Well, it’s not and I want you to consider just such an opportunity that I will tell you about in this letter to our church family.
For the past couple of years we have desperately needed to construct an addition to our worship center that would allow us to have a fully dedicated children’s auditorium/play place and a choir room that can seat seventy-five to one hundred that is easily accessible to our auditorium. We have prayed about this addition and have spoken with various people in the construction trade about the feasibility of this project. We’ve even spoken to an architect that said he’d help us design the addition so that it matches and compliments our existing facilities.
But, every time we get ready to make a major push in this direction the same economic issues arise that impede our forward progress on the project.
At present, we owe about $850,000 on our Student Ministry Building, which is probably worth more than $2,000,000 in today's economy. However, until we can retire more of the indebtedness on this facility, all of our church leadership is in agreement that we should not move forward in borrowing any additional resources for another building project.
All you have to do is look at any of our financial statements and you will see that God is wonderfully meeting all of our monetary needs. But, having discretionary money for another sizable loan payment would be a risk that none of us believe is wise to take at this time. It’s not a lack of faith! It’s a matter of being faithful with the resources God has already entrusted to us. Consequently, what we need to do is to pay down a significant part of our present indebtedness so that we can move forward with our next building project (children’s/choir facility).
Remember when I said that this could be an investment that would reap both immediate and long term benefits?
You must not look at the construction of buildings as just being a matter of “bricks and mortar.” The reason is because inside those buildings lives are being changed and they are being changed every single day. That means as long as God gives you life, you and your friends are reaping the benefits of the spiritual fruit born in those facilities. It also means that you are leaving a lasting legacy that will reap the same benefits long after you have graduated into Heaven. The lives that are changed even after you are with the Lord can still be credited to your spiritual account and rewarded by our Savior at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
So, what I’m asking is for you to consider joining us in a concerted effort in 2012 to get this loan amount reduced so that we can get on with our immediate construction needs. In essence, by giving to help us reduce our indebtedness you are enabling us to begin making significant progress toward the new construction that’s needed for our children and worship ministry.
Here are three actions steps I believe we need to take immediately:
- Pray every day that God will supply the funding for debt retirement and new construction. He has a bright future for this ministry and I want to see us realize it sooner rather than later.
- Participate regularly in giving to the Building Fund, which is used exclusively for the payments on our Student Ministry Building.
- If you are able, consider making a sizable, one-time contribution so that we can move more quickly toward the next phase of construction on our children’s/choir addition.
Whatever God tells you to do, please use the offering envelopes that are provided to our members to make any contributions to the Building Fund. That way your gifts will be added to your record of giving mailed to you each year.
Thank you for taking the time to read this lengthy letter and for caring enough about the future that you are willing to consider investing in it.
