Share the Dream Sunday a Great Success!
We should all rejoice in our great God! As of today, we have received a total of 71 commitments bringing our total to $773,600! This should be a great encouragement to everyone in the church as it is a sign of the spiritual life in the congregation.
There may be more commitments to follow, and they are certainly needed. We do not yet know exactly how much the bank will lend us, and every dollar that is committed reduces the amount of debt we incur. This also better enables ministries to meet growing needs. If you have not yet made your commitment you may place your commitment card in the sealed envelope and put it in the offering next Sunday, or you can mail it to the church office.
I have heard people speak with excitement about how encouraged they were to worship in the building. Many people are eager to have a place we call home. The sermon emphasized something that is worth repeating. Sharing the Dream is not primarily about the building but about the mission and vision of Spring Run Presbyterian Church. The building is wonderful and is one setting in which the story of the gospel will be proclaimed and embodied so that we continue to make growing followers of Jesus. Thanks for sharing the dream, and keep sharing it with others!
Great Start, Finish Strong
The BOLDLY campaign is so named because we know this journey is a huge challenge. The first leg of that journey is complete. On October 16th we received 34 early commitments to our BOLDLY campaign totaling $564,800. We are thankful for God’s provision through these early sacrificial commitments. Those who attended the dessert at Woodlake United Methodist Church were blessed and excited as we prayed for the church.
Our prayer is that the whole congregation is encouraged by this great start toward reaching our goal of at least $750,000. We are now at the next important part of the BOLDLY campaign—finishing strong! Many journeys are started but are not completed. A football team can jump out to a 21-0 lead then relax, lose focus, and lose the game. A baseball team in the World Series may get a couple of runs in the early innings but fail to finish well.
Our campaign consultant has informed us that we have the potential to reach our goal but only if we have widespread participation by the congregation. It is not likely that one person will finish the game with a walk-off home run. We need the whole team batting so that we get many runs.
The challenge is before us—to focus and to finish well! This will require the participation of the rest of the congregation. Every gift counts! Please continue to pray asking God to show you how you can be part of helping accomplish His plans for Spring Run.
We have said all along that if this is to succeed God must be in it so that the results will only be explainable through His power at work in us. Let’s finish strong as we present our commitment cards before the Lord on October 30th at Share the Dream Sunday. See you there!
Giving
Spiritual Need
Christians have a spiritual need to give. That seems crazy to most of us. Paul encourages the Christians in Corinth to “grow in the grace of giving” (2 Corinthians 8:7). And he tells Timothy, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17). Paul is clearly telling us to trust God who is the owner of everything.
Jesus words are poignant: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15) Jesus knows we have a tendency to define our “life” (our identity, our value) by a self-centered desire to accumulate wealth. Jesus says there is more to life. By giving money away we recognize God’s ownership and demonstrate that our lives are not defined by our possessions and money. So in this way giving is the antidote to greed.
We think all Christians ought to practice tithing (means giving a tenth), and there are times when we are called to give over and above what we already give. This might be a time for you to extend your giving over and above your tithing by investing in God’s kingdom expansion with this church building, or this might be a time for you to begin giving to the church. We pray for unity and hope you understand that we are not trying to twist arms, but that we are trying to open eyes to see that giving is a spiritually significant need.
Financial Need
While giving is a spiritual process that is highly beneficial to the individual, it is also a blessing to the church which Jesus established. It is also a blessing to the community through the church. We do have a financial need in order to purchase the building in Woodlake. Let me break down the cost for you. The purchase price of the building is $1,850,000 which includes some of the furnishings such as sanctuary chairs. We estimate closing fees and the cost of improving classrooms in the building to be $100,000. We want to acquire the building and take on as little debt as possible.
How Can We Do This?
