March Giving Update

Thanks to everyone who is supporting Growing in Faith. We actually exceeded our Growing in Faith commitments for the month of March. Members committed $6893 a month, but $7408 came in. It’s good news, and came at the right time. Regular giving for the month of March was weak, and the Growing in Faith helped close the gap.

Thanks!

Thanks to everyone who is giving to Growing in Faith. As you know, right now it’s taking both our regular giving and GIF giving to keep our church going.

We know that both the church and it’s members are facing financial challenges that most of us have not seen in our lifetimes. But with your help we’re keeping the church afloat and focused on our mission of making disciples.

Some good news - As part of this new round of Growing in Faith, members committed to give $6893 a month. In March, we’ve already received $6300 and we still have a week to go. So thanks to everyone who is giving, each week your generosity is making a difference.

2 Weeks Thanks

We are now two weeks into our new Growing in Faith Commitment.  This is to say "thanks". 

Results from our Growing in Faith Commitment

Here are the results from our Growing in Faith commitment

To find out how much we raised, go here and watch an 8 minute video presentation

Commitment Sunday

On Sunday we're inviting members to make a financial commitment to our church. We're calling this project Growing in Faith. If you're planning to participate in this Sunday's offering, here are a couple things to know.


1) Please use a Growing in Faith Envelope - Use a Growing in Faith envelope for your one time gift and your commitment card. This will ensure that all giving is correctly recorded.

2) Growing in Faith envelopes and commitment cards are available in the lobby. If you need a card, you can grab one before the service in the lobby.

3) Write "I understand" on the commitment card -At last Sunday's service, we laid out a new priority for how Growing in Faith giving will be used. The giving will go first for our church's needs here and now, and second for moving ahead with our future church home. Let us know that you understand these priorities by writing "I understand" on your commitment card or check. If you already sealed the envelope, write “I understand” on the outside of the envelope.

4) We'll be having one offering at the end of the service - You can place both your Growing in Faith gift and your regular giving in the offering bags when they are passed at the end of the service.

5) There are several ways to help.

- Make a one time gift this Sunday.

- Make a commitment to increase your regular giving - you can indicate this on the back of the commitment card

- Make a commitment to give over and above your regular for a set period of time. You can indicate that length of time on the commitment card. The card is set up for a three year commitment, but you can cross out three years and write in a time period that works for you.

5) Fill out your commitment card online - if you won't be on Sunday, make your commitment online here.

6) Make your gift online - We have an online giving option - for more information check out here.

Attend a Meeting

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!