As we move toward the purchase of our facility, we will be conducting a capital campaign. Teams are now forming to help make this campaign a success. Help is needed for the following teams:
Prayer Team – Commit the entire campaign process to the Lord in prayer.
Communications Team – Help to create all documents related to the campaign, including brochures, newsletters, mailings, commitment cards, etc.
Administration Team – Assist pastors and other teams with administrative work as needed.
Events Team – Plan and prepare for events during the campaign, including Celebration Sunday.
If you would like to sign up to be a part of one of these teams, please contact Mark Stiglicz at mstiglicz@evergreencc.com.
Evergreen West Family:
We trust that the Christmas season finds you truly rejoicing in our Savior! This is indeed a season when we can and should be thankful for all that God has done for us.
We are very thankful for what God is doing here at Evergreen West. People are encouraged, numbers are up, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ is going out! In addition, we are making significant progress toward the purchase of our building. We wanted to give you an update with the latest information that we have.
Perhaps you have asked questions like these: Why should we buy the building if we are already meeting here? Is it wise to purchase a building now? Is this the right building for us?
In short, if we want to continue to meet in our current facility, we must purchase the building. Since the previous church closed, we have been renting from the Christian & Missionary Alliance (CMA) denomination. They desire to sell the building and not be landlords. If we do not buy, they will sell to someone else and we would have to move.
We believe that now is a great time for us to purchase this building. We have some great momentum as a church – new people attending, enthusiastic attitudes, and spiritual growth abound. Plus, we have established a presence in this community through advertising, neighborhood service and city involvement.
As we have explained in previous communication, God has gone before us in unmistakable ways to lead us to this facility. Two and a half years ago we invested significantly in this building in order to make it more functional and inviting. It is now more than adequate for our needs, it allows us opportunity to grow and expand this ministry, and it is in a great location for us. We see this building as a great tool for the work that God is calling us to do.
Here are some of the specific details on how we have come to this point. The previous owners of this church building, Hope Chapel, closed as a church at the end of August. The building then became the property of their denomination, the CMA.
In October, the CMA had an appraisal done, and that report determined the value of the property to be $1,430,000. We sought counsel and prayed as we entered into negotiations with them. In late November we presented our first offer, factoring in the age of the building, their purchase price ten years ago, the results of our inspection, future repairs needed, money that we have already invested in the property, etc. After more negotiation we presented an offer of $1,081,480 and they accepted!
We praise God for leading us through this process. We feel like we got a good deal since the final price was nearly 25% less than the appraised value. In addition, the negotiations went extremely well - the representatives of the CMA dealt with us with integrity and God was honored throughout.
There is one contingency in our offer, and that is that we are able to conduct a successful capital campaign in February 2008. There will be two parts to this campaign. First, we will need to raise approximately $100,000 up front in order to make a $300,000 down payment (we currently have $200,000 in our building savings fund). We must be able to make the down payment in order to close on the property at the end of March.
Second, we will ask for pledges and gifts to be given over a three year period. While it is not necessary for us to raise the entire purchase amount in one capital campaign, the amount pledged over this three year period must be enough to enable us to cover interest payments on the contract for deed and to cover additional expenses associated with operating the building. If we are to purchase the property, we must be able to meet these financial obligations over the long run.
We will talk in detail in late January and early February about the campaign, the vision that God has given us for the building, and how you can be a part of the process. However, some of you have expressed a desire to give gifts before the end of 2007 for tax advantages. If this is the case, please make checks payable to Evergreen Community Church and indicate “West Building Fund” in the memo section.
Would you please continue to pray for this? We cannot go forward with something this important without having it covered in faith filled prayers. Please pray that we are able to raise the money that is necessary to make this purchase, and pray that we would wisely use this building for God’s glory!
We invite you to contact us with any concerns or questions that you may have.
It is a pleasure to serve the Lord with all of you!
In Christ,
Mark and Doug
Evergreen West Family:
God is working in great ways in our midst! Here are a few of the tangible results:
There are many new families and singles attending our church since the fall
God has provided a number of needed laborers to fill volunteer ministry positions
Since moving to a 10:15 service and having the building to ourselves, attendance is up 12% versus the same period last year
Giving is up 12% over last year
Beyond the numbers, however, there is a spirit of enthusiasm and encouragement in our congregation. We praise God for all that He is doing at Evergreen West!
We are entering into a new season in the life of our church, a season that is both exciting and daunting! The issue of our facility will soon be at the center of our attention, so we wanted to give you and update on our current situation.
God has gone before us in unmistakable ways. He has led us to this facility through ways that go beyond coincidence. It is amazing that while we were still meeting at Anwatin Middle School in Minneapolis, God allowed us to use our current facility for mid-week meetings, led us to have our weekend services here, and has now allowed us to have full access and use of the building.
This facility is more than adequate for our needs, and allows us opportunity to grow and expand this ministry. It is in a great location for us (based on a demographic study that we conducted before we moved). We see this building as a great tool for the work that God is calling us to do.
We now have an opportunity to purchase this building and make it our permanent church home. We have been in discussions with the current owners, and plan to make an offer in the next few weeks.
While we are very excited about this possibility, we also realize that it will require great commitment and sacrifice on the part of everyone in the congregation. Of course, there will be work to be done and ministry for which to volunteer, but for this to become a reality there will need to be faith-filled prayer and financial sacrifice by all of us. As we pray, we plan to conduct a capital campaign in February to allow us to proceed with this purchase.
Lord willing, the negotiation process will be completed by December 31. Any offer that we make on the building will be contingent upon us having a successful capital campaign in February. At that point, we will be faced with one of two scenarios:
The campaign was a success and we would close on the facility in April of 2008
The campaign was not a success and we would be given six months notice, meaning that we would have to find a new church home by August
Would you please commit to pray for this? Please pray that God would give us wisdom in the negotiation process, that He would lead clearly throughout and that He would give us this building as our church home!
We urge you to contact us with any concerns or questions that you may have.
It is a pleasure to serve the Lord with all of you!
In Christ,
Mark and Doug