VISION Jesus said, My purpose is to give life in all its fullness. (John 10:10 - TLB) Calling - December 15, 1995 God called Brian and Helen Lightsey to start a church in northwest Austin He also said, As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. (John 20:21 - NIV) Like Jesus, we are all sent to give life. Forming - October 13, 1996 First core meeting with 18 adults Twenty years ago Life Church was started for this very purpose to give life to its community and world by living UP, IN, and OUT lives. Our church spent the first 14 years portable in 5 different locations. In August 2011 we opened our current Phase 1 campus with 150 people. Over the past 5 years Life Church has quadrupled in size to over 600 people gathering on Sundays in 3 worship services, averaging a 30% growth rate per year. Launching - February 23, 1997 First worship service in Lakeline Mall movie theater As rapidly as our church has grown, our community has grown even faster! Leander is the fastest growing city in the nation of all cities with a population over 15,000. Over the past 5 years Leander has grown by more than 42%. Currently, there are enough houses in the works in Leander to accommodate 50,000 more residents. We are almost out of space in our Phase 1 building. Our community continues to grow. It is essential that we make more room now! Searching - 1997-2011 Five different locations in 14 years As we celebrate our 20-year anniversary, our purpose has not changed. To position us for the next chapter in our story, we are launching a Give Life campaign. Our Phase 2 Project will enable us to continue our mission of giving life to even more people! Landing - April 3, 2009 Purchased land at 1393 E. Woodview Drive Opening - August 28, 2011 Grand Opening for the Phase 1 building
TRENDS 30% 42% current building. Life Church has averaged 30% growth per year since moving into our Leander has grown by 42% from 2010-2015. Our community is growing faster than our church! Life Church Annual Attendance City of Leander Population 1,500 1,400 1,300 1,200 1,100 1,000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 Projection based on 30% yearly growth through 2020. 40,000 35,000 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2020 1995 2000 2005 2010 2016 Leander is the fastest growing city in the nation from 2014 to 2015 of all cities with a population over 15,000. U.S. Census Bureau The Leander Independent School District has grown into the largest school district in Williamson County and the fastest growing district in the state of Texas. City of Leander Thousands of new homes are projected to be built in Leander in the next 10 years, and much of the future growth will be along the 183A corridor. Leander Independent School District Georgetown is the fastest growing city in the nation of all cities with a population over 50,000. U.S. Census Bureau Cedar Park is the 4th fastest growing city in the nation. U.S. Census Bureau Austin is the 8th fastest growing city in the nation. Austin American Statesman Leander has enough housing in the works to accommodate 50,000 more residents. Real Estate, Inc.
PHASE 2 Phase 2 will immediately triple our capacity for worship, kids, youth, ministry and outreach. WORSHIP CENTER $6,100,000 (estimated cost) 39,100 sqft (1st Floor: 27,700 sqft / 2nd Floor: 11,400 sqft) Worship center for 700 adults 6 rooms for 70 infants & toddlers Family room for parents & infants 7 multi-purpose rooms for adult ministry gatherings Prayer and counseling room Kitchen servicing the worship center Offices and workroom 250 additional parking spaces Visibility and access to 183A Furnishings CHILDREN S & YOUTH CENTER $710,000 (estimated cost) Converting our entire existing Phase 1 building plus adding an additional 6,400 sqft for a total of 18,700 sqft of space for children and youth 4 large rooms for 100 children ages 3-5 900 sqft room for 40 kindergarten children 2,000 sqft room for 150 elementary school children grades 1st-4th 1,000 sqft room for 75 students in grades 5th & 6th 3,200 sqft room for 300 students in grades 7th-12th Decompression room for special needs students Inside playscape for young children Furnishings FUTURE LIFE CENTER $1,200,000 (estimated cost) 10,000 sqft building to offer both relief and restoration ministries to our community along with a road and parking lot (to be constructed after the Give Life campaign) TOTAL PROJECT: 57,800 sqft $6,810,000 (estimated cost) (More than 3.5 times the size of our current space of 15,210 sqft) Life Center: 10,000 sqft (not included in total project numbers)
IMAGINE Over the past 20 years we have seen over 800 people become believers in Jesus Christ, started 8 churches, and done missions both locally and globally, including work in unreached parts of the world. Can you imagine how much more we can give life? UP Imagine multitudes of adults worshiping God in a place where the hurting, frustrated, and confused can find love, acceptance, and hope in Jesus Christ. Imagine gatherings of children in rooms laughing and learning on an age-appropriate level to live with Jesus Christ. Imagine teenagers filling up the youth room worshiping God passionately and being equipped to live for Jesus Christ in today s culture. IN Imagine welcoming numerous new Partners into our church family from the community. Imagine people doing life together in groups and experiencing real transformation in community. Imagine creating a place where relationships are formed, families are strengthened, needs are met, addictions are broken, lives are changed, and hope is experienced. OUT Imagine releasing hundreds of volunteer missionaries into their neighborhoods and jobs as well as on short-term mission projects around the world. Imagine planting churches for unreached people and releasing career missionaries into unreached areas of the world. Imagine a Life Center that feeds, clothes, educates, and equips those in need in a way that makes a real tangible difference in their lives and in our community. Imagine how God can use you and this new space to give life.
FINANCIAL PLAN Give Life is a 3-year spiritual growth campaign to raise funds for our new Worship Center, modified and expanded Children s and Youth Center, and the initial development of the Life Center for our community. Our goal is to raise $2,000,000 through the Give Life campaign and to finance $5,850,000 for our campus. EXPENSES Phase 2 Project:...$6,810,000 Existing Debt:...$1,040,000 Total:...$7,850,000 INCOME Give Life Campaign:...$2,000,000 Financed Amount:...$5,850,000 Total:...$7,850,000 $1,000,000 Life Church Annual Giving $750,000 $500,000 $250,000 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Q&A 1. Why are we doing this now? God continues to bring people into our community, and we are running out of space in our Phase 1 building especially in the children s and youth areas. We value reaching people, so we must build to welcome those God is sending us. Our obvious space needs, Leander s rapid growth, and rising construction costs make now the wise time to build. 2. What are we going to do with our existing Phase 1 building? All of our current building will be converted and expanded for our children s and youth ministries, more than tripling our current capacity. 3. What will the Life Center do and why are we waiting until the end of the campaign to build it? Our Life Center will meet needs in our community. Currently Life Church is conducting a study in conjunction with the Baylor School of Social Work to discover both the needs and resources of our community so we know the best uses of the Life Center. Not only will moving the construction of the Life Center to the end of the campaign give us more time to build what our community really needs, it will also lighten our financial burden by reducing upfront costs over 20% while we are raising funds toward the overall Phase 2 Project. 4. When will we move into the building? We plan to begin construction in November 2017 and project to be in the building by January 2019. 5. What about our existing debt? Our existing debt of $1,040,000 will be refinanced into the new loan. 6. How are we going to pay for this? We plan on paying cash for one-third of the project and financing the remaining two-thirds. Prudent borrowing is an essential part of most expansion plans. During construction and for 2 years after the buildings are completed, we are allowed to make interest-only payments to the bank. This will give us a few years to grow into our new home before principal payments start. With our projected growth, we will be able to pay the interest and principal payments when they begin. 7. What is a capital campaign? This capital campaign raises designated money (over and above people s normal giving) for construction of Phase 2. The length is important. Each of us can give far more than we think by giving over a 3-year period. Proverbs 13:11 says that he who gathers money little by little makes it grow. (NIV) Beginning January 29th, we will spend 5 weeks seeking God about what role each of us will have to Give Life during this next chapter of our church s history. It is really a spiritual growth campaign. The focus will be renewing our faith, reaching people, and raising funds to improve and expand our facilities for our church family and community! There will be plenty of opportunities to ask questions, learn, and make an informed decision on how God is leading you to participate in Give Life. The campaign is structured to encourage each of us to grow in the grace of giving without coercion or pressure. 8. What if we don t raise all of the money? If we do not raise $2,000,000, we have two options. First, we can scale down our project. Second, we can explore taking on more debt. If we fall short of our goal, we will make the necessary adjustments so that the Phase 2 Project can be built. 9. What can I do? The most important thing you can do every day right now is pray a simple daily prayer: God, show me what you want me to do, and give me the courage to do it. Engage in worship services, daily devotionals, Life Groups, and vision meetings. Let God guide you in this exciting opportunity. We can do it! Each of us can give far more than we think by giving over a 3-year period. For example, over 3 years by cutting back on just 1 family restaurant visit a week, you can give around $8,000 to the campaign over and above your regular Life Church giving. Look for other creative ways to increase your Kingdom impact in your Participation Guide. Ask. Learn. Pray. Obey. Imagine God using each of us to strengthen the ministries for our church family, community, and the world. We will leave a significant legacy beyond our lifetimes. It s time to Give Life!