Current Update
July 11, 2010
In the Sunday service on July 11th Jason Webb, Lead Pastor, and Dale Quakkelaar answered the following questions about the current status of our facility project (imagine)….
Where are we at in the process?
As you know, we pulled out of ES property in the spring due to rising costs that pushed us well beyond our financial limits. In the meantime, we believe that God has presented two great options to us: 1) remodeling the old Sentry store (part of the Greenridge center); or 2) remodeling part of the old Wal-Mart building (next to Peebles and Tractor Supply)
Our long term desire is to not simply remodel one of those stores, but to purchase the entire facilities at either site. We have been engaged in great dialogue with the owners and hope to have a clear option soon.
We are looking at different ways to pursue this financially including: 1) purchasing the entire facility; or 2) arranging a lease to buy option on the entire facility.
Will the Wal-Mart or Sentry location be a short term solution or will it facilitate our long term needs?
Both of these options would accomplish both. In the short term, we would actually be able to build a much bigger phase 1 than we would have at the ES property! Both of these sites will allow us the space needed to immediately double or even triple in size! In fact, we will be able to initially have a facility 33% bigger than what we would have at the ES property!
Since our long term desire is to own the entire facility at either site, we will also be able to facilitate our long-term multi-phase plan. In fact, both the Greenridge Center (69,000 square feet) and the entire Wal-Mart facility (90,000 square feet) fit within the range of our long-term strategy and allow for exponential growth.
The elders are particularly excited about choosing one of these sites because both of the locations are ideal to have as broad of reach as possible.
What is the timeline? Is it delayed now?
No. We still are planning to be in the new facility by September 2011. Although there has been delays, the time for remodeling is half that of new construction. While we hold our timeline loosely, we are praying that God would allow this to happen.
How much money did we spend on the ES property?
We spent approximately $58,000 on work related to the ES property. This is a remarkably low amount and was necessary in order to discover whether the property was a viable option for us. The money went to fees associated with our architect, engineers, lawyers, construction management firm, and village requirements. We received all of our earnest money back.
It is important to note that at least 1/3 of this money was spent on our architect developing a master program for our project. This program is transferable for whatever site we choose. Thus, that money was not lost.
Where is the rest of the money now and how much is there?
The imagine money is in a savings account with Waukesha State Bank. We currently have around $725,000 in the account.
How are we doing with our pledges and financial goals?
Last year we did well and came in just slightly under our expected goal for the year. However, this year, we are lagging significantly behind. As of end of June, we were only at 66% of where we need to be for the year.
We are aware that some of this shortfall is due to the economy and job loss. We, however, believe that is not the main reason for the shortage. We noticed a significant trend in our giving towards imagine. Namely, when we announced that Brooklife was pausing our pursuit of the ES property, many people paused their giving to imagine! While this is somewhat understandable, it puts us in a very difficult position. We simply cannot move forward without your faithful giving to imagine, especially now as we are closing in on a specific way forward. So we would ask a few things of you:
1. If you have stopped your giving because you were uncertain of what was happening, please restart it.
2. If you are able to increase your pledge, we would greatly appreciate it.
3. If you were not part of Brooklife during the imagine campaign, but would like to join in supporting this project, please fill out a pledge card. You can pick up pledge cards at the information table, or download from www.brooklife.org
4. Remember that imagine giving is “above and beyond” your regular giving to the church. Please do not simply shift money from one fund to the next.
How can we pray?
1. Pray that God would continue to open these doors and make it clear the best way forward. Pray for favorable negotiations and small miracles along the way.
2. Pray for the leadership: the land/facility team and elders as we make key decisions.
3. Pray for yourself, ask “God, how can I be a part of this, even if there are still unknowns? Teach me to have faith.”