Church plans - prayer request
When we joined New Life Church about 4 years ago, it met in a small building that it was already outgrowing. Since then, two congregations have been planted out into the south and west of Milton Keynes respectively, and the remaining church is still too big to fit into the old building. While we still own it, and use it for all sorts of purposes, our Sunday meetings take place in the sports hall of the boys' school. It's a bit of a strange experience, since the hall is overlooked by various passages and venues, and the accoustics are none too marvellous, but it has served us well.
Of course, we have been looking for a more permanent home suitable for our growing needs. There have been various words of prophecy around the growth of the church, and the word 1000 keeps coming up. We are nowhere near that size, yet, but we are growing fast.
There are no sites in MK for a church of that size. We are looking at buying a building that is currently a warehouse. There are, of course, all sorts of issues around rezoning and so on that need to be resolved, but these are going down like dominoes (another word that has come up in prophecy). The building is going to cost us a fortune, but the banks are unexpectedly positive about mortgages and so on. However, the challenge is for the church to pay a large whack to keep the mortgage manageable.
To this end, we are all looking to commit to making some level of financial contribution. Richard (our lead elder) talks of equal sacrifice, not equal giving. One of the approaches that has been introduced is a first for me. They are including the teenagers and the kids. So these young people will make their own contributions, rather than being included in the contributions of their parents. I really like this idea. Obviously the amounts the kids can give are unlikely to amount to much in a purely fiscal sense, but the fact that their contributions are sought and are considered to carry equal weight with those of their parents, gives them a sense of equal ownership of the work of the church and their standing within the church. And let's not forget the story of the loaves and the fishes - it was a child who made that ludicrously inadequate initial donation which, in the hands of the Lord, became enough and to spare. They are not the children of the "members" (we don't have official membership, by the way - for various reasons), they are themselves a part of the work. They have been given gift forms of their to complete.
So each of our boys must have peace with his own decision. I will respect their confidence by not revealing their initial reactions or current stance on this matter. Suffice to say that it is between each of them and God. It's their money, their church, their business. We will guide and support them. No more, no less.
For those praying types among you - we could certainly do with prayer support through this time of decision making. All four of us. The pledges must be in within 5 weeks.
Of course, we have been looking for a more permanent home suitable for our growing needs. There have been various words of prophecy around the growth of the church, and the word 1000 keeps coming up. We are nowhere near that size, yet, but we are growing fast.
There are no sites in MK for a church of that size. We are looking at buying a building that is currently a warehouse. There are, of course, all sorts of issues around rezoning and so on that need to be resolved, but these are going down like dominoes (another word that has come up in prophecy). The building is going to cost us a fortune, but the banks are unexpectedly positive about mortgages and so on. However, the challenge is for the church to pay a large whack to keep the mortgage manageable.
To this end, we are all looking to commit to making some level of financial contribution. Richard (our lead elder) talks of equal sacrifice, not equal giving. One of the approaches that has been introduced is a first for me. They are including the teenagers and the kids. So these young people will make their own contributions, rather than being included in the contributions of their parents. I really like this idea. Obviously the amounts the kids can give are unlikely to amount to much in a purely fiscal sense, but the fact that their contributions are sought and are considered to carry equal weight with those of their parents, gives them a sense of equal ownership of the work of the church and their standing within the church. And let's not forget the story of the loaves and the fishes - it was a child who made that ludicrously inadequate initial donation which, in the hands of the Lord, became enough and to spare. They are not the children of the "members" (we don't have official membership, by the way - for various reasons), they are themselves a part of the work. They have been given gift forms of their to complete.
So each of our boys must have peace with his own decision. I will respect their confidence by not revealing their initial reactions or current stance on this matter. Suffice to say that it is between each of them and God. It's their money, their church, their business. We will guide and support them. No more, no less.
For those praying types among you - we could certainly do with prayer support through this time of decision making. All four of us. The pledges must be in within 5 weeks.
posted by karynr at 12:54 pm
2 Comments:
No wonder the banks are being so positive about loaning your church the money. By getting donations from the teenagers and children, you will have that building paid off in no time, I'm sure. Besides, "New Life" is now a recognized brand -- they've been successful everywhere else, why not your burg? Wherever "Milton Keynes" is.
Hi Mark
Thanks for stopping by. Milton Keynes is in England - strictly speaking, the south-east, but it is often classified as being in the midlands, probably because it is north of London! The town (not officially a city, although the inhabitants refer to it as such), enjoys dubious fame for its concrete cow sculpture (barf!) and its numerous roundabouts (traffic circles). Its detractors say it lacks character. Its residents - a melting pot from all continents - love it.
I have come across the "brand" New Life elsewhere, but I don't think it's related to our church, which is part of the New Frontiers family of churches: http://www.newfrontiers.xtn.org/
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