Building Updates

The Lukewarm (HVAC) Campaign

As many of you know, it can be an adventure gathering at the church building on either a cold winter or a hot summer day because there is no AC and the heat is not always reliable. Our building is often either really hot or really cold–never lukewarm. Although Jesus does not like our faith to be lukewarm (Rev. 3:15-16), it is our goal to make our church building lukewarm through this campaign. That is why we are calling it the Lukewarm HVAC Campaign! 

Like a vehicle that has well above 200,000 miles on it, our heating system needs constant and expensive repairs to keep it going, and we’ve been told the system could break down beyond repair at any time. After two years of due diligence, the Governance Board is recommending a full replacement of the system that covers the sanctuary and fellowship hall with a modern unit capable of handling both heating and air conditioning. The goal is to avoid a sudden catastrophic failure, eliminate the hefty repair bills we are currently paying, increase energy efficiency, and make our building more hospitable for all guests now and well into the future. The current estimate to install this project in summer 2025 puts the cost at $520,000. 

Our goal is to raise at least half of the projected cost, through pledges and donations ($260,000). We plan to finance the remainder of the project costs through a lender. Pledges would be payable over 3 years and represent a giving commitment above regular giving to the general budget. If we are able to raise $260,000 by January 26th, then we will be able to install the new HVAC in 2025!

So take a moment to pray. Pray for the Lord to provide for this campaign and to guide you in determining how much you can generously give. Then give “what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:6-7). Such cheerful and sacrificial giving flows from knowing “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor” (2 Cor. 8:9). Through God’s generous grace and Christ’s sacrifice, we are saved and respond to the gospel with generous lives.

It's Time to Update the Sign

This old sign has communicated to our city three different ministries for many years. Church of the Good Shepherd (formally called First Trinity Methodist Church), which is the church who built this building in 1913 and owned it until 2012, first installed this sign. Then we rented this building beginning in 2010 and stripped their logo off to put our old logo up. When the building sold to a Nigerian ministry in 2012, another logo went over our old one. Finally, when we bought the building on the last day of 2015, we took down the former owner's sign to find our old logo still there.

When you look closely at this sign you see remnants of these three ministries. It's interesting history but not good to look at. It's time to take down this sign to put up a new one now that we own the property. We want to communicate through this sign who we are and that this building is our home. Below is a mockup of the new sign that a company will install in the next couple months.

Like any good sign, may this one point beyond itself to this church community God is growing to bring renewal to our city and world.