Lord, what do You want to do through me?

Transcription

1 Lord, what do You want to do through me? littleton united methodist church 5894 s datura st littleton, co 80120

2 A Letter from our Campaign Co-Chairs: Pat Estes and Merv Graham Dear Friends, Among the Commandments that Jesus has given us, the two greatest are, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind" and "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." As United Methodists, we have each promised our support through our prayers, our presence, our gifts and our service. As your Capital Campaign cochairs, we feel blessed to attempt to be faithful in upholding Jesus Commandments and our promises here at Littleton United Methodist Church. Our church s programs and ministries provide us all with spiritual sustenance and opportunities to serve. We are so pleased that we are focusing this food mission on our own city. We tend to concentrate on funding aid for those in foreign countries. We will now be able to express such love and caring to our neighbors here in Littleton. We now have the opportunity, through the LUMC Capital Campaign, to fill a need that is not currently being met here in our own community serving a hot meal, in a family setting, once a week for those having difficulty feeding themselves and their families. Over 75% of the students in our community are in need of monetary assistance in order to partake of meals at school. Through the sacrificial giving of our congregation, we will have the opportunity to offer a weekly community meal to those in need, fund the personnel for that mission, and repair and refresh our church building. We are excited to have the opportunity to have a hand in leading our church to be God's hand in Littleton to reach out in loving service to our community. We feel privileged to be part of a team of dedicated volunteers who are working to make the service opportunities a reality. In Christ, Pat Estes & Merv Graham Lord, what do You want to do through me?

3 Our Vision For over two years, the leadership of our church has been asking, What does God have in store for Littleton United Methodist Church in the next 125 years?.or at least in the next decade. When we asked, What does the church need? from our congregation, we heard that a more accessible and hospitable building would be more effective for our use and more welcoming to guests. The Vision for Mission Our vision for mission is to host a weekly, nutritious, family-style meal for the families in our community. It will provide an opportunity for the LUMC family to have a greater impact and to practice Christian unconditional love and abundant grace. God will surely be in our midst When we asked, What does the community need? outside of our church, we learned that Littleton has families who are unable to make ends meet, who are isolated, and who could use some friends. The answers to these two questions guided the Building Committee and the Mission Planning Committee to a vision for how the people of Littleton UMC might move into the future. to transform us all as we get to know the families in our neighborhood by offering understanding, help, and love through these relationships. Improving our Hospitality and our Accessibility to Make the Vision Real Of course, if we re cooking, we need an efficient kitchen that meets code, a Program Director for volunteer recruitment, and a Chef to manage the kitchen/meals. The part-time positions and mission expenses will be funded for an estimated two years until we have collected enough data to acquire grants to sustain this ministry. It s been a while since we ve had critical infrastructure repairs, so our building projects also will be focused on accessibility and hospitality. This is a God-sized vision, with a God-sized impact on the families we will serve and on our community. Big dreams often have big price tags. The dream is worth it. We, as a church, are coming together in a unique and focused way to do something big for the kingdom of God in the community of Littleton.

4 campaign benchmarks: Our Bold Goal is to reach $1.3 million which will allow us to complete all of the items listed in this brochure. Our Courageous Goal is to reach $1.8 million which will allow us to imagine more goals* towards hospitality, accessibility and service. Imagine what our Bold Faith and Courageous Love can do for the Littleton community! *If additional commitments are raised above $1.3 million the Building Committee would make a proposal on how to use the funds at a Church Conference on Jan. 10, The Facts Our love for one another is strong, and our love for our neighbors will strengthen our community. It s time to recognize those around us who struggle to meet basic needs. It s time to help. We love because God first loved us. We love our neighbors because Jesus asks us to. Our bold faith gives us courage to love. For over 75% of the children who make up the enrollment in the free and reduced lunch program in our neighboring elementary schools, a hot, nutritious meal on the weekend will make an important difference. Included on the menu is a generous serving of courageous love. For this purpose, we will... remodel, upgrade and improve the kitchen so it is code compliant fund two part-time dedicated staff: a volunteer coordinator and a chef/kitchen manager fund the budget for the mission program for two years Our building is old, but what happens inside is new! It s time to remodel, renovate and refresh our space to reflect the vitality of our community of faith. Our hearts welcome all. It s time for our building to do the same. For this purpose, we will... replace the roof of the sanctuary replace the roof of Grant Fellowship Hall air condition the gathering space in Grant Fellowship Hall remodel the bathrooms for handicap accessibility add a ramp to the youth s Way Station building replace heavy doors with automated doors brighten and refresh the corridor to the sanctuary renovate the entrance from the parking lot renovate the office hallway

5 Not an equal share, but an equal sacrifice The Impact Our neighbors need us, every one of us, at Littleton United Methodist Church. Thanks to God, we have much to offer. We know the blessings of community, the joy of being together in worship, the support offered for child-rearing, life-bearing, and faith-building. When we put our faith, our resources, our time, talents and service together, we can have a tremendous impact on those who need what we have to offer. This Capital Campaign is a way for us to do just that. Through this Campaign, our impact will be: a building that is a visible message of Welcome! a greater awareness of the importance of inviting people to our church a kitchen that will enhance fellowship opportunities for LUMC a code-compliant kitchen that is a safe place in which to work for our staff/ volunteers an increased number of visitors of all abilities and life circumstances relationships with our neighbors will be formed, deepened and valued neighborhood families will gain a closer connection to our church our neighborhood children will have healthy meals for their growing bodies two dedicated staff to ensure the success of the vision for mission funding to ensure the vision for mission has time to get established many more members will get more engaged in hands on missions we will be transformed as we live the gospel message of love and grace!

6 The Priorities Costs for Consultations Architect, Engineering and Contractor Fees 150,000 Horizons Costs 46,481 Contingency at 15% 150,000 Kitchen 200,000 Mission Budget - 2 yrs 131,040 Deferred Maintenance Roof of Sanctuary 79,055 Roof of GFH 53,553 AC in main gathering space in GFH 100,000 Accessibility ADA Bathroom GFH 35,860 ADA Office Hallway Bathroom 70,000 ADA Ramp to Way Station 25,000 ADA doors in appropriate places 25,000 Upgrades Corridor to sanctuary 79,571 Refurbish current entry 25,000 Carpet and Paint office hallway 32,000 Upgrade finishes and lighting Breezeway 19,835 Upgrade GFH: lighting and windows 50,000 $1,272,395 Costs are rough estimated only, based on architect and general contractors experience. Floor Plan of Possible Upgrades Lord, what do You want to do through me?

7 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Why are we doing this campaign? A capital campaign has at its core two important features: 1. a God-sized vision for the future. 2. the opportunity for everyone to work together towards this vision. God has placed on our hearts an understanding of needs within our church for greater hospitality and accessibility and the needs within our community for families in need of a meal. The capital campaign allows us to work together to meet these needs. How does this fit into our mission as a church? Our vision is to be a place where faith and life come together. We have strong expressions of faith in our children s programming, our youth ministries, our traditional worship services, our outstanding music ministry and fine arts programming. We need a united and impactful expression of faith in our service to others. Will we borrow any money to complete the project(s)? The leadership has committed to not going into any long-term debt for these projects, hence the priority list. There will be a need to have a temporary bridge loan to cover expenses while waiting for the fulfillment of the capital campaign pledges. How long do I have to complete my commitment? Should this gift come from our regular offering? Your pledge to the Capital Campaign is scheduled to be fulfilled over the course of three years. A Capital Campaign should not affect your regular giving to support the general operating budget. This is the biblical imperative to tithe. A pledge to the Capital Campaign is a second-mile gift, over and above your regular offering. A commitment to the Capital Campaign is a sacrificial gift. Giving something of great value for something of even greater value. Wasn t there money raised to remodel the kitchen in the past? LUMC did raise funds to remodel the kitchen in but not enough to complete the project. The funds were used to install a new exhaust hood and fan, to replace the fire suppression system, and install a make-up air system, all of which required an upgrade of the electrical system for support. This previous work means that we won t need to address those things now. When and how will final decisions be made? Another All-Church Charge Conference will be scheduled after the completion of the Capital Campaign, during which we ll share detailed plans for the final budget and project list. At this meeting, the congregation will take a final vote. If affirmative, we will begin the renovations. How does this mission fit with other community supports already available in Littleton? Providing a weekly, hot meal to families who struggle will fill a need that currently is not being met in Littleton. Our church s vision is to provide a sustainable program beyond volunteers that will complement and work in coordination with other services for families in need in Littleton.

8 NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID LITTLETON, CO PERMIT #1 LITTLETON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 5894 SOUTH DATURA ST. LITTLETON, COLORADO, ADDRESS SERVICES REQUESTED Upcoming Campaign Events: Sunday, November 20, Commitment and Celebration Sunday Sunday, December 18, Announcement Sunday