Weekly Update from the Senior Pastor
May 24, 2006 
Dear Family and Friends,
THE CELEBRATION: Last Sunday was Day One of our congregational future on the land. It was such a joy—so many did so much to make it such a memorable celebration of where God has lead us this far. Our Cross and stones are our first memorial to God’s leading thus far and records of our dreams for the future. There were a lot of heroes in heaven’s eyes that day. I’m also sure every car that drove down Bartholows Road Sunday knows a new church is beginning on that hill! Jesus said it: “A [church] set on a hill cannot be hid…but gives light to everyone…so let your light shine!” Matthew 5:14-16.
Together we claimed that 70-acre chunk of earth for the purpose of becoming our Lighthouse on a hill, the gathering hub for an Acts 1:8 prevailing church: the equipping center for building homes of light by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ all across our region. Now together let’s turn the potential into reality.
THE REALIZATION: The easier part will be constructing our new church building over the next few years—a big challenge, but doable. The greater vision—the really God-sized vision is building our hearts and homes (both so crazy and confused at times!) into bold places where Jesus radiates out by His Spirit, so that you and I are increasingly courageous Kingdom-builders who find our core identity in “calling people out of darkness into God’s wonderful Light” (1 Peter 2:9).
OUR DETERMINATION: God says His Kingdom is not merely about words—it is power (1 Corinthians 4:20). So we need to get focused as a community and turn God’s words into increasingly powerful and effective lives. We need equipping. We need clarity in our identity. We need tools for understanding how to deal with all life throws at us. We need “the attitude of Christ” (see Philippians 2:1-9) being formed in our mind in a way that fits our particular personality, journey and gifting. We need to grow.
That equipping will happen through Sunday services—so don’t miss church because no gathering is more important! (Hebrews 10:25). That equipping will occur in small groups (find one or form one and work with Rajendra and his team in improving that small group until it is a transformational appointment and a place of community, not just a duty or social hour.) Watch for special opportunities like Roger Fair’s Dynamic Marriage class or Paul Foss’ Water-boyz projects /groups. Determine your next ministry or mission step of growth. Go after opportunities to grow and share. Meanwhile as your pastoral team and elders, we commit to increasingly getting better at helping you.
OUR INTERIM LOCATION: One practical step for us as a community will be our interim experience between now and when we move into a finished facility on the land. The plans have been solidified for this interim stage and the Development Team prepared the following information-sharing piece. PLEASE READ IT:
By God’s grace Damascus Road Community Church purchased without debt 70 acres off Rt. 144 and Barthalows Road in Mt. Airy. As we look to build our permanent home, we own our land. Every vote that came in from the congregation concerning this purchase was a “YES.” Now the Development Team is preparing a county site plan to submit in the next few months. The county approval process takes approximately 12-18 months and we estimate our construction phase to be 14-24 months.
The lease in our current facility expires February 2007, but we requested and received from our landlord the right to terminate our lease early this fall, which could save us tens of thousands of dollars toward our new facility. We are vigorously pursuing this opportunity. This means a temporary home for 2-3 years while we finish the county approval process and construction phase. Members of the Development Team worked hard the last two years chasing down endless temporary options. We hoped to find an interim facility that would allow us to function as a 7-day a week church with all our offices and ministries in one location while we build our permanent home. After two years it has become clear we can’t find one facility as a temporary location:
- All such locations require significant costs for tenant improvements that we walk away from at the end of our lease, plus an approximate rental cost of $16,000 per month. Seven years ago the build-out costs for our current location came to $500K; any similar build-out would cost approximately $700K-$850 at the current rates.
- Most commercial leases require 4-5 years, requiring us to sign a lease for longer than we will need.
- The location must be zoned to allow houses of worship. Many places we looked at do not allow houses of worship, requiring us to submit a text amendment at the county. This process takes up to a year with no assurance we would have a definite approval at the end of the process – it’s a huge risk.
DAMASCUS HIGH SCHOOL: Essentially this left the option of using a school facility, which also requires renting office, rehearsal, youth and weekly meeting space. After seeking input, much research, prayer, and team discussion, we needed to fish or cut bait in terms of reserving a school. We chose Damascus High School for our temporary location. Then came an answer to prayer: a member of our congregation offered us a 2000 square foot space RENT FREE for interim office and rehearsal space. We have several possible options for youth space for Sunday and Wednesday nights, confident that God will open a door for us in this area. Damascus High, along with free office/rehearsal space, allows us to stay in the same geographic area until our move unto our land; and to steward and focus our resources toward that move. We see God’s fingerprints all over these next steps.
This summer we will plan the transition to the High School. With a clear vision for the future and a new facility rising on the land, we plan to use this interim stretch to thrive and not just survive. It’s step-up time. We need your creative energy and input in helping us plan the move, market this moment to a watching community, creatively build community in the interim. Simultaneously, let’s keep growing in our passion to build homes of Light that help our neighbors come to Christ on the arm of a friend. So pray, dream and step up—you will be a part of something big for God.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Here are several ways to communicate with the Development Team.
- Email the Development Team
- Discuss with your Life Group - Feedback sheets will be provided to Life Group Leaders shortly
- Fill out a communication card and place it in the offering
- Attend an upcoming congregational meeting – Look for date/time in the next several weeks
|
