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Questions and answers our Join Hands & Build Campaign
Q: WHY DO WE NEED TO BUILD? A: We've grown, and we've grown younger. Over the past seven years our membership has grown from 2, 750 to more than 3,400 -an increase of nearly 25%. We offer a larger number of programs and services to a larger church body and our current facilities are simply not big enough. Plus, the influx of young families means we have more children and youth to whom we must minister. Our current children and youth facilities cannot accommodate these new members.
Q: WHAT ARE WE BUILDING? A: The entire master plan calls for about 36,000 square feet of new construction plus renovation of about 18,000 existing square feet. The plan includes a new youth building, additional space for children, multi-purpose areas and additional parking.
Q: WHAT WILL IT COST? A: The initial estimate given to use by the architects is $12.2 million for the entire master plan that will address all our needs.
Q: WILL THE PRESENT ECONOMIC AND GLOBAL SITUATION AFFECT GIVING? A: At PHUMC we have never allowed the world to dictate our spiritual goals. We are not taking this step because it is easy; rather, we are moving forward because God has blessed us and is calling us to touch the hearts of people. Together, with God's help, we are more than capable of reaching this goal.
Q: MAY GIFTS OTHER THAN CASH BE GIVEN? A: Yes. Many will find it best to make a gift out of accumulated resources (stocks or property) rather than out of earned income or regular cash flows. If you need counsel or guidance on tax considerations with such gifts, simply call the church office. We will arrange a private meeting with our stewardship consultant who can provide you with the assistance needed.
Q: WILL I GET TO VOTE ON THIS? A: Yes. On October 20 at a Church Conference, the congregation voted overwhelmingly to approve preliminary plans and cost. A capital campaign followed. Now design drawings and exact costs will be determined. We will have another Church Conference in 2003 to approve all plans to construct and finance.
Q: WHEN WOULD CONSTRUCTION BEGIN? A: Summer 2003 is the earliest that construction could begin.
Q: WHEN WE RENOVATED THE SANCTUARY FIVE YEARS AGO, WE RAISED ONLY $2 MILLION. CAN WE RAISE THIS MUCH? A: With God's help, yes. The goal five years ago was $2 million and it was met. The new plan allows PHUMC to address needs identified through a process involving hundreds of church members, which started in 1999. The commitments will be paid over three years, making the total goal realistic. We believe that God has blessed our church with new membership and will also bless us in meeting the needs of our growing church.
Q: WHAT DOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD THINK? A: Members of our Building Committee have met with the Hillcrest Homeowners Association and the Hillcrest Merchants Association. The neighborhood was invited to a Town Hall meeting at the church on August 11, 2002. These meetings have been positive and few objections have been raised.
Q: WHY DO WE NEED A BUILDING DEDICATED TO YOUTH? A: Right now our youth program does not have enough classroom space, so they meet in high-traffic areas or off-site and at odd hours. To sustain the youth program and allow growth, our young people need an area of their own where their meetings, music and recreation do not disturb other programs.
Q: WHY DO WE NEED A MULTI-PURPOSE BUILDING? A: We need room for adult classrooms, meeting rooms, a media center, rehearsal space for choirs of all ages, storage, fellowship and worship, all of which should be accessible to the elderly and handicapped. If the new contemporary worship service finds a permanent home in the multi-purpose building, it will not compete with recreation and other uses for the gym.
Q: ARE WE BUILDING A TALL PARKING DECK? A: No. The proposed two-level parking deck will not be above street level on the Woodlawn Avenue side of the church. Because of the slope of our property, a two-level parking facility will provide 40 to 50 additional parking spaces without raising the current height of our campus.
Q: WHY ARE WE ADDING TO OUR DEBT? IS THE ARGUE CHRISTIAN LIFE CENTER PAID FOR? A: Our current debt has been fully satisfied each year through annual giving. The recommendation is to leave the current debt as it is. Payments on the Argue Christian Life Center, built in the mid 1980's, are paid from the general operating budget and will not be part of the new project. We have easily made payments on the Argue Christian Life Center for nearly 20 years and will continue to do so without any problem.
Q: HOW WILL WE PAY FOR THIS? A: Join Hands and Build started with a Fall 2002 campaign to seek the initial funding for this project. Each family was asked to consider a 3-year (156 week) sacrificial gift to the campaign. The campaign resulted in commitments of $5.4 million from 474 families over a 3-year period. Now the Building Committee and Finance Committee will review the level of borrowing appropriate to supplement the capital campaign to complete the project. A second campaign could be done in three years to retire any debt incurred.
Q: WHEN WILL I MAKE MY COMMITMENT? A: Each individual and family is asked to spend time in prayer about Join Hands And Build. Commitment cards were distributed at our Church Family Reunion at the Peabody Hotel on November 20 and were returned on Commitment Sunday, November 24. Commitment cards are still available at church for anyone who has not made a pledge. Or call 664-3600 to ask for a card.
Q: HOW DOES THIS GIVING RELATE TO MY REGULAR GIFTS TO PHUMC? A: Your commitment to Join Hands And Build will be for giving over a three-year period, beginning in December 2002. These gifts are over and above the annual commitment to the general fund that we make every year to support current operating budget needs.
Q: HOW DO I KNOW WHAT I SHOULD GIVE? A: Only through prayer. For many, it is important that our ministries for Jesus Christ move forward with strength and effectiveness. You are asked not for an equal share, but for an equal sacrifice. Our resources are different, but our hearts for Christ are the same.
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Copyright © 1996-2003, Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved. This document may be distributed electronically, provided it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. Please do obtain permission from Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church. |
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