2009 GIF Information Dates

Over 100 people have attended an Information Meeting to find out what’s next now that our 3 years campaign is almost over. Are you one of them?

If not, there’s still time. Even if you feel you can’t make a financial commitment, we still want everyone to come and at least hear what we’re trying to do.

We have scheduled a few meetings in January.

Sunday, Jan. 11th @ 12:30pm

Thursday, Jan. 15th @ 7:00pm

Sunday, Jan. 18th @ 12:30pm

Come 15 minutes early for pizza. Sign up at the Info Table. Childcare provided.

Growing in Faith Meetings

Hey New Lifer's

Over 55 families attended our Growing in Faith Meetings.
Thanks to everyone who took time to come and hear about our church's
plan for a future home. After the Holiday's we'll hold a few more
meetings before February 8th.

Come to a Meeting!

Stop by the Information Table to sign up to attend a meeting.

Come to a Growing in Faith Meeting

Three years ago, our church came together and bought a piece of property. We called this project “Growing in Faith”. As a result of this step of faith, a sign that reads “Future Home of New Life” stands on our land. Now it’s time to time to take the next step forward.

Growing in Faith is an all church project, and we want each member to understand what’s next. For this reason we’ve set up a series of informational meetings between now and the end of the year. We’re asking each member to make the time to attend one of these meetings.

At this meeting, you’ll find out

- Why we’re working toward a church home of our own
- Where we are in the process of moving forward
- A preview of what the building will look like
- What we need to do take the next step
- Ways members can play a part

Pick a Meeting Time that’s Best for You:

- Wednesday, November 19th at 7:00pm
- Tuesday, November 25th at 7:00pm
- Monday, December 1st at 7:00pm
- Wednesday, December 3rd at 7:00pm
- Tuesday, December 9th at 7:00pm
- Thursday, December 11th at 7:00pm

Childcare is Available: Childcare is available upon request. Just shoot us an email, or give us a call and we’ll set up a childcare provider.

Sign up Now: You can email us with the date you’ll attend at growinginfaith@newlifecommunitychurch.net. You can also give us a call, or sign up on Sunday morning at the Information Table.

What's Next!

What's Next? Good question!

That's why we've scheduled a handful of meetings to share the plan for moving forward with Growing In Faith and get your input.
Soon you will receive an invitation card that looks like this one with the dates and times for these important meetings. We’re asking each member to make the time to attend one of these meetings.

At this meeting, you’ll find out:

• Why we’re working toward a church home of our own
• Where we are in the process of moving forward
• A preview of what the building will look like
• What we need to do to take the next step
• Ways members can play a part

So, keep checking your mailbox and we'll see you at the meetings!

September 2008 Financial Report

Each month, as the Growing In Faith giving comes in, an amount is set aside for the monthly mortgage payment, cumulative taxes, project management, association dues, insurance, etc. This amount is approximately $12,000.00. The total September GIF giving was $6,389.00 That means we were short by about $5,600.00.

Even though the financial situation isn't looking so great, we think there is still a way to move forward with God's help! Over the next couple of months we’re setting up a handful of information meetings to share the proposed plan, answer questions and get your feedback. If you are a member of our church, you will soon receive a letter with dates and times for these meetings. Please make it a priority to attend.

Right now, we have a piece of property with the sign “Future Home of New Life” on it, and we want to keep it that way. Pray with us that God will open up the way for us to continue forward with Growing in Faith.

September GIF giving $6,389.00
Minimum to “pay bills” $12,000.00
Shortage ($5,611.00)

August 2008 Financial Update

Each month, as the Growing In Faith giving comes in, an amount is set aside for the monthly mortgage payment, cumulative taxes, project management, association dues, insurance, etc. This amount is approximately $12,000.00. The total August GIF giving was $7,887.00 That means we were short by about $4,100.00.

In 2006, the average monthly giving was $16,621.00. In 2007, the average dropped to $11,734.00 and in 2008, the current monthly average is below 8700.00.

The only reason we have been able to make the monthly payments is because the property value went up and the equity that was set aside for development has been used to subsidize the monthly shortage. However, at this rate, this development “nest egg” is just a few months from being gone altogether.

Please join us in praying for God's blessing and provision for this project and that the name of Jesus will be lifted up because of it.

August GIF giving $7,887.00
Minimum to “pay bills” $12,000.00
Shortage ($4,113.00)

Summer Slump

The combination of the slumping economy along with slow summer months seem to have delivered a "one, two" punch to our growing in Faith giving! We know that many members are feeling the financial pinch, and also that over the summer, many people are gone on the weekends.

Pray that as we enter the Fall, we'll catch up and stay strong with our commitments.

Also, thanks to all of you who faithfully give each month!

Plot Plan Update

Our Plot Plan is still working it’s way through the county. We’re experiencing positive responses, it just takes awhile. Please pray for God's hand of blessing on our project.

July 2008 Financial Update

Over the last 7 months, we have experienced shortfalls in the monthly Growing In Faith giving. To make up for these shortfalls, we have been using money that has been set aside for property development. However, little by little this development “nest egg” has been depleted.
Because we don’t want to lose the property, we will continue moving development money toward making the monthly payments if the giving continues to fall short. But, this is going to mean a significant slow-down (maybe even a complete stop) to the county approval process.
The good news is that we have made good progress so far. The not-so-good news is that the development money being used to subsidize the monthly payment wont last much longer at the rate it is being used up.

There are two ways you can help:

1. Pray. Ask God for His strength to keep us strong in our commitments and for His abundance to provide more than we could ask for or imagine.
2. Give. If you are not giving toward Growing In Faith, pray about becoming a partner in this project.

The total July GIF giving was $6,062.00. That means we were short by about $6,000.00.

July GIF giving $6,062.00
Minimum to “pay bills” $12,000.00
Difference ($5,938.00)

June 2008 Financial Update

As you know, each month, as the Growing In Faith giving comes in, an amount is set aside for the monthly mortgage payment, cumulative taxes, project management, association dues, insurance, etc. This amount is approximately $12000.00. The total June GIF giving was $9,877.07. That means we were short by about $2,100.00.

Even though June marks our sixth consecutive month with a deficit, we have been able to move forward in spite of this continuing shortage. This is because of the equity that has built up in our property. However, our development "nest egg" is being slowly used up to cover the monthly shortfall.

June GIF giving $9,877.00
Minimum to “pay bills” $12,000.00
Difference ($2,123.00)

Please pray for God's blessing as we continue to move forward.

Steady Progress

Here is the latest update on the plot plan status. As we have been responding to some earlier denials, you will notice that some of them have turned into approvals!
Click the image for a larger view.
Please don't forget to keep the Growing Faith Project in your prayers!

Indiana Jones and the Plot Plan Approval

What does Indiana Jones and our plot plan approval have in common? Archaelogy. Believe it or not, one of the dozen county departments that sign off on our plot plan is Archaeology. Maybe it's to make sure there isn't buried treasure, or dinosaurs camped out on our land. Anyway...we got approval from the Archaeologist! That makes two approvals down, about ten to go.

Keep praying as our plot plan goes through the county.

Plot Plan Approval Update

Our Plot Plan is currently in the approval process with the county.  Getting the plot plan approved is what gives us official permission to build our proposed church on the property. 

As you can see from the screenshot above (if you have really good eyes), it will be reviewed by about a dozen different departments.  Good news, we're already approved by the Fire Department!

Once each department has signed off, it will go to a Planning Director's meeting for formal approval.  Please pray with us for the speedy approval of our plot plan. 

P.S.  If you want to stay up to date on the details of our approval status, you can go to this website at the planning department and enter our plot plan number - "pp23454".  It will pull up the screen you see at the top of the page with an up to the minute update. 

P.S.S. Thank to everyone who is giving to Growing in Faith!

May Financial Update

As you know, each month, as the Growing In Faith giving comes in, an amount is set aside for the monthly mortgage payment, cumulative taxes, project management, association dues, insurance, etc. This amount is approximately $12000.00. The total May GIF giving was $9,786.00. That means we were short by about $2,200.00.

Even though May marks our fifth consecutive month with a deficit, we have been able to move forward in spite of this continuing shortage. This is because of the equity that has built up in our property. However, our development "nest egg" is being slowly used up to cover the monthly shortfall.

May GIF giving $9,786.00
Minimum to “pay bills” $12,000.00
Difference ($2,214.00)

Please pray that God will give us the ability to remain strong in our commitments and that He will bless the finances of our members and our church.

GIF Video from Sunday

Here is the video we showed on Sunday Documenting our Plot Plan Submittal to the County.

April Financial Update

As you know, each month, as the Growing In Faith giving comes in, an amount is set aside for the monthly mortgage payment, cumulative taxes, project management, association dues, insurance, etc. This amount is approximately $12000.00. The total April GIF giving was $9,606. That means we were short by about $2,394.
Let’s pray that God will give us the ability to remain strong in our commitments and that He will bless the finances of our church.

April GIF giving $9,606
Minimum to “pay bills” $12,000.00
Difference ($2,394)

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21

GIF Update

Good News! We Just submitted the plot plan for our new building. Once approved by the county, we will have initial permission to move forward in building a church home of our own.

Please pray for a quick approval with the county and stop by the lobby to see the color drawings for our building.

Thanks to everyone who is supporting Growing in Faith. If you are new to church and would like to play a part in Growing in Faith, pick up an Information packet at the Growing in Faith Table in the lobby.

Landscape Plan

The landscape architect just finished our conceptual landscaping plan. This is a required document that will be submitted to the county as we seek to get approval for a building on our property. To find out about getting involved check out the Growing in Faith section of our website.

Aerial photo of building position

A requirement of our plot plan submittal process is submitting an aerial photo showing the position of our building on our lot. The photo above shows the position of the building and the parking area. Keep praying as we assemble the pieces of required by the county to get approval for our building!

Rough Draft of Building Exterior

The architect is making progress on the building. Here is a rough draft of the building exterior. The shape of the building may change during the submittal process to the county. Also - the colors are not final, just thrown into add a little depth to the drawing.

Conceptual Grading Plan

A technical (but important) part of our developing our site is the creation of the conceptual grading plan.  This will be submitted as part of our plot plan package.  Thanks to everyone who is supporting Growing in Faith.  Each month your giving helps us make progress toward a building of our own. 

Building Sketch

This is a quick sketch drawn by our architect of what the front of our building will look like. We are only weeks away from having a complete plot plan ready for submittal to the county!
Please pray with us that there will be no delays or unexpected hurdles to get over!

March Financial Report

As you know, each month, as the Growing In Faith giving comes in, an amount is set aside for the monthly mortgage payment, cumulative taxes, project management, association dues, insurance, etc. This amount is approximately $12000.00. The total March GIF giving was 11,507.00. That means we were only short by about $500.00.
March marks our third consecutive month with a deficit. The good news is that the giving has been improving each month!
Let’s pray that God will give us the ability to remain strong in our commitments and that He will bless the finances of our church.

March GIF giving $11,507.00
Minimum to “pay bills” $12,000.00
Difference ($493.00)

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21

GIF - God@Work Story

Today (Thursday) One of our members shared an encouraging story that we wanted to pass along to you. This member has been giving to Growing in Faith. But recently made a commitment to increase their giving for the last twelve months of our three year project. After making the commitment, they received a review at work, and as a result they were given a monthly raise that matches the increase in their Growing in Faith giving. They mentioned that this was more than a coincidence!

It’s encouraging to hear real life stories of God at work in the life of our members!

If you have a story to share, let us know at info@newlifecommunitychurch.net

Property Activity

I took this picture yesterday. It seems like just about any time you go to the property you can catch some level of activity going on. Most of this activity is associated with the adjoining properties, however, there is a large amount of work that is being prepped and planned that is shared with us (such as roads, driveways, pedestrian walkways, etc.)

Milestone Praise Report!

One of the milestones we’ve been praying about has to do with a traffic study and installation of a traffic signal. We finally received word from the county that, at least for now, we are not going to be asked to do it!
This is really great for us since it represents a significant additional cost.
Let’s take the time to thank God for this development!

Did you miss the Growing in Faith Anniversary Dinner?

Did you miss the Growing in Faith Anniversary Dinner?

We had a great turnout, and a time of food, fun and fellowship! Mike Hannah gave an update of where we are at and what’s next for Growing in Faith. Below is an edited version of the presentation (about 15 minutes long).

If you would like to hear the presentation, you can listen online, or click on the link below to download the MP3 file.


MP3 File

Prayer Request!

You probably know that churches are exempt from property taxes. But that is only true when the land is actually used for church purposes. Specifically, that means when a building is constructed.
But there is a provision in the law that allows exemptions to be granted once a building is “under construction”.

With the recent progress on our property, we believe that we may qualify as being “under construction” and as such, we’ve applied for the exemption.

Currently, our church pays $16,000 a year in property taxes. If this exemption is granted, it represents a significant savings! Please pray that the exemption will be granted.

February Financial Update

After a record-setting January shortage, February showed good improvement! As you know, every month, as the Growing In Faith giving comes in, an amount is set aside for the monthly mortgage payment, cumulative taxes, project management, association dues, insurance, etc. This amount is approximately $12000.00. The total February GIF giving was 8292.00. That means we were short by over $3700.00.
February marks our second consecutive month with a deficit. The good news is that there is a separate amount of money set aside for moving forward with development. The bad news is that we will need to pull from that money to cover the shortage.
Let’s pray that God will give us the ability to remain strong in our commitments and that He will bless the finances of our church.

February GIF giving $8,292.00
Minimum to “pay bills” $12,000.00
Difference ($3,708.00)

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
Romans 5:3

Property Prayer

We have rescheduled our Property Prayer Event for March 9th. Stop by the Information Table to pick up a map to the property.

Prayer at the Property

Our prayer at the property was postponed last week due to rain.

Our new date is Sunday, March 9th.
Join us from 12:45 to 1:00pm at our property for a special prayer gathering. We want to take a moment to thank God for how far He's brought us and to ask for God's hand of blessing as we move forward.

Take the 15 fwy south, exit on Weirick, turn left and go under the freeway, turn right on Temescal and go about a mile to the Wildrose business park. Turn left on Pulsar and find parking at the end of the cul-de-sac. You'll see the "Future Home of New Life" sign.

See you then!

Anniversary Banquet

Has it been 2 years already?

You're invited to our Growing In Faith Second Anniversary Banquet!
It will be a great time of fellowship, games and food. We will also be sharing some very important GIF information.
The banquet will be in our Corona Hills location on Sunday, March 2nd at 5:00pm. This event is for our entire church family!
To RSVP, send an email to growinginfaith@newlifecommunitychurch.net
See You There!!

Get Involved

Here is the video we showed during our Sunday Service inviting people to get involved in our Growing in Faith campaign.

Little Known Property Fact

Did you know that the grapefruit trees on the other side of our fence are actually on church property? Here is a shot of the trees from Leroy Road (the road that runs parallel to the fence on the north side of the property). Our property extends right up to Leroy Road.

February Milestone Report

On the last post, I talked about some of the milestones we need to pass on the way to submitting our plot plan to the county. Here is the latest update regarding those milestones:

Milestone number 1 was to meet with the senior planner. We learned enough from our case planner to make this meeting unnecessary.

The number 4 milestone is the topographical survey. This work has been completed and the architect is now working with the information to dial in the building design and overall site plan.

The geotech survey is a larger and more complex study. This job has been put out to bid and a few companies are currently doing a preliminary study to determine the scope and cost. This is milestone number 5.

The biological report is finished. YAAYY!! We can mark number 8 off the list.

Thanks to God and to you, our faithful Growing In Faith supporters, we are moving forward full steam ahead. Please keep this process in your prayers.

(For a list of milestones, scroll down to the previous post)

Milestone Report

Last week we met with the county to discuss our building project. Overall, the meeting went well and we were introduced to the case-planner that will be handling our plot plan approval process. He was very helpful to us in identifying important milestones (next steps) in the process. Here are the milestones (at least, the ones I know about) that we will have to pass on our way to plot plan submittal and approval:

1. Meeting with Senior Planner
2. Project Kickoff Meeting with architect
3. Reconfiguration of Building Design
4. Topographical Property Site Survey
5. Geotechnical Engineering Study
6. Acquire Precise Grading Plans from adjoining property owners
7. Traffic Study
8. Biology Report
9. Acoustical Study
10. Final Plot Plan Document Set Created
11. Final Plot Plan Submittal To County

While all of the milestones are important, we would like you to specifically pray about number 7. This milestone, if it is required of us, will mean a substantial extra cost. Right now it’s possible that we may be allowed to bypass this milestone, but we will need God’s help and your prayers.

January Financial Update

December was a great month for the Growing In Faith giving but in January, there was a significant decrease. As you know, every month, as the Growing In Faith giving comes in, an amount is set aside for the monthly mortgage payment, cumulative taxes, project management, association dues, insurance, etc. This amount is approximately $12000.00. The total January GIF giving was 5581.00. That means we were short by over $6000.00.

January GIF giving $5,581.00
Minimum to “pay bills” $12,000.00
Difference ($6,419.00)

Pray for meeting with the county

This coming Monday we’re meeting downtown with the Riverside planning department regarding the proposed plot plan for our property. Please pray for God to open the way for us to build quickly and with no unnecessary hindrances. Specifically pray that we won’t be required to do a traffic study.

Meeting with the County

As you may know, we are hoping to move forward as quickly as we can in constructing a building on our property. Our next step is to have our plot plan approved by the County of Riverside. Last week we meet with the Riverside County Planning department.

At this meeting we were introduced to the person who will be our case planner and showed them our proposed site plan. The meeting went very well. Our civil engineer got the answers he needs to move ahead with the conceptual site plan.

In a couple weeks we will meet with a senior planner who is in charge of entitlement. Entitlement is the process of having our plot plan approved. To learn more about entitlement, check out this post.

Water line is brought to our property

The water line to our property was laid. We have a 12" line. (Which apparently is a good size, at least that's what they tell us). Both the sewer and the water line have now been brought to our site. These are important steps that help us as we look forward to getting a building.

Financial Report

Every month, as the Growing In Faith giving comes in, an amount is set aside for the monthly mortgage payment, cumulative taxes, project management, association dues, insurance, etc. This amount is approximately $12000.00. The total December GIF giving was 19049.00! That means we had a little over $7000.00 to put toward the entitlement process. (Scroll down to find out more about the entitlement process)

December GIF giving: $19,049.00
Minimum to “pay bills”: $12,000.00
Difference: $7,049.00

Entitlement Process?

The word, “entitlement” means having a right to something. It’s a lot like permission. For us to move forward with constructing a building on our property, we need permission from the County of Riverside.

It’s this permission, or entitlement, that we are currently working on. To proceed, our first step is to have a free, informal meeting with the county planning department.

At this meeting, we will be able to share the specifics about what we are planning to do with our property and learn from the planning department about any issues, concerns, requirements, etc, that we should be attentive to in the overall design. The more we can learn during this meeting, the better prepared we will be to turn in plans that will have smooth sailing through the county process. This means less expense for us, and a shorter time period to get final approval.

We have already requested this meeting and expect to have it within the next few weeks.
Please pray that God will grant us favor with the county officials and that this meeting will be helpful in moving us forward!

Growing in Faith Update Video

This is our Growing in Faith update video we showed during Sunday's service.

Praise Report - Growing in Faith Giving for the Month December

We have a praise report! Giving toward Growing in Faith for the month of the December was $19,000. This is more than the average ($12,000 a month). This extra large amount helps make up for the previous two months in which the Growing in Faith giving was below the needed amount (only $7500). So all in all, we ended the year where we needed to be! Thanks to all who are giving to Growing in Faith.

Growing in Faith Update

We want to let you know that we are taking a fresh look at the possibility of constructing a building on our property. Here’s why:

Because of the increased value of our property, and the possibility that we could construct a smaller, starter building, we believe it may be possible to build on our property sooner than we imagined. We are busy working with the county to get more details.

We’re still gathering information, but we want to let you know so you can be praying with us.
We also want to give you a big thanks for supporting Growing in Faith. It’s your monthly Growing in Faith giving that has brought us to this point and it’s your giving that will help us move forward.