Our church has begun a new capital campaign!
Redeemer Church will be raising money through a capital campaign this fall (2023), as discussed at our April 21 congregational vision dinner. The capital campaign will begin on Sunday, September 24, and run for five consecutive Sundays, ending on October 29. During these Sundays, we will explain why our church exists in this community, why this campaign is needed now, and how improvements to our buildings can help us fulfill our mission.
Why are we doing this capital campaign? And why are these improvements needed?
Because God is blessing our ministries in significant ways and bringing more people to our church. As a result, we are bursting at the seams and don’t have enough space to accommodate everyone.
Is our growth hindering our ministries?
Yes. Because God is growing our church family, our lack of space is evident. Just to cite a few recent examples:• We’ve been forced to let kids play games in the narthex during VBS due to space constraints.
• We’ve used the same room for two different classes simultaneously, thus hindering teaching.
• We have more toddlers during worship than our toddler room can accommodate.
Why hasn’t our current building kept up with these growing needs?
Above is an aerial view of the building plans. Even if you can’t make out the words, the different colors can give some perspective. The orange section is the size of our current building. This section will be renovated, though the footprint will stay basically the same. The green and blue sections will be completely new additions.
What specific needs have been identified?
The elders have spent the last two years praying and discussing the needs for our new building with every key church leader. Due to our church’s growth, many needs were identified during this process. Phase one is the orange section, phase two is the green section, and phase three is the blue section. Ideally, the leadership would like to undertake the orange and green phases concurrently. However, this may not be feasible in this building campaign. The money we raise will determine how much, and in what order, we will build.
What do we hope to accomplish with this building campaign?
We are praying our facilities will improve and meet our growing needs through this campaign. We pray to construct a building that is both beautiful and functional, enabling us to honor Christ and achieve our mission.
How much money do we need to raise?
Due to the current economy and fluctuating building material prices, pinpointing an exact amount is challenging. However, estimates suggest $2 million for phase one. Our church has $600,000 immediately available for building costs. If our tithing remains the same for the next three years, we will accumulate an additional $600,000 above operating expenses that can be applied to the building costs. This means our capital campaign needs to raise $800,000 over three years to complete phase one. If we can raise another $2 million, it would be possible to also complete phase two, which would be a miraculous blessing from the Lord! Our Heavenly Father is sovereign and He knows what our real needs are as we grow. He will help us. Anything God does will be a blessing for us.
Will we go into debt to build?
No. We will build only as the Lord provides the money. Our elders are committed to spending within our means without burdening the church with debt. The only loan we will consider is a construction loan covered by campaign pledges to be fully paid off at the end of the 3-year campaign.
Will this campaign affect our missionary support?
No. We will challenge the congregation to maintain their faithful tithing and missionary support and only then contribute to the capital campaign.
What are we asking our people to do?
To fund as much of the proposed plan as possible, our elders are asking each church household to do two things.
First, continue to be obedient with your tithe and missionary support as God advances His kingdom through us here in WV and around the world.
Second, pray for 30 days, starting September 24, to determine your 3-year capital campaign pledge. We are asking everyone to pray, “Heavenly Father, what would you do through me to accomplish your vision for our church? Help me discern a meaningful and joyous sacrifice for our capital campaign!” If we all pray this prayer as a church body, your elders are confident that we’ll raise the necessary money to fulfill God’s calling.
