Well, hi everyone. It’s been a while since the last post. The past several weeks have seen us progressing steadily in a lot of the less visible (and really less spectacular) work of planning and preparation for the 7300 N IH 35 building project. So there really hasn’t been a whole lot to communicate. But, over the last couple of weeks, as the impact of our economic downturn becomes more real, it has begged us to pause and evaluate our project against the current economic outlook.
First, let me be clear that the vision of being a Church for the City is still where we're headed. This building project is still very much a vital part of our church’s pursuit of this vision, and along with it the restoration of this property in St. Johns. Further, last Fall the contributions and giving commitments from our church were strong – really strong in fact, and we praise God for making clear His direction through this. However, just as expected, purchasing, developing and building the current full master plan will still require additional funds.
So, this means that the team is seeking God on questions like, “How much of the scope should we build right now?” (patience) and “how outside the box are we willing to think” (flexibility), in order to make the non-profit center with space to worship and train a reality.
I'm glad that we are asking these questions now. The landscape has shifted somewhat from last year, and we want to consider a right response to this. Please pray for our church, the leaders God has appointed, and for the design team as we earnestly seek to be obedient in working through these important directional decisions about our building project.