Share the Vision
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is our Vision for Central?

We are A Church Without Walls: an empowered church that seeks to grow and equip every member to be Christ's servant from the doorstep to the ends of the earth!

The walls we seek to build will support the fulfillment of our vision; they will never keep us from impacting the world around us for Jesus Christ!

What Is Our Need?

God is amazing and faithful, and He is working through our community of faith. In recent years we have seen steady growth in worship attendance.We have significantly expanded our ministries and increased staff to assist our ministry teams. More people of all ages are involved in fellowship and discipleship. A third worship service was added. A preschool was established to serve the area around us. All of this has happened since we completed our last building expansion in 1998!

The impact of this growth is sometimes obvious - traffic jams in the concourse,the hurried change over of the sanctuary between crowded worship services, insufficient parking, a lack of office space for staff, or limited availability of rooms. Simply stated, we need more room, and more flexible spaces, if we are to continue effective ministry to our congregation and the community around us.

What Is Our Building Plan?

The Master Plan for expansion was developed with input from all the ministry teams and staff. It seeks to enable our vision as a community of faith.

Highlights include

• a 13,000 square foot multipurpose space seating over 600 for worship or 400 for banquets;
• a new kitchen
• new sound and multimedia systems
• 6 additional classrooms for children
• a children's worship area
• a flexible adult meeting space seating up to 200
• a 2000 sq. ft. expansion of the concourse
• larger area for youth activities
• double the current office space
• more bathrooms
• 60 new parking spaces

(See the Concept Drawings)

What Will This Project Cost?

The final cost is an estimate until all architectural details are complete and bids are received. Professional estimates put the cost at $5.125 million including architectural fees, furnishings, landscaping, and the missions component.

Construction	4,420,000
Missions Component	400,000
Interest and Campaign Expenses	305,000
TOTAL NEED	5,125,000

Update: Find more current estimates at Updates.
See expecially the documents and articles written in November 2006.

What is Our Financial Plan?

The Session and Trustees identified and explored three options:

Borrow the total amount through long-term financing or selling bonds.
Interest alone on a fifteen-year note would be 2.5 times the construction cost. If the annual ministry budget were to be locked-in to absorb such costs, the congregation would be constantly forced to forgo ministry needs in order to pay on a note for new buildings.

Pay as you go.
Whether funded through the operating budget or a special campaign,building in small steps only escalates the total construction cost dramatically. Even more importantly, building small pieces at a time does not effectively address the church's immediate needs for ministry space.

Capital Campaign giving over-and-above annual ministry budget giving.
This approach empowers our congregation to respond to God's call without shortchanging the annual ministry budget. Three-year pledges allow the project to be completed as soon as possible, locking in construction costs. Long-term debt would be reduced significantly to manageable levels.

What Is Expected Of Me?

Share the vision! You are this church. You have a part that only you can give.

See through the perspective of prayer. Look for God to direct your way. Ask not what you should do, but listen for what God would do through you - through God's grace and your faith. What would happen if every member of our church were to seek God's will by praying "Lord, what would You do through me?" What new insights would we find?Lives would be changed! Commitment decisions would grow joyfully out of a spiritual perspective. Stories of God's work in God's people would echo throughout our community. And God's work would be done! Our gifts would give again and again through the ministries resulting from this vision. But to touch and claim the lives of others, even for generations to come, God must first touch and claim our lives. Pray for God to give you eyes to see God's way.

Instead of simply making a donation decision, let your commitment be a matter of faith that represents your sense of God's calling in your life.Let your stewardship become a way of sharing your faith.

Seek new horizons in your life.O pen your eyes now.Learn more about our church's mission and ministries. Ask questions. Get informed. Take the time for prayerfully seeking God's will to make a difference in your life and your involvement at Central Presbyterian Church.

What Should A Capital Campaign Gift Be?

"Not equal gifts, but equal sacrifice" is the theme that describes our understanding of stewardship. The phrase restates the biblical principle of proportionate giving. Not everyone has the resources to make a million dollar gift, but every person can make a prayerful, sacrificial gift. We encourage an equal sense of commitment and sacrifice throughout our congregation, with each person prayerfully determining his or her own gift to Share the Vision.

What If We Do Not Raise All The Money?

For now, our focus is on what God would do through us as we share the vision. It is impossible to determine our future course of action until our congregation responds with commitments. We would certainly rejoice to have this facility paid for in the three-year period of this capital campaign! We do, however, anticipate some debt after the campaign concludes. If larger than expected, the Session will weigh all options and present further recommendations to the congregation.

When Would Construction Begin?

Jan-2006 update: Construction will begin with the new parking lot on the south side of the building in late Spring 2006. We are working towards construction of the new facilities to begin in mid-Summer.

"Share the Vision" Gifts and Envelopes Note

"Share the Vision" offering envelopes will be arriving soon! It is very helpful to the counting team to have separate checks for general offering and "Share the Vision." The counting process can be more quickly completed by not marking one check for two purposes. Again, we appreciate your help.

Electronic Payment Options

"Share The Vision" giving can be accomplished electronically. Weekly and monthly options are available. Please call the church office or email Brenda Ames-Ledbetter at Brenda@centralpc.org to request a form. The request will be implemented at the beginning of the month after the completed form is received. Be sure to specify either a Unified Offering or "Share The Vision" form.