Our building project has taken us on a long and winding journey over the last several years, and we have witnessed the kind provision of the Lord all along the way. We now find ourselves in the proverbial “home stretch” of project preparation, and this is what Bridging the Gap is all about.
In May of 2018, we launched the initial Building Faith campaign. Over the subsquent 3-year period, the generosity of our people was displayed and the results of the campaign far exceeded all expectations. The following details provide a helpful snaphot.
480
Average attendence during first 12 months of the campaign
$940,108
Total amount committed at campaign inception
$542,468
Building Faith giving in the first 12 months of the campaign
$1,143,077
Cumulative Building Faith giving at end of 3-year campaign
Fast-forward to today and we arrive at the final steps before vertical construction on the building begins. On August 16, 2022, we signed a Letter of Intent signifying our agreement with the terms offered by our lender for a construction loan. This set in motion the ordering of title, the production of loan documents, and the anticipated loan closing by mid-September. One of the stipulations in the lender’s terms serves as the impetus for calling this funding effort, Bridging the Gap.
Lender Requirement
To make the funding sources and uses balance, the lender has asked that we raise an additional $389,569 in designated building fund giving over the next 12 months – August 2022 – August 2023. As those funds are raised, they will be deposited into our construction account as contingency funds for the project. Due to the consistent and faithful giving of our church over the past several years, the lender is graciously moving forward with the loan, trusting that we will do our part to fund the contingency account in the near term as the project gets underway.
Operating Capital
When we close on the construction loan, we will be depositing $1,800,000 of our cash on hand into our project account held by the lender. To ensure that we maintain a healthy cash balance for regular church operations and ministries throughout the project, we are hoping to raise an additional $110,000 for that purpose. This brings our Bridging the Gap goal to $500,000. That is a BIG number, but it might be helpful to consider where we are now as a church, compared to where we were when we launched the initial Building Faith campaing in 2018.
619
Average attendence through first 7 months of 2022
30%
Increase in number of contributors from 2018-2022
44%
Increase in average weekly giving from 2018-2022
$349,189
Total designated building fund giving in 2021
Of course, ALL of this is in the Lord’s hands and we are trusting Him fully to provide however He sees fit. As you prayerfully consider how the Lord may lead you to participate, please continue to pray for wisdom as we enter into the next phase of this project. We are looking forward to seeing how God works through His people as we work toward Bridging the Gap!