Update 3/25/19

The Gleaners by Jean-François Millet, 1857

Similar to the workers in the painting above, our gleaning team has been diligently working.  I think that at times, they have wondered if their time and effort was being spent in vain, but thankfully, it is paying off.  Checks are coming in, and we hope to have a semi-final total to share with you soon!

If you have been keeping up with updates and announcements, you know that we recently asked for nominations of people to serve on a capital campaign team.  There is still time to nominate someone if you'd like, by emailing jwiebers@gmail.com.  We have an initial list of names, and we plan to start contacting those people this week in order to ask them to prayerfully consider serving our church in this way.  Thank you for continued prayers for the formation of this group, and you can look forward to an introduction to the team once it is formed.

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Mark your calendars for April 14th!  You're invited to join others of New Hope for a family meeting following church that Sunday.  This will be a chance to connect with others, as well as to hear an update from the core building team.  We will aim to share the process we are engaged with as we see it thus far.  Hopefully, the time will stir questions and feedback from you as well.  More details are to come!

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.

More Ministry Master Plan (Update 3/4/19)

KidsLIFE was the focus of the core building team's meeting this week as we talked through the many aspects of our current children's ministry, as well as considered long-term dreams.  This is such a vital and vibrant part of our church, and we want to make sure we set up for success at the new property!

 

It might be interesting to note some of the numbers and considerations we interacted with-- 

We currently have 110 children enrolled in kidsLIFE with about 80 of them present on a typical Sunday morning.

We use 9 classrooms for KidsLIFE and at least 2-3 of those rooms are at capacity.
-Nursing mom’s room
-Nursery:  7 students (3 volunteers)
-Walkers: 9 students (3 volunteers)
-Twos: 12 students (3 volunteers)
-Threes: 9 students (3 volunteers)
-Fours/PreK: 12 students (2 volunteers)
-K/1st: 15 students (2 volunteers)
-2nd/3rd: 20 students (2 volunteers)
-4th-6th: 18 students (2 volunteers)

Our children's ministry is fueled primarily by volunteers, 12 lead teachers who teach twice a month, 60 helpers who assist once a month, and 12 more adults who are available as substitutes. That means 70-80 of us are involved with our children each month!

We discussed the challenges the ministry faces, as well as what challenges and opportunities having our own building could present.  With growth likely at a new facility, maintaining appropriate class sizes and keeping volunteer-to-student ratios low are ideals we need to plan for.  

During our discussion, everyone on the team agreed that our church is so blessed to have Kira Buser as our kidsLIFE director!  The amount of time, thought, and prayer she has given to the ministry was evident.  If you have the chance, be sure to thank her for working with our kids, and if you really want to bless her, consider offering to help out in one of our kidsLIFE classes as a volunteer.  You can contact her at kirabuser@newhopeks.org.

Update 2/26/19

Abraham Lincoln is quoted as saying "I am a slow walker, but I never walk back."  He believed that by examining an issue deliberately and thoroughly, he could come to a confident conclusion that wouldn't need repealed later.  Similarly, we (the core building team) are striving to make well-examined decisions while maintaining forward momentum.

Our team continues diligent work on master plan aspects of our building project.  Most specifically, we are finalizing a comprehensive look at the long-term vision of New Hope, specific ministries of the church, and space requirements of those ministries in order to assess more clearly our building needs.  This step in the process can be painstaking.  It can be tedious.  Yet, it is invaluable.  As a team, we continue to agree that is helping to bring clarity and unity, and for that we are excited!

Thank you for praying:
-That the building team would work efficiently and with a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit leading them.
-For a buyer to come along to purchase the North building.
-Isaiah 43:19--that God would make Himself known as the One who makes things new through this building project.

Items for Sale

The gleaning team continues to be hard at work at the hotel property, trying to sell various pieces of left-behind furniture and appliances.  They will keep seeking to make sales for a bit longer, but sometime soon, whatever is left will go to auction.  Before that happens, we want to make sure that you, the people of New Hope, have a chance to purchase anything that may be of use.  You can see below a rough list of items available, along with a price list.

If you have interest in something, please contact the gleaning team chair, Jon Pagel, at jonpon15@gmail.com.

List of Items and Prices

Item	Price	Notes
Digital PTAC	$200
Analog PTAC	$125
Washing Machines (x2)	$2,500	60 lb. load commercial machines
Dryers (x3)	$400	+1 that is broken
Mini Fridge	$40	If it’s in good shape
Microwave	$20
Twin Mattress	$100
King Mattress	$150
Round tables	$40	In rooms
Chairs	$40	Swivel cloth chairs
Chairs	$25	Wood frame, cloth seat & back, several styles

Virtual Tour of the North Building

Click the photo below to enjoy a virtual tour of the North Building.  It is now clean and looking pretty nice!
If you've been following along, you know this is the building we are going to sell.  In doing so, we hope to recoup much of the cost of purchasing the entire hotel property.  Please be praying for a buyer to come along!

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.