Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Feb. 2005 - GHOJ Update Part 1
What a great congregational meeting on January 23, 2005! The best one! Hopefully there will more like it! Questions were asked and lots of discussion took place. I was so proud that eighty of you came to share the Vision! Ron Lorenz, our Building Ministry Chairperson said, “ We have a Vision that our building needs to catch up to!” “We can do this!”
Carol Schneider from the Mission Investment and Loan Fund of the ELCA met with the Building Committee, Council Representatives, and Pastors on January 13, 2005. She provided a special formula for determining how much we are eligible to borrow. Knowing this figure helped Bob Saas, our architect, begin to make changes to the original design plans to match our budget. Our total package at this moment is approximately $1,500,000 instead of the original $2.7 (for the original plans first and second phase). That is the amount that we presently will be able to borrow. That may change as more gifts and pledges arrive. But that is where we are now. According to our Annual Report 2005, pg. 42, “God’s Hope ~ Our Journey Budget for 2005“, our known expenses amount to about $293,000 which includes architect fees, present mortgage, staffing, benevolence and expenses from 2004 programs (such as the capitol campaign etc). Please pick up an Annual Report 2005 in the narthex and look at the back several pages for this information in detail.
We are on our way for an exciting journey. Hopefully, we’ll be breaking ground between July and September 2005. That depends on the City of Lakewood’s cooperation by approving design plans. We expect that you will have more questions because this is a lot of information to understand. Keep asking them! There may well be things we haven’t thought about yet. It is the Building Ministry Team that will be working to bring you information during the next months. Already Bob Saas has had to change the original conceptual plans to fit our budget.
1. There will be no basement under the new sanctuary but the walls will be built to allow a digging out of the dirt at a future time when we can afford it. We need another $350,000 to do that task. However, that can be done at a future time.
2. The current narthex will be made into office space, kitchen and small narthex. Please look at the new conceptual plans in the narthex.
We also voted to have Jerry Bowen elected Treasurer and Cathy Nicholson as Financial Secretary of the congregation serving on Church Council. Joyce Fisher, Cathy Nicholson, Pastor Jim and Pastor Del were accepted as Assembly Delegates to attend the Synod Assembly in Ft Collins in May. Mike Nicholson was voted Treasurer of the God’s Hope and Our Journey fund.
The Budget for 2005, $361,254, was accepted after good discussion of the four new positions: Secretary, Parish Nurse, Youth Ministry and Education Director and Contemporary Worship Ministry Director, to be added this year. What opportunities and challenges we have before us to integrate these positions into our Ministry.
Are you listening to the Vision that is directing our Mission? What an exciting time for the Atonement Family. Pray that we keep focused on Jesus of the Cross who invites all into this new Kingdom yet to happen. Thanks for your questions, support and concerns. We are a congregation that is being led by a Spirit of love and compassion into an unknown world.
Carol Schneider from the Mission Investment and Loan Fund of the ELCA met with the Building Committee, Council Representatives, and Pastors on January 13, 2005. She provided a special formula for determining how much we are eligible to borrow. Knowing this figure helped Bob Saas, our architect, begin to make changes to the original design plans to match our budget. Our total package at this moment is approximately $1,500,000 instead of the original $2.7 (for the original plans first and second phase). That is the amount that we presently will be able to borrow. That may change as more gifts and pledges arrive. But that is where we are now. According to our Annual Report 2005, pg. 42, “God’s Hope ~ Our Journey Budget for 2005“, our known expenses amount to about $293,000 which includes architect fees, present mortgage, staffing, benevolence and expenses from 2004 programs (such as the capitol campaign etc). Please pick up an Annual Report 2005 in the narthex and look at the back several pages for this information in detail.
We are on our way for an exciting journey. Hopefully, we’ll be breaking ground between July and September 2005. That depends on the City of Lakewood’s cooperation by approving design plans. We expect that you will have more questions because this is a lot of information to understand. Keep asking them! There may well be things we haven’t thought about yet. It is the Building Ministry Team that will be working to bring you information during the next months. Already Bob Saas has had to change the original conceptual plans to fit our budget.
1. There will be no basement under the new sanctuary but the walls will be built to allow a digging out of the dirt at a future time when we can afford it. We need another $350,000 to do that task. However, that can be done at a future time.
2. The current narthex will be made into office space, kitchen and small narthex. Please look at the new conceptual plans in the narthex.
We also voted to have Jerry Bowen elected Treasurer and Cathy Nicholson as Financial Secretary of the congregation serving on Church Council. Joyce Fisher, Cathy Nicholson, Pastor Jim and Pastor Del were accepted as Assembly Delegates to attend the Synod Assembly in Ft Collins in May. Mike Nicholson was voted Treasurer of the God’s Hope and Our Journey fund.
The Budget for 2005, $361,254, was accepted after good discussion of the four new positions: Secretary, Parish Nurse, Youth Ministry and Education Director and Contemporary Worship Ministry Director, to be added this year. What opportunities and challenges we have before us to integrate these positions into our Ministry.
Are you listening to the Vision that is directing our Mission? What an exciting time for the Atonement Family. Pray that we keep focused on Jesus of the Cross who invites all into this new Kingdom yet to happen. Thanks for your questions, support and concerns. We are a congregation that is being led by a Spirit of love and compassion into an unknown world.
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