A Message from the Elders and Vision Forward Team, January 25, 2021
Happy New Year! With 2020 behind us, we look ahead to where the Spirit will lead us in 2021. Our “Vision Forward” has been to seek God’s will, boldly show Jesus, and be His heart to this community, and this remains our prayer and focus. We are excited to continue our Vision Forward and ask that you continue to pray for our family as we seek discernment in the next steps of the project.
Earlier this fall, we chose to hit the “pause” button on our plans centered around building improvements and how our property could help meet the needs of our community. As the project progressed, the scale and estimated costs multiplied beyond expectations.
During this pause, our Vision Forward team continues to meet with our partners and project managers as we prayerfully consider options for moving forward. We are currently exploring a potential partnership with a new childcare provider whose mission is faith-based education. As a ministry partner with the church, they aim to be a “front porch” to families in the community and build meaningful relationships with them.
We are also exploring a new partnership with a design and construction company, which has previously partnered with the childcare provider mentioned above. They strive first and foremost to build God’s kingdom and are intent on listening to the church’s vision to help determine how they can align our building to our desired ministry.
An on-site assessment is planned for both companies in February. This assessment will include further discussions regarding how we envision living our mission through this project, including ministry needs as it pertains to the building. This will also give both companies a chance to see our building, make their assessments, and ask any questions that will help them make their recommendations.
Once our on-site assessment is complete, we will update the congregation and ask for feedback before any decisions are made to move forward. During this time, we ask for your prayers as we continue to discern if God is leading us to these partnerships, or if we are being called elsewhere.
Currently, our Vision Forward contributions to date total $209,434.50. If you have committed to giving toward this work, please continue to do so. We have already incurred expenses that the pledged funds will cover, and we have also identified critical building maintenance needs that must be completed for our safety and benefit. If you have not yet committed to giving and would like to do so, you can mail a check to the church office with “Vision Forward” specified on the memo line, or give using the Church Center app.
We are excited about where God is leading us with Vision Forward. We ask you to join us as we pray for discernment during this next assessment phase.