RUNNING THE RACE!

We are richly blessed at Johns Creek UMC and are fortunate to be a part of this vibrant and committed church family!! We have had a good start to the Raising the Steeple campaign and have received $4.6 million in pledges so far. This big number represents broad support from over 460 member families! We are enormously grateful for all the care and thoughtfulness that went into these pledges – from young people and older adults, from families large and small! However, it is still short of what is required to proceed. We will need to raise an additional $2.1 million before we will have the commitments required to move forward with the bank financing necessary to begin the project.

As a congregation, we have to decide how important this is to us, and what we can do to make it happen. We are so close, yet there is more to be done.

Our “Stretch” efforts are now underway. There are many of us at the starting line of the race for $2.1 Million! Take a look at the recently mailed newsletter or the graphs set up around the church. Find your pledge on the graph and see where the various percentages would take it. If everyone could increase by 46%, the $6.7 million goal would be reached!

Also look for a personal letter to each member family at the end of August. It will describe the initial listing of Naming Opportunities for the sanctuary. There is no finer way to honor or memorialize a loved one than to dedicate something in this new sanctuary to them. This building will be standing for generations and their memory will be honored to the glory of God.

You may pledge by using the card mailed to you or use the links from this website.

Let us all pray that God will show each of us a way to do more so we can Raise the Steeple! Start running….NOW!

Click Here for Frequently Asked Questions

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Make your pledge online.

Please send an e-mail to chinson@johnscreekumc.org if you have any questions about Raising The Steeple.

RAISING THE STEEPLE at JOHNS CREEK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

The campaign to build a dedicated sanctuary is underway. The theme is: “Raising the Steeple; Building for Generations.” Much research and planning has gone into the decision to expand the facilities for the church, which started in 1987 with the merger of the congregations of Warsaw and Ocee United Methodist Churches in North Fulton County. A summary from the Building Steering Committee and the Capital Campaign Committee follows:

NEED

• The Building Steering Committee, led by Greg Casto, has studied the possibility of a sanctuary for the last 2 years –first analyzing the current and projected occupancy of the Family Life Center (FLC) where services now take place.
• The preferred worship service for most people is 11 am and for the last 2 years, occupancy has been at or above saturation for practically the entire year. (Saturation is the term that refers to 80% of capacity.) Every Sunday in 2008 has been well over 80% as well. This tends to be the level where seating is cramped and when people may feel there is not enough room for them. Practical seating capacity for the FLC is 736. (Maximum seating capacity is 792.)
• Membership growth has tapered from a high average 10% per year during 1995-2005 to just 3.1% growth of new members in 2007.
• Projected growth of even a modest 2.5%-3.5% per year shows JCUMC over 90% full every Sunday starting in 2008. The FLC is projected to be at 100% (FULL) every Sunday by 2010.

VISION

• Planning for a sanctuary is a continuation of the master plan for expansion that was set when the Johns Creek church was established in 1988 with a chapel, four classrooms and a few offices.
• The primary goal now is for permanent sacred space – designated for worship only. Now the only such space we have is the lovely Brinson –Farrington Prayer Chapel which is approximately 8’ x 10’.
• The Building Steering Committee researched recently built metro-area sanctuaries for sizes, details and costs to help us formulate expectations and budgets. (Included was Johns Creek Baptist - 65,500 sq.ft., $19.5 Million(@ $298/sq.ft. for seating capacity of 2100.)
• Sanctuary design will have traditional elements including a center aisle, windows, an altar rail, and a large chancel area. Seating capacity is projected for 1600. Other gathering areas, music rooms and offices are conceived for adjacent spaces.
• Clergy and church leaders have been involved in creating needs/wants lists to insure a new building has facilities to accommodate current and future needs.
• The sanctuary site is east of the Education Building on a soccer field. (All adjacent fields will be moved as part of the site preparation onto 6 acres on Bell Road purchased last year.)
• The estimated time-line for building is 3 years total from approved plans to occupancy.

PLAN

• The Building Steering Committee (BSC) Financial group led by Wally Haislip weighed our current budget and debt against the capacity for more debt. They set $12.0 Million as the affordability level for the church.
• The group envisions a three part financing plan - $1.5 M from ongoing giving over the next 3 years ($500K/yr set aside) with $1.0M for construction and $500K for supporting the new facility the first year; $5.0 M to be borrowed and combined with current debt of $4.0 M (to be rolled together at a new negotiated rate in 2010); $6.0 M in pledges from congregation. These total $12.5 M with $500 K for first year operations.
• One of the area’s top architectural/engineering firms – Jova/Daniels/Busby was retained for initial site studies, conceptual plans and cost estimates. (The firm was selected after a formal proposal process with 8 firms submitting).
• A preliminary Master Plan was completed by JDB in mid-April. Colored renderings of floor plans and elevations were hung in the gathering area on April 21. The preliminary plan summary was presented to Church Council on April 22. It included descriptions of buildings and possible phasing options for the project.
• The Capital Campaign is underway to inform every member family and to encourage everyone’s prayers and support of this project.
• It is vital to have every member family participate with a 3 year financial pledge. We encourage members to look for creative ways to give – out of assets as well as income. The need is for many pledges at $75,000 or above. We think our church has the capacity to pledge $12 Million. Sunday, May 11 was Celebration Sunday when pledges were brought forward during a time of commitment.

If you would like to be involved or would like an information packet, please email Christy Hinson, Communications Director at chinson@johnscreekumc.org or Leah Martin, Capital Committee Co-Chair at leafshapes@bellsouth.net. You may also call the church office at 770-497-8215.

Thank you for your prayers that Johns Creek United Methodist may build for generations and continue to make disciples for Jesus Christ.