July 27 Building Update 057
“On The Wall”
My goal in this building update is twofold: 1) to tell you about Nehemiah and his leadership and 2) give you a report on where we are in the building project.
Nehemiah. First, if you have not heard the story of Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the wall (and gates) around Jerusalem, it’s a good one! While it is not as well known as Noah and the Ark, it is nevertheless a classic story of a great leader getting the job done despite heavy duty obstacles and distractions like his enemies trying to end his life or undermine his authority:
Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates), that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they thought to do me harm. So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?” But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner. -Nehemiah 6:1-4
Like Nehemiah, we too are “On The Wall” and “doing a great work!” We are in the midst of major building campaign to construct a permanent home base for Ashley Ridge Church and its important outreach ministries i.e. Expanding The Table food truck. There will be many obstacles to overcome and distractions along the way, competing for our time, attention and financial resources.
BUT, we must not let these obstacles and distractions succeed in getting us to climb down from our wall. There is too much at stake and too many relying on our unwavering support to the cause of getting the job done. We do these things not for ourselves but for our children and our children’s children and for those who so desperately need to hear about the Love and Grace of Jesus Christ.
Lately, I have been tempted to slack-off, take a break, redirect financial resources, and let others pull my weight. But then, I heard a great message from Andy Stanley about how he and his wife where inspired by Nehemiah’s Story to stand on their respective wall for a season in their life, and it reminded me of my duty and obligations to God, Ashley Ridge Church and to myself.
SO, let us be highly resolved to fight this battle to a successful conclusion with the end result being a permanent home base for Ashley Ridge Church and its ministries. I do not believe any of us will be satisfied with anything less!
Project Report. Second, I would like to give you a financial report on the giving numbers MTD:
$2,008.31 Building Fund + $39,899.95 General Fund = $41,908.26 TOTAL
While the numbers above are understandable for being off during the summer months, they are not where they need to be as our Operating Budget for 2021 is $50K per month. Year-to-Date (YTD), the giving numbers look better:
$38,334.00 Building Fund + $347,424.28 General Fund = $385,758.28 TOTAL
This time last year, we saw a Summer Surge in July and August which would be just amazing if we could make that happen again! We are about a year and a half into our building project and at a critical juncture. We have never been so close!
Garrett Reuber, Finance Team Leader, will be meeting with several lending institutions in the next two weeks about the possibility of financing our Business Line of Credit (LOC) and Construction Loan. Last week, Garrett submitted Request for Proposals (RFPs) to four local banks and three have expressed interest so far in possibly financing our new permanent home base.
Troy Powell, from our Leadership Team, is the point person in negotiating the REAL PROPERTY SWAP AGREEMENT with Lennar on the new property and building site located next to ARHS. The swap agreement was received about a week ago, and Troy is in the process of countering and “fine tuning” the agreement to make it work for Ashley Ridge Church.
Bottom-line. We need your continued prayers and financial support during this critical juncture in the building process. If you can support the project with an extra gift this summer or maybe you just need to catch-up on giving for the year,
in any case, we will be extremely thankful & grateful for any and all contributions to the Building Fund and/or General Fund recieved!!!
If you would like to make a contribution to the General Fund or Building Fund, you can do so here.
Derrick Horres, AR Building Project Leader