Help us with Name and Nominations (Update 3/18/19)

As the building team met this week, some discussion centered on the topic of fundraising.  We agreed that we need to get a team of the people formed who can begin the work of planning and preparing for this.  However, as we deliberated about what their task would be, we acknowledged that "capital campaign team" doesn't seem to capture fully what they will be asked to do.  "Capital campaign" might connote a negative idea to some in our community, perhaps giving the sense that the team is just hungrily searching for money.  While an obvious and unashamed part of what this team will do is ask for money, we agreed that it is much more than that.

The people who comprise this fundraising team will be trusted with the job of researching and putting together a strategic plan.  There will be administrative tasks.  They will ask for money.  But most importantly, they will be tasked with communicating well the heart and vision of New Hope.  This is the key.  We hope and pray that in the fundraising effort, the focus isn't just on dollar signs and getting a fancy facility.  Rather, we hope there is a compelling vision with a longing to help better equip our church for the sake of God's kingdom.  This is what we want people to give towards.

For weeks, we, the building team, have been seeking to get an accurate grasp of the "DNA" of New Hope.  In doing so, we are more excited than ever about the unique personality and calling God has given our church in the Manhattan community.  We think a building of our own will be an invaluable tool as we minister in our town.  Are you someone who gets excited about communicating that vision?  Do you know someone who is naturally enthusiastic and able to draw others to a cause?  Who in our church body is a skilled communicator and vision caster?  We need those people!  Would you please take a minute to consider who you think could be a good fit for the fundraising team, and let us know at jwiebers@gmail.com?  

Additionally, would you help us come up with a name for the "capital campaign team" that better encompasses the role of sharing vision and communicating well?  If you brainstorm any ideas, please send those on to jwiebers@gmail.com as well.  

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And for those following our progress as we work through our church's ministry master plan, you might be interested to know that we are almost done.  We talked through momLIFE and women's ministry this week, and will tackle Fusion, Team 127 and campus ministries in the coming week(s).

Please be praying:

• For perseverance and continued momentum for the building team.  Pray that they would lean into God and seek rest even as they work diligently.
• For gleaning team sales that should wrap up soon...multiples transactions should be finalized this week!
• That the North building would sell.
• For the formation of the fundraising team.

Update 2/4/19

First of all, THANK YOU to all who came out to the hotel property last weekend to help clean at the North Building!  We had approximately 20+ people (including some students from other churches in town) and great progress was made in the effort to make the building as visually appealing as possible!  Check back later this week for a 3-D tour!

The core building team has finished reading through the book we mentioned a couple weeks ago, "Plan for It" by Tim Cool.  It has given us a common understanding and overview of the master plan process before us.  We were encouraged by how many points we've already been aware of and working on.  One impactful thought from the book was the idea that any facility a church uses is simply a tool for ministry.  Our job is to evaluate and propose a facility that can be an effective and efficient tool for who God has made New Hope to be.

As we consider how to prepare for upcoming steps, the core building team has determined that the next sub-committee we would be wise to form is a capital campaign team.  This team will be tasked with researching, planning, preparing, and carrying out the fundraising endeavor for the building project.  They will work closely with the core building team, elders, and church finance team. While a master plan for the property is yet to come together, there are many initial tasks that a capital campaign team could could begin to mobilize for.  We are prayerfully considering who could be a good fit for this team.  Do you have a recommendation for us?  Do you sense this is a way God is asking you to serve?  Please let us know by emailing jwiebers@gmail.com.

Thanks for praying:

• Praise God for a sense of unity among the building team.  Pray that we would hear from God and discern together how he is leading.
• For the sale of remaining hotel furniture as well as the North Building.
• That God would guide the formation of the capital campaign team.
• Ask the Lord how He would like to use your strengths, resources, and prayers through this project.

Update 1/21/19

Since its formation, the core building team has been meeting weekly to assess the property, get our minds around what this process might entail, and start taking baby steps towards presenting a master plan for the church.  It's been a great deal to consider, but we are making progress bit by bit!

We are reading a book titled "Plan 4 It" by Tim Cool.  Key points from the reading provide some structure in order to determine how to approach a master plan that will meet the needs of New Hope.  As we journey through this process, we are compiling feedback received from people in the church, putting together ministry descriptions, assessing current budgets, considering feasibility of the cost of different building possibilities, as well as looking at sustainability of whatever facility we end up with.  There are a lot of pieces to discuss!  If you'd like to gain a deeper appreciation of the process, we invite you to purchase and read the book with us!  

In a project of this magnitude, sub-committees are essential.  While other committees are yet to be listed and formed, one sub-committee is already hard at work.  The "gleaning team" has been working to take inventory of furniture, equipment, and construction materials at the hotel that could be of value, in order that they might be sold or donated.  Several businesses are coming to look at various things for purchase even this week!  Pawnee Mental Health has already picked up five bedrooms' worth of furniture to outfit their new homeless transition housing site.  We donated the furniture to them, and they were beyond thankful.  Upon learning of our heart to help people in poverty, they offered the possibility of starting some kind of partnership with our church in the near future.  This could lead to some great possibilities for our church and those who personally desire to help our town's homeless population.

Please be praying for:

• Continued guidance and clarity for the core building team as they seek to work towards a master plan
• Pawnee Mental Health's transitional housing facility, as well as possible opportunities to minister there
• The gleaning team's work to sell and donate assets left behind
• That God would continue to work in powerful ways to glorify Himself through this building project