Making Room for More Update
Dear Hope Church Family,
Just two weeks ago I sat down in one of the upstairs classrooms to engage in some work in a quiet place. On the other side of the window a mason was laying block for the emerging walls of the new building not ten feet away. His line of cinderblocks was at the level of the floor I was standing upon. In the length of a meeting and a zoom call, his row of blocks was above my head! In other words, the Making Room for More project is moving quickly. I am eager to fill you in on the progress so that you can rejoice with me, continue to participate, and sense the opportunity into which God invites us to follow him.
Since I last updated you, the physical bones of the building are taking shape rapidly before our eyes. The slab is poured. The foundation has been laid. The walls are rising up. The steel for the project was delivered the week of September 21st and with it a giant crane that expertly lifts and guides the beams into place. Milestones to come include the pouring of the concrete for the second floor the week of October 12th and the heavy timber frame for the sanctuary to begin the week of October 19th – all with a chance to be under roof by the end of December. I encourage you to walk the perimeter and, even better, to drive up to the top of the hill near the construction trailer to feast your eyes on the dynamic activity and forward momentum taking place. It is fun and impressive.
Beyond the exciting and visible progress of the structure, I am equally encouraged by the stewardship and generosity we continue to experience through this campaign. Your sacrificial, gracious generosity enabled us to begin the actual construction work well before we had anticipated and your faithful fulfillment of campaign commitments sustains the work as it speeds to conclusion next summer. One crucial step forward financially is the upcoming initiation of our Line of Credit on November 5th. This tool will allow us to meet the demands of the construction costs and will, at the same time, be a significant financial reality for our church as we pay off the borrowed money in the years to come. As you fulfill your current commitments and even consider contributing more to the campaign, please remember that every dollar received empowers us to finance less of the overall cost and to remain nimble in our mission. While not many eyes see your faithful generosity (as it should be!), be encouraged and assured that God is using your stewardship to build Hope Church and to extend his Kingdom!
Lastly and most importantly, continue to pray with me that the “more” of the ministry we seek to make room for will never be limited to increased square footage but will always spill over into the neighborhoods where we live, the workplaces we serve, the schools where we learn, and the city we love and call home. If all that we have accomplished at the end of this involved and costly process is to construct a building, I will be the first to admit that we have failed. However, if we are accommodating the growth of what God is currently up to at Hope and we are, by faith and trust in the living God, taking advantage of the opportunity to follow him into the Kingdom ministry of being salt and light, I will be thrilled!
And the most exhilarating part of it all is that in the present tense of our shared life as a church that Kingdom ministry is already kicking into high gear. We are becoming right now who I believe God intends for us by his grace to be. I hope you are taking God up on his invitation and savoring every moment!
Grace and peace,
David