium...this motion passed and increased the cost of the project from 2.8 million to 2.9 million dollars.
There was also a motion made that we obtain a performance bond (at a cost of approximately $29,000), however this motion did not pass.
While we are excited about moving forward with this project, we are most grateful that Jesus saw fit to bless us with a spirit of unity throughout the meeting.
Thanks to all of you for praying for unity and for seeking God's direction at this important time in the life of church.
Let's lay some bricks...for Jesus!
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On November 13th 2008 the congregation came together for a special meeting regarding the Building Project. Here are the two documents that went out to the congregation, one prior to the meeting, one shortly after.
DOCUMENT #1
On November 19th your 35-member Planning and Development Committee (pastors, church board, trustees, finance committee) is inviting you to attend an important meeting that affects the future direction of the Five Forks Church. In the summer of 2004 the church met and overwhelmingly approved (151-4) a building project that would soon be called "Laying Bricks For Jesus"... motivated by a desire to reach out and invite the unchurched to come to Five Forks and be transformed through a personal relationship with Jesus.
For the past 4 years the Five Forks Building Committee (Mark Flohr, Jay Wenger, John Groves, Ron Strite w/Pastors Bill and Jim sitting in) has been working behind the scenes to make this happen...meeting with contractors, obtaining permits, coming up with drawings and plans. This summer the Building Committee presented drawings to the Planning and Development Committee and these plans were unanimously approved by committee. The P and D Committee will now look to you the congregation to approve the plans in order to let them know they are moving in the right direction.
Your handout contains views of the front and back of the church, as well as an overhead view of both the 1st and 2nd floor. These drawings will be looked at, explained and questions will be received and hopefully answered the night of our meeting.
We understand that these are uncertain times due to a weak economy. Five Forks has long been a church that lives within its means, both in strong economic times and bad times. We will do nothing that will jeopardize the strong financial position we find ourselves in today. Five Forks is not committed to the monthly payments until we break ground sometime in 2010. This will give us time to see where the economy is at and where we are at as a church before we break ground.
The first phase of the project is expected to cost approximately 3.4 million dollars and will greatly increase the size of our foyer, provide us with significant classroom space, and provide the shell of the auditorium that will be the second phase of our project. Over the summer the Planning and Development Committee met and recommended setting a cap on the maximum amount of debt we will take on for this project. This figure was set at 1.5 million dollars meaning that we must first save 1.9 million dollars. The monthly payments on loan of this size would run around $11,000 per month, and we have been able to put an average of $21,162 per month into our Building Fund so far in 2008 (through October)...and so you see that the loan amount that the Planning and Development Committee is recommending is a responsible one. Sometime in the future we will be coming back to you and seek your approval to assume this loan of 1.5 million dollars. Of course we will not ask you to do this unless we continue to remain in the strong financial position we find ourselves in today. At our meeting on the 19th we will simply be looking for you to approve the plans that you have here with your handout in order to let the Planning and Development Committee know that they are on the right track.
One obvious question that should be asked and answered is "Why Build?" After nearly 20 years of consistent growth many of you are aware that our attendance declined for a time late in 2007 and early in 2008. However for the past 4 months (July through October) we have experienced significant growth over the previous year. We believe very strongly that the Lord is calling Five Forks to be a church that reaches out to the lost and to the unchurched, and invite them to come and meet Jesus and those who follow Him.
We believe that a majority of those who make up the church at Five Forks are committed to outreach and thus to growth. Growth has never been about being the largest church in Franklin County...it has always been about believing in what Jesus is doing here. Believing that Jesus can be found here and inviting those who don't know Him to come and meet Him, then love Him, then serve Him.
Just in the past few days we have seen: Peggy organizing us to walk in upcoming local Christmas parades handing out invitations to many who are unchurched...Steve and Ken setting up a fire-pit outside the church on Sunday mornings and serving hot drinks as both the congregation and visitors arrive for worship...Yvonne, Beth and Rhonda organizing a harvest party for the children of this church and community...Ellen organizing the gathering of shoeboxes filled with items that will be sent to needy children overseas at Christmas...Debbie and Sharon coming up with creative ways to help us remember to donate food to feed the hungry in our local communities.
We have seen many of you doing the things you do to keep this church alive and growing...reaching out, inviting, ministering. It's the things you do that cause us to look ahead and dream dreams and make plans...to establish building funds and form building committees and call for meetings like we'll have on the 19th.
Please make plans to join us for what we anticipate being a very informative meeting on the 19th as we move forward with our plans to lay bricks for Jesus.
(Look for more information to appear in the church newsletter and on the web site (www.fiveforkschurch.org) leading up to the meeting.)
DOCUMENT #2
Together We Can Do This!
It was last Wednesday evening that we called you, the congregation together seeking your approval of the building plans that were presented by your Planning & Development Committee. After an hour and a half of discussion it was encouraging to end up with a vote of 88% in favor of approving the plans. This indicates that a clear majority believes that the Lord would have us add on to our present facilities. I sincerely believe that this is motivated by the fact that as a church we believe in what Jesus is doing here, and will continue to reach out to the unchurched in the surrounding communities so that they can know Jesus as well.
This vote gives us the ability to move ahead but also presents our church with perhaps the biggest challenge to our unity in some time, perhaps ever. We have faced important decisions before. Some of you are aware of what took place in the late 50's when the congregation was faced with the decision to either close our doors or step out in faith and build what is now the Chapel.
We faced another challenge in the early 90's when the church transitioned from a relatively small congregation in this quiet village, to a growing congregation which led to multiple services, multiple staff, introduction of new worship styles, an emphasis on outreach, and worshipping in a gym. That expansion was first discussed in the 70's and did not become a reality until 1994.
A few years ago we wrestled with the decision regarding the purchase of 30+ acres of land to ensure that future generations could expand in the Five Forks area if they so desired. We realized that this would set our Building Project back at least a year, but after calling the congregation together to weigh the good and the bad, we moved ahead with the land purchase.
In addition to this we have held our Annual Council Meetings every January and at times have struggled to find God’s way. Purchasing land across the road, purchasing the land that is now our upper parking lot, retaining or not retaining staff...we have faced some significant challenges but through it all, God has heard our prayers for unity and answered them every time.
This is remarkable considering the tremendous changes that have occurred, but why should we be surprised when God hears and answers our prayers? Our motivation for praying after all is that we would honor Him with our words, actions and attitudes. It brings dishonor to God and His Kingdom when Believers fight one another. God knows our hearts and knows what motivates us to pray for unity, and He has been gracious in answering that prayer.
As we turn our attention to the upcoming Building Project, I believe we may face the greatest challenge to our unity yet. From our discussion last Wednesday evening it's easy to see that while a strong majority of us are in favor of this Building Project, there are many different attitudes and deeply held convictions on how this should happen.
For instance, there are those who hold strong convictions regarding the fact that we should do this project without taking on any kind of debt. There are others who were a part of the church in the late 50's who took a step of faith and took out a significant loan in order to make an investment in the growing of God's Kingdom. A step of faith that God appears to have blessed. In the end, one of these two paths will be taken, we will either assume a loan or move forward debt-free. Whichever way we go, we need to be able to move forward together in unity whether we agree or not.
Some believe that we should finish the top level first (the auditorium) and that there will be benefits to the church by doing this, even if it is more costly than finishing the bottom level. There are some who see the crowded conditions for their children and understand that much of our growth comes from families with young children, and thus believe that the bottom level (classrooms and foyer) are what must come first. Whichever way we go, we need to be able to move forward together in unity whether we agree or not.
Some believe that there are people in our church who are ready and able to give abundantly and generously to this Building Project once we get things moving. They want to move quickly. Others are struggling in a depressed economy and are advising caution so as not to put the church in a precarious position.
Some believe that we can do much of the interior work ourselves, thus saving a significant amount of money. By doing much of the work ourselves, some believe we may be able to finish both floors at once, and that it will help bring the church together as we work side by side on something significant. Others believe that we may have trouble finding volunteers because of the busy schedules that many of us keep. Some wonder if it is feasible to ask volunteers to do this work due to the fact that stricter standards and more detailed inspections are now in place.
Some believe that we should turn our attention first to the courtyard area on the east side of the church and make some significant changes in this area, while others believe that this will slow down the work that needs to be done on the west side of the building.
As a church we face a daunting task. We can build a building but in the end if we are fragmented and divided and have wrong attitudes towards those who think differently than we do, what have we gained? We may have a structure, but God's power and blessing will be absent if we are divided.
The purpose of this letter then, is to simply cause each of us to take a step back before we even get started and ask ourselves, "Am I committed to maintaining the unity that has existed here at Five Forks for many generations?" Division and dissension have brought some churches to a screeching halt. Let's determine that this will not happen to us.
Over the next few months, we encourage you to submit your thoughts and convictions to the church office regarding this process so that we can publish and present them to the congregation.
Once we have listened, discussed and prayed, we will eventually move forward. Some decisions will be made by those you have entrusted to build this building...the exact size of the foyer for instance. Some decisions will be made by you, the congregation (for instance do we borrow any funds and if so what amount).
All of us, as individuals and all of the church prayer groups should be praying for unity during this entire process. It really is an exciting time as we anticipate what the Lord may do through us in the years to come. Imagine what it must feel like for those who were here in the 50's and 60's to look around every Sunday and see the people and hear the stories of changed hearts and lives. It’s exciting to think about what the Lord may do.
It's an exciting time, but it will also be a challenging time for us as a church. But...Together We Can Do This!
May these words from I Peter be the prayer of your hearts in the coming days...
"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." (I Peter 3:8)
Thanks for reading, sharing and for praying.