Update 5/6/19

This is an exciting picture!  During this week's Core Building Team meeting, Brad Buser got us started working through a predesign process for the church facility plan.  It was exciting for the team to start talking about specific spaces and functions for the building.

As we discussed various aspects of the church building, we drew on knowledge gained from previously going through the church's ministry plan.  It was encouraging to realize that the disciplined work of past months was bearing fruit in giving our group direction and vision for how spaces could be used well.

Here are just a handful of snippets that have stuck out to our group as we have processed the ministry plan.  We envision that a building of our own could equip us to have/do these things...

• Spaces (with more varied functions than the Greenhouse provides) that can be used all throughout the week by New Hope members and others in the community
• Sound and audio/visual equipment that can stay in place from week to week
• A designated space for our Fusion youth to meet for large group times and for smaller studies
• Multipurpose space(s) that can be setup to function in different ways for different groups/times of the week.
• Opportunities for more than one group or ministry to meet on site at a time
• Parents could have more natural opportunities to overlap with Fusion students and their events
• Designated KidsLIFE rooms that are outfitted specifically for the kids/teachers using them each week with no need to set-up and tear down
• A configuration that provides increased security for our children's ministry
• Classrooms to provide childcare options for groups meeting throughout the week
• Possibilities for community outreach and hosting events
• Space for partner ministries to meet and hold events
• A playground and inviting outdoor space to encourage connection
• A welcome/information center where it is more clear how to get connected and involved
• Comfortable spaces for small groups of people to sit and talk
• More visibility to the community and accessibility to a different pocket of Manhattan

These possibilities are exciting to us as we've prayerfully considered what makes our church unique!

Please continue to pray... 

• for guidance and discernment for this next stage of planning. 
• for volunteers to help with mowing and upkeep at the property this summer.
• that God would continue to captivate our hearts more than a building. 

Update 4/29/19

This week's Core Building Team meeting was one of renewed energy and forward momentum!

The Cultivating Team (capital campaign team) met for the first time this week, and we were excited to hear about their discussion and their desire to communicate a vision that invites people to be part of something more than a building.  That team is made up of Bob and Sandie Anderson, Dick and Nancy Jaques, Jodi Pribyl, Robbie Nutter, Melissa Harstine, and Tony Classen.  They have some great ideas and will begin meeting regularly to put together a plan.

If you joined us at the April 14th all-church update, you will recognize this slide summarizing the process that the Core Building Team is working through.

This week, the team eagerly transitioned from the ministry plan to taking a closer look at finances.  Thankfully, with the knowledgeable Finance and Cultivating Teams in place, the Building Team doesn't need to camp out here for very long.  We will be able to jump into the initial stages of the facility plan next week, recognizing that all of these plans are going to be worked out in tandem from this point forward.  As we get a clearer picture of what space we might build, we will grasp the financial numbers associated with construction and, in turn, sustainment.  Measuring those against the church's financial reality, we will then make adjustments back and forth across all of these plans.  It will likely be a process of determining phases for the long-term plan, all the while, watching to see how God provides.

Also this week, we received what we needed from the city to move forward with publicly listing the North Building for sale!  It will be listed locally as well as on national lists, in order to get it on the radar of commercial investors across the country.  Please continue to pray for its sale.

The Gleaning Team efforts are officially wrapping up, and we are determining final opportunities to connect left-behind hotel items with people who could use them.  If you haven't already, please make a point to thank these people for their work behind the scenes.  Gleaning team members include Sandie Anderson, Dan Flippo, Nate Harstine, Jon Pagel, and Karyn Clanton.

With that step nearly done, we are arranging for demolition of the buildings we will not keep.  The Riley County Police Department has contacted us, and they would like to use one of the hotel buildings for officer training.  We are coordinating with them and intend to demo quickly after their training.  That demolition date will be sometime in mid-June.  There will be some easily visible changes coming to the property soon!

Thanks for continued prayers...

• for direction and clarity for all teams as plans are made and carried forward.
• for how God wants to use you and your gifts 
• that we would remain unified as a church, healthily viewing the property as a tool for God's work through us.

Update 4/22/19

We hope you enjoyed a sweet time celebrating Easter!  If you happened to miss our all-church building team update on April 14th, you can listen to that HERE.  We didn't reveal any earth-breaking news, but our goal was to try to be open about our process, get a gauge on what questions or concerns are out there, and welcome feedback.  Please reach out to a building team member if you have any thoughts or questions for us.

As we shared in the update, our team's next step is to work through our financial plan.  This will be a dynamic process that is done in tandem with the church Finance Team (who met last Sunday) and the Cultivating Team (who will be meeting next Sunday).  We are working this week to individually wrap our minds around several financial reports and ledgers we have, so that during our team's meeting next Sunday, we can be efficient with our time.

Lastly, we have compiled a Google Doc where we intend to list odd jobs and needs we have at the property.  Hopefully, this will be a way to help everyone see what needs to be done, and allow for people to serve as they have time and ability to help.   Check it out at this LINK.
You will notice that one of the greatest needs we have currently is for someone to take on the role of "mowing coordinator" through the summer months.  Would you be willing to coordinate volunteers and help make sure the property is mowed on a regular basis?  Let us know!

Thanks for your continued prayers...

• For everyone involved in trying to understand and map a path forward in regards to church finances.  May we be diligent stewards while believing God to provide in ways only He can.
• The the city would sign off on necessary items, so that we can publicly list the North Building for sale.
• For continued unity and clarity of vision among members of our church.

Update 4/2/19

Another week has passed, and there are several things in motion that we can update you on.

Invitations have been extended to several people, asking them to consider serving on the capital campaign team.  That group is forming, and hopefully, we can introduce them to you soon!

The gleaning team has orchestrated some deliveries of various goods, and they continue to finalize sales.  They are working to determine the most effective way to move forward with what remains.

We still intend to sell the North building.  It has been shown to a few interested parties, but we are waiting on the city, needing to finalize some details with them before we can list it publicly.  These types of things don't seem to rank as "urgent" for city officials, so it's been a slower process than we'd like.

In the building team meeting this week, we worked through a couple of the last pieces of the New Hope ministry plan.  We discussed the LIFEgroup ministry as well as auxiliary ministry groups that we partner with on some level like campus ministries and HIS.  It was intriguing to explore some of the existing needs and consider possibilities that may exist in having a building of our own.  In that same conversation, we examined how the Greenhouse has been used, and how it has served people and ministries in the community who don't otherwise have their own office/meeting space.  While we are yet uncertain about what space(s) we will be able to create and offer for people's use, this discussion was another valuable one as we add layers of understanding to how a space could benefit our own church body and others in the community.  It is exciting to consider the many ways a building space could function and be used all throughout the week.

Don't forget...Plan to join us on April 14th, following church, for a building team meeting update.  We hope to paint a vivid picture of the process we are in the middle of, as well as hear your questions and feedback.  Hope to see you there!

Thanks for praying:

• For those stepping up to help with capital campaign
• That the gleaning team could finish up their task fruitfully
• For a meeting with the necessary city officials in order to get the North building listed publicly
• That we would all hear God and sense how he wants to use this process and this building in our church and for His work in our town.

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.