Family Life Center Update
By: George Yacus
It may seem like we are moving slowly towards our goal of building a new family life center, but there are behind-the-scene developments that continue to move forward. It is probably best to think of the entire project as a group of sequential steps (general requirements, architect selection, conditional use permit, bank financing, etc.), and when you put them all together and clear all of the hurdles, you have a new facility! At some point in the near future we believe that you will see construction crews on site.
It may seem like it has been a long time in planning and we still don’t have a new building for fellowship and classes, but in speaking with our architect, Mr. Michael Barnes, our path has been very similar to other churches that have gone through the process. Mr. Barnes has allowed us the privilege of reprinting an article he wrote concerning the Biblical principles of building a church building, which is enjoyable reading and an encouragement to the elders and staff who have been on this journey for awhile. For those of you that have contributed both ideas and money, don’t get discouraged, because your ideas and funds are important and being put to good use.
This short article is divided into three parts. The first part is an update on the progress since our last publication. The second part is a short discussion on our financial ability to support the project. The third part deals with spiritual principles that are associated with the building of our Family Life Center.
Recent Progress
We have come a lot farther than we may realize. We already have a design, construction drawings, a fine architect, a reputable builder, an engineering firm, two prospective bank agreements, a modest cash reserve, a conditional use permit, financial support from the congregation, and a dream for a facility that will serve the Lord and our community for many years. We should acknowledge that God has blessed us and brought us this far in our construction project.
There are still some details that we are resolving prior to construction. We are completing a lighting plan so that we can get the final engineering proposal submitted and approved. We have been working with the city to find a cost effective yet safe way to provide fire suppression, and a letter is going out soon that we hope will help us gain ultimate approval. We have had a productive discussion with the contractor who is finding ways to reduce our overall costs to make the project affordable by eliminating some luxuries, deferring purchase of some of the features until a later time when they can be bought, and by some in-house and self-help projects (e.g., the disassembly of the Wells Pavilion, use of our own members as contractors). We have signed an agreement with the architect to help us in some remodeling of our existing facility. We may decide to have some renovation done during the construction of the family life center due to economies of having construction crews on site.
Financial Update
It is difficult to look at the magnitude of the financial commitment needed to complete this project and not feel overwhelmed. It is important to acknowledge the financial support given by our brothers and sisters during the recent building fund campaign. We had some donors that gave very generous amounts, and we had families that have the typical challenges of life expenses and college tuitions and other life-oriented expenses step up and make noteworthy sacrifices to support the building. The elders acknowledge the downturn in the economy, rising inflation, the increase in fuel prices, and the additional financial requests that we have asked for to support our year of emphasis on ministry. The Bible speaks to financial stewardship and of our responsibility to cheerfully give to the Church, and it is part of our spiritual education and Christian responsibility to be challenged as stewards of what God has blessed us with. We reap what we sow, and God even asks us to test him on the principle of giving back a portion of the blessings we have received from him. This building project gives every member an opportunity to exercise this stewardship to build a facility that will give glory to God.
As elders, we establish an annual budget and set a goal for giving so that we can do the Lord’s work in our community. We are over $20,000 behind in our budget at the mid-year point, and this certainly adds anxiety when we look at taking on an additional debt obligation to finance the building. Please consider this fact when you look at your budgets and make your weekly contributions. Bayside has always been a generous congregation and supportive of doing God’s work here. Even though we have a sizeable amount in our building fund, there is still a major portion of that needed to pay back outstanding loans.
Spiritual Update
In reading Mr. Barnes’ article on the spiritual principles of a building project, we can use it as a spiritual “checklist” as we proceed with the building of the Family Life Center. We should be encouraged when we realize that God has blessed us, that he will help us, that he is the master architect of what we do, and that we can place our trust in Him. We know that we can succeed with His blessing and we can further his kingdom even more effectively with a new facility where we can instruct others in God’s word and fellowship together.
Click here for Article by Michael D. Barns: Building by Biblical Principles
