What is Building Disciples?
Building Disciples is our upcoming building campaign. Gifts to Building Disciples will enable us to expand our facilities, creating greater opportunities for us to minister to and build disciples in our church and community.
Current Update of Building Disciples Project (February 2012)
Have you seen the architects going through our buildings, tracing wires and pipes and drawing in their notebooks? They are part of the staff at Hite and Associates and are preparing the drawings for our Building Disciples facility expansion.
Our Building Disciples Campaign raised pledges of $1.6 million dollars last fall. This is an incredible amount in today's economy and a testament to the faith and dedication of the St. James community! But it is not enough to complete the entire project as it was originally planned. The Building Team is currently meeting with the architects to divide the project into phases and will keep us updated as to when and what we can build right away. It is an exciting time to be part of what God is doing through St. James UMC!
Campaign Follow Up
Greetings in His name! We give thanks for all the wonderful people who form the faith community called St James. All you have done and will do to fulfill God's will at St James is very much appreciated.
Several years ago, St. James started a journey by asking: “Where is God leading us in His mission and ministry?” After many congregational meetings, and much discernment and prayer, the need for expanded the facilities became very clear. The expansion will provide:
- excellent space for adults, youth and children to grow closer to Christ;
- gathering areas for fellowship before and after services;
- a unified campus with covered drop-off areas on both ends of campus;
- new chancel area to enrich the music ministry; and
- bathrooms in close proximity to the Sanctuary.
In order to turn this vision into reality, we began a building campaign called Building Disciples. To date, we have received pledges totaling almost $1.4 million. As the name of the campaign indicates, our goal is to build expanded facilities, but more importantly, to build disciples. It is already working, 15% of those who have pledged to this campaign had never before pledged to St. James. We are well on the way, but in order to complete this project, we need expanded commitment from our congregation.
Your leadership team has met several times to prayerfully discern the next step in this process. Before taking the next step, the team has set the goals of obtaining pledges from a substantial majority of the congregation and reaching a total pledged amount of $2 million. In order to accomplish these goals, we need to hear from you if you have not returned a pledge card. The dollar amount of your pledge is not as important as the act of personal commitment to helping to fulfill God's will at St James. No dollar amount is too small.
You can receive a pledge card at the church office or at the information booth in the Narthex or CLMC lobby. We ask that you return it to the church by December 12th, 2011.
With your help, St. James can continue to help shape and transform lives for Christ today and in the future. Thank you for your prayerful consideration of supporting the Building Disciples Campaign.
In His name,
Herb Garrison Lynwood Evans Johnny Branch
Co-chair Co-chair pastor
Next Steps!!
On October 23rd, we broke ground for the new parking lot! Construction will begin on October 24th and soon we will have 100+ more parking spaces across 6th street from the Chapel.
Celebration Sunday was October 9th for the Building Disciples Campaign.
And there was a lot to celebrate!!
Our first day total of pledges already exceeds the total commitments from the building campaign for the CLMC, which to date had been the most money St. James had ever raised for a project! God is good! In the worst economy and volatile stock market in recent memory, the people of St. James have boldly stepped forward and committed more than ever before.
But our pledges of over $1 million still leaves us with a ways to go. If you have not pledged to the campaign, please pick up an estimate of giving card at any of the worship services or in the church office and be a part of what God is doing at St. James.
If you have any questions, please contact the church office at 752-6154.
The Informational Meetings are now completed. If you were unable to attend one of the meetings and would like to hear from someone regarding the purpose and details of Building Disciples, please contact the church office at 752-6154.
The Events of the Building Disciples Campaign
August 19-20 ... Building Disciples Summit
The Summit was a focused time of inspiration and information for staff, campaign team leaders and members, and church leaders. Click on the title to hear the informative talks and print the booklet.
August 31 ... Team Meeting
The Team Meeting will be a time of planning, communicating and coordinating the campaign.
September 10 ... Devotional Guides Arrive
Daily devotions written by fellow St. James members are available to everyone. Please join us as we pray together for God's hand in leading us toward his plans for us.
September 11, 14, 18, 25, & 27 ... Informational Meetings
Informational meetings are the one meeting we are asking every adult in the congregation to attend. Click here to print an RSVP form, fill it out and return it
to the church office.
October 1 - Commitment Packets arrive
St. James members are asked to prayerfully consider their gift toward the Building Disciples campaign.
October 9 - Celebration Sunday
Estimate of giving cards are presented in all worship services on Celebration Sunday.
St. James United Methodist Church has a rich history of “being” and “building” disciples. Our mission statement captures this passion as we commit ourselves to the task (“follow Jesus”), reach out to those around us (“love others”), and then together grow as disciples of Christ to advance the Kingdom of God (“change the world”). With a heart and vision for building disciples in our community, we embark on a new project that will move us toward God’s future for our congregation.
How will this project help us build disciples?
By updating and expanding our children’s and youth’s facilities, we will be able to better reach out to the young families in our community, as well as increase our classroom space for adult groups. By expanding our gathering places and parking options, we will be a more inviting community for everyone.
What are the priorities for expanding our facilities?
In 2009, St. James UMC’s Building Committee began working with an architect on a master site plan guided by the priorities established by a congregation-wide survey. Click here to see the current drawings. The priorities for our facility enhancements are as follows:
- Additional, updated and more secure educational space for children and youth
- Greater accessibility
- Increased parking
- Enlarged gathering space
- Additional restrooms close to the sanctuary
- Enhanced and increased facilities for weekday ministries including Preschool, Afterschool, Boy Scouts, and Adult Ministries
- Enhanced and updated nursery areas
How much will the proposed construction and renovation cost?
Our estimate is approximately $4.6 million including the expanded parking area.
How will we raise the money?
St. James is a faithful congregation. We have always responded with great generosity! Our prayer is that enough money will be raised to make it possible for the entire plan to go forward. We have had successful preliminary talks with financial institutions that would fund the project while we raise the money. If we do not raise enough money, the project may have to be scaled back using our priorities as our guideline or additional long-term debt may need to be acquired.
How may gifts to the Building Disciples campaign be paid?
It is up to you. Gifts may be given weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly through cash or gifts of assets (i.e. stocks, bonds, real estate) or in any other way that is convenient. Gifts may be made through December 31, 2014.
Do we owe anything now?
Yes, our current debt is approximately $930,000. Our Christian Life Ministries Center is paid off. Our current debt was accumulated through the purchase of the lots on 5th street and the building of the Columbarium. Owning the lots on 5th street allowed us to move forward with our much needed parking expansion.
How will the Building Disciples campaign affect my tithe or offering?
Your regular tithe or offering, which provides for our ongoing daily missions and ministry, should not be affected by the campaign. The building campaign is an opportunity to give sacrificially above and beyond our regular tithes and offerings.
Why should we build now?
The Building Committee and our church leadership have prayerfully evaluated our situation. The opportunities to expand our ministries and our impact on our community call us to move forward now. The recent census showed a rapid growth in the population of Pitt County and we need to prepare St. James UMC to minister to the growing number of people in our community. We are committed to nurturing the people of our congregation and serving our community and the world, and we believe it is important to step out in faith with these much needed additions and changes to our facility.
What should I do now?
Pray with us – “Lord, what do you want to do through me to fulfill your will for St. James UMC?”
AND you are invited to attend one of five Informational Meetings to learn more
about our building campaign entitled Building Disciples and the future of St.
James UMC. This is the one meeting we are asking everyone to attend. Come
and learn more about what the future holds for our great church!
Which one of the Informational Meetings scheduled works best for you?
TIME DAY DATE WHERE MEAL
12:00-1:30 Sunday September 11 CLMC Lunch
5:30-7:00 Wednesday September 14 CLMC Dinner
10:00-11:00 Sunday September 18 CLMC None
10:00-11:00 Sunday September 25 Chapel None
11:00-12:00 Tuesday September 27 FH None
Please select the Informational Meeting that you would like to attend and
RSVP today by contacting Ellen Pervine by e-mail at info@stjconnect.org or
by phone at 252-752-6154.
If you have further comments or suggestions to the planning teams, print out a feedback form here and bring it to the church, or email the Joel Team at JoelTeam@stjconnect.org.
