With God's Hope~Our Journey Continues...

You are a wonderful, responsive and faithful people! Our treasurer, Jerry Bowen, informs me that as of the end of 2005 we came within $800.00 of our expenses – recovering from a deficit of almost $21,000. It was an anxious time for all of us as we attempted to plan for the future. We are called first to support the General Ministry Expenses while at the same time we are supporting our God’s Hope and Our Journey Vision for a new sanctuary and staffing. It is a big challenge for us and you have responded generously. The challenge will continue into the future as we take on new and added responsibilities financially with a construction loan and staff. I want to inform you about where we are with planning for a special Congregational Meeting to approve final decisions concerning our building plans.

Your Building Ministry Team, chaired by Ron Lorenz, has been faithfully working with our architects and general contractor as they struggle to find a way to move forward in the face of unbelievable rising costs. We hope that by their meeting on January 12, 2006, the BMT will have all the information necessary to make a decision to move ahead.

However, this I can tell you, because of continued rising costs and our determination to stay within the budget set up for our future building and staffing, the BMT has made some difficult decisions with the architect and contractor. The basement is not a possibility. Landscaping has been removed temporarily but will have to be completed before the final inspection to use the building. Those costs are approximately $75,000 and $40,000 respectively. Interests rates have also gone up slightly. Concrete is $88.00 per yard and roofing materials went up 49% and continue to soar. As you can see, this is only a sample of the struggle. There are more obstacles too numerous to mention here. Your Building Ministry Team will continue to carefully assess where we are so that we might properly inform you of progress and make recommendations for what we might do at a properly called Congregational Meeting. Possibly after the January 12 BMT meeting we will be able to move forward with that plan. Please bear with us in this tedious struggle. Please pray for guidance for the Building Ministry Team and all of us as we try to make good decisions for our future. Together we need to allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with courage for whatever the decision is to be.

It is also a good time for us to reflect on the Vision that we have been following and to decide where we will be able to fulfill those dreams of mission and ministry. Please read Pastor Jim’s article (previous posting) as he reflects on the “Vision” for mission we have had before us. It is challenging us anxiously into the future. We don’t know at this moment what the right decision is for us. Soon, however, we will have the proper information to help us make that decision. Let us pray together that we remember that we are a people of faith who have come together to “Live in God’s Love and to Reach Out With Hope!” May the New Year of 2006 find each day filled with the love and grace of the God who gives us each cell in our blood to live for Him and each other. Come to worship, come to serve and to share in fellowship. We look forward to seeing you every chance we get. Amen.

Pastor Del