Last Update for 2009

I wanted you to see what the building looks like going into the last week of 2009. As you can see the Worship Center roof is complete. The workers are now doing a lot of inside work on the Worship Center.

The Children's Wing is beginning to take shape.

We are now able to see much of the building layout from these views. The missing pieces are the Lobby and Main Street. These two areas should start taking shape in January 2010.

From the Roof

The roof on the Worship Center is complete. We were able to go up there last week and get a tremendous view of the Front Range and see the  progress on the whole site.

This next picture is a view of the Children's Wing. They are in the process of putting the floor and roof trusses in place. Heidi is very excited as she looks down and sees the progress.

The Student Center, Adult Education area, and Office space is also coming together. They are in the process of completing the floor trusses and hope to pour the concrete floors in this wing over the next couple of weeks. This is dependent upon good weather. Here's what it looks like right now.

Please continue to pray with us for God's blessing and protection over the building project!

History Moves with Us

Many of us have been wondering - how are we going to take some of the historical pieces from our existing building to the new building? We are beginning to see this take place. The diamond stained-glass windows which are currently in our worship center will become a feature piece of the tower base. If you drive by the building site you can see these from the south looking north. We believe this is going to be a creative touch which will continue to promote some of the wonderful Mission Hills history.

We are hoping to have these diamond stained-glass windows back lit. At night can you imagine what this will look like along with the tower and crosses being lit? This will be an attractive visual which will be seen for many miles. We will have many lights on a hill!

Events To Be Watching For...

We have been watching the walls go up over the last few weeks. The fun has just begun. Over the next few months things will continue to change as we add on to the building. We wanted you to be aware of some of the milestones yet to come. Here's a list of the big events (please keep these timeframes flexible as things can change due to bad weather, etc...):

Walls Erected: Sanctuary walls erect: mid October 2009


Parking lot poured: west parking lots 1st lift: early November 2009

Sanctuary floor concrete slab: mid January 2010

Roof Finished/Building “dried-in”: February 2010

Monument Tower constructed: mid March 2010

Lobby glass wall installed: late April 2010

Main Street and Lobby completed: mid July 2010

Children’s wing completed: July 2010

Building completed: August 2010

A Bird's-Eye View

Sometimes the best perspective is from above. These photos were taken a couple of weeks ago and they show the progress on our building site. The walls that you see is the framework for the worship center. Over the next few weeks we will begin to see some of the other walls be erected.

A view from the north.

A view from the west.

A view from the east.

Up, Up, and Away

Today was another exciting day on the building site. They started to put up the tall worship center walls. Our staff toured the site this morning and prayed over each ministry area. We also prayed for the workers and specifically for the worker who was giving us the tour. I could tell that his heart was touched by our care and concern for him.

Here are some other things which are happening on the site:

• Denver Water – yes, Denver Water showed up and we had a pre-con meeting with Randy Duffy (Denver Water) , Joe Coco (our civil engineer), Philip Scott (Nelson Pipeline), and Fransen Pittman. Nelson Pipleline will be installing a fire hydrant at the east side of the property on Thursday/Friday. They will go off site and come back a week later (too much traffic on site right now due to the crane, paving, etc.) to do another fire hydrant on the northwest side of the building. Make a third mobilization a week later to install pipe where we currently have a tilt up pouring bed.



• Paving of the north parking area was in full motion – just in time to alleviate the mud that will become our site after tonights forecast of rain/snow.

Be sure to visit the webcam to see the latest activites on th site - http://www.missionhills.org/about-us/new-campus/141

Birds Eye View

These are some great pictures which were taken from an airplane. These aireal photos show the progress on our building site.

They also show the great location of our new church site. People will be able to come from every direction with easy access to our church. God was so good in giving us this location.

We Have Gone Vertical!!

Today is a big day for us and the building project - we have gone vertical! The first walls - foundational walls - are going up. The slide show gives you a firsthand glimpse of what is happening on the sight today and over the next number of days.

SLIDE SHOW

Preparing the Walls

This is a mock-up of what the wall materials will look like. They are in the process of putting the finishing touches on this - including paint colors and cleaning the brick.

The current update on our building project has to do with the walls being built. The crews are preparing the framework to pour the walls starting this week. In addition to preparing the walls a crane will be erected this week which will be used to lift the walls into place. It is at this phase of the project when things really become visible. Very exciting.

Along with this is the undergound piping which is going in. They are currently running pipe lines for the storm drainage. This week they will begin running the piping for water and sewage. These pipelines are long and complex. If you like building things with erector sets this could be a job for you.

Stay tuned next week for a broad communication when the first walls are being put into place!!

Piers - Are we building a boat ramp?

No, we are not building anything to do with boats. Part of the support and foundation is drilling holes and filling them with concrete. These holes with concrete are re-enforced by rebar which helps to create a powerful support system. This has been the primary focus on the building site this week.

We have also set up a Prayer Trailer on the site. The description used for the trailer is The Intensive Prayer Unit. This is there for all of us to go on-site and get a closer look at what is happening as well as commit the building project to God and pray for the future ministry impact. There will be more information on how to use the Prayer Trailer this weekend.

You can now see what is happening on the building project by going to the website http://www.missionhills.org/ and clicking the banner on the home page. There is also a slide show of all our progress to date.

The Hole Gets Bigger

I was given a tour of the construction site earlier this week. The hole you can see from the road is much bigger when you stand on the rim of it looking down. As I stood looking at this the reality of moving forward was encouraging and exciting.


The latest progress is very uplifting - here it is:

The drain system has been put into place - this is the aqua-green pipe sticking up in this picture

The soil compaction and construction continues to move along - there is a layer of crushed concrete which will help with the drainage

They are beginning to build the cages for the piers. They will begin digging the piers next week.

Please continue to pray for all the details. Also, stay tuned for some upcoming ways that you can view the progress and participate on-site. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at the office.

Amazing

Amazing progress is taking place on the building site. As of today, we are right on schedule - even with all the rain. They are continuing to work with the soils - scraping, moving, compacting, etc... All of this is necessary for having a firm foundation.

We are blessed to be working with an architect and builder who are very professional and have unbelievable expertise in a project like ours. I attend weekly meetings on site to get updates and to make sure all of the details are covered and that we are coordinated in our efforts.

Please continue to pray that God's hand of provision and protection would be over our building project.

The Big Hole is Growing

We want to keep you updated on what is happening with the new building. The contractor is continuing to grade the site and, as you can see, they have begun to dig the hole for the foundation. In the near futue we hope to have a web cam on location which will allow for on-going pictures of the daily progress. Until then, enjoy some of the latest pictures.

Please continue to pray for God's provision every step of the way. We want to be totally dependent upon Him.

Dirt's Moving

The days have finally come when the dirt on our site is beginning to move. The contractor has begun the grading process and they hope to begin digging the building hole this week. Below are some of the pictures from last week as the site is being staged for our project. Please continue to pray for God's provision every step of the way. We want Him to own every piece of dirt that is moved!!

Partners in our Project

Development Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”) have worked with many churches over the past several years including Mission Hills Church (“MHC”). MHC has been among the very best church organizations that Advisors has had the privilege to work alongside and in service for. There is so much real estate development expertise on this Building Committee that the Committee did not need Development Advisors to assist but instead chose to hire us anyway. Our job has been much easier to perform because of this experience and because of MHC’s excellence.

MHC is synonymous with excellence. MHC has an excellent congregation, an excellent staff and an excellent volunteer base.

Let us explain further.

MHC’s congregation is excellent. While I personally know many of the MHC congregants, the overall congregation is excellent because it trusts its leaders and has shown this trust by the monies it has raised money for its new building project and its affirmation in nearly unanimous congregational votes along the way. MHC can be proud that it is in the top-tier of congregations nationwide in fund raising as a percentage of its annual budget. MHC can further be proud of the average giving for its family units. This too is at the highest end.

MHC’s staff is excellent. The staff that we have worked most closely with (Keith Carson, Byron Johns, Mike Romberger, Tracy Snyder, Judy Lustig, Janet Carter, Rick Passwaters, Heidi Lopez, Kelli Tenneson) have all been very coachable and willing to take suggestions not only in real estate development, but in church operations and communicating with its congregants. Not enough can be said for Keith Carson’s commitment to excellence. Keith, you have been great to partner with and to serve next to (so far and we still have a ways to go!). You too Byron have shown an incredible passion to be excellent in all that you do.

MHC’s volunteer leaders are excellent. Very few churches have such skilled lay volunteers as MHC. MHC’s lay volunteers have been willing to step-up and invest countless hours of their personal time at the expense of their families and their businesses. In advance of the completion of this incredible project, let us acknowledge those individuals whose part has and continues to be invaluable to the success of this amazing project.

· To Steve Kugler for his practical insights, his great judgment, his construction wisdom, and his loyalty to those construction professionals who had previously served Mission Hills with its proposed building expansion and renovation;
· To Greg Markling for leading the original feasibility study, for his great design eye, for his persistence to refrain from cutting the building back in the face of a cost-cutting momentum, and for his constant encouragement to have faith that God will provide (He has!);
· To Andy Limes for his commitment to always finding the solution through persistent challenges; to taking the hard questions at the public forums; and to his willingness to take risk knowing first that God was leading;
· To Mike Williams who has invested hundreds of hours of legal leadership to offer his beloved church risk mitigation guidance in ways it would have never even considered—all at no cost to MHC;
· To Janis Kugler for her willingness to stand in the gap when and where help was needed (especially in finance and communications) and to work untiringly with a loving, positive spirit.
· To Kent McSparran for “leading the leaders” at a critical time when it appeared that MHC might have to postpone its new building project or start a new design all over again (until God showed otherwise);
· To Kurt Butler for his patience with a committee that simply did not appreciate what it takes to produce the sound and lighting effects expected by today’s church attendee and currently offered by other “competing” churches;
· To Jon Roberts for his willingness to reconcile the financial management systems and to oversee the project expenditures;
· To Gayle Christy, Rusty Crandall, Colleen McVaney, Connie Burton, Dale Schlotzhauer, Mark Gouin, Dave Wedin, Mark McComb and many others (sorry if I forgot you) who invested countless hours offering their wisdom and experiences to make the critical decisions that will make this new building creation a legacy facility for the next 65 years of this great church (which are its people!).

We are confident that God intends for this building project to be completed. Further, Development Advisors will continue to be involved until the completion and well after the scheduled move-in date of August, 2010.

Thanks for giving us the opportunity to be a part of and to work alongside this excellent organization.

Very Truly Yours and all for His glory,

Scott McLean and Tim Dreessen
Principals, Development Advisors, LLC

Excitement of Anticipation

Oh, the excitement of anticipation! Dreaming, planning, praying, and hoping are all words of anticipation that come to mind with this building. The anticipation of the grand opening celebration is something that is almost incomprehensible. I doubt the night before if I will be able to sleep. I am sure that there will be months of planning because of what God has done, in bringing us to a new building.

We are sure to see first graders running down main street just to get to their classroom first. We will also have families that walk in and stop to take it all in. We will also see mom’s and dad’s turning their head to the left and to the right trying to find the appropriate place for them and their children.

On that day I am sure there will be a great shout, “Praise to the Lord, Look at what He has done!” But in anticipation I am already shouting, “Praise to the Lord, for He is Good!”

Matt

Ground Breaking Ceremony - June 7th

Our ground breaking ceremony took place this last Sunday. It can truly be described as a celebration - a celebration of what God has done on this journey of relocation. The morning began with people gathering on the property for a worship service. The highlight of the service for me were the stories of transformation. We heard from a single mom and her journey of coming back to God. We heard from a young lady who had made a number of poor choices and how God got a hold of her life through these circumstances. Finally we heard from a family and how two the family members came to realize their need for God one day apart. Now that's something to celebrate! Our mission as a church is Transformed Lives. We want to see God work in and through us to bring people to Himself. God works in amazing ways and it was great to hear these stories.

After the worship service we all participated in the ground breaking together. Each family was encouraged to bring a shovel and share in the joy of this experience. The boarder of the new facility footprint was painted on the property and all of the attendees were spread out along this painted outline. At Pastor Mike's call of "1, 2, 3" each family put a shovel into the dirt. It was amazing to see this expression of unity and participation with people in attendance. As I was standing there watching people and envisioning this new building I thought back to the stories of transformation from the worship service. Because of these stories I was overcome with joy as I began to think about the possibilities of many more stories like these on this new site.

Over these next few months we are anticipating many more things to celebrate - we will continue to give thanks to God because of what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do in the future.

Prompted to Pause

In the business of a typical day, it is easy to get so focused upon the tasks at hand, and not take a moment to stop and give thanks to God for his provision and faithfulness. This past week I happened to be in-between appointments and driving by the new location when the Holy Spirit prompted me to pause. I don’t know about you, but so often it is easier to disregard this prompting and continue on with that next task or appointment. But, as Pastor Mike has said before, when you are prompted to do something good, it is probably safe to say that it isn’t coming from the devil! So, heeding this call to obedience, I steered my truck into Southpark, drove up on the site and pointed it to the southwest. It was such a glorious day, with blue skies, sunshine, fresh spring growth on the trees, and the majesty of the mountains in the distance, that I couldn’t help but feel inspired to praise Him. My prayer was heartfelt! I thanked Him for the provision of this land and the resources to build our new church upon it; I petitioned Him for our church to have an impact on the thousands of lost people surrounding this property, that we would be a lighthouse of His mercy and grace; I asked Him to continue to show us favor with Southpark and the City of Littleton; I thanked Him for giving me the opportunity to witness the movement of the Holy Spirit among us and prayed for continued unity of our body and the transformation of lives in Christ; and, I offered up my burdens and fears to Him and asked for His continued blessing. This all took just a moment, but I must say, a peace came over me that really gave me hope.

As part of my personal devotions, I’ve been challenging myself to memorize two new scripture verses a month. This month I chose two that really seem relevant to this situation:

Isaiah 25:1 O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

May I never grow too busy to stop and remember His promises!

Mark (Mission Hills Elder)

Visions Become a Reality

I cannot wait to begin ministry in our new church building. The youth center will greatly complement our efforts to influence youth for God. We have had to make some adjustments to the layout of the building, all of which have upgraded the potential of the youth center. The new layout has the youth center on the southwest side of the building. This move has provided us with a lot more square footage. More than 300 youth will be able to worship God together in a facility designed just for them. Also, by being on the opposite side of the main lobby from our Children’s Ministry, families will congregate back in the middle, enhancing our fellowship as a whole church body. This is going to be incredible. Please pray with me that we can break ground soon and see these visions become a reality. We are called to something BIG!

JP

Timing is Everything!!

In the last few years I have had the opportunity to observe from a bit of a “behind the scenes” seat as the elders, leaders, and church body have decided to sell the church campus and move forward with a church re-location. As a part of the church staff and having a husband who has served on the elder board during these transitional times, I have heard the stories of how God has worked and moved to provide us a with new piece of land and ultimately a new building that will reach a community that needs Jesus. We, as a church, have faced a bit of a speed bump at this point in the relocation process facing a financial challenge in moving forward in designing the building that we had first anticipated. As we have cruised fairly smoothly through this re-location process (granted, we have seen God’s miracles throughout), Warren and I have often questioned why God put this speed bump in the road at this particular time, when we feel so close to seeing construction on the hill.

This question was answered for us one night as we were Christmas shopping at Park Meadows. We ran into an acquaintance who formerly attended MHC. He had gotten word that we were re-locating and questioned the amount that the church was potentially spending on a new building and had heard that we were facing financial struggles. After we listened to him and his concerns, we were a bit speechless, not knowing how to respond to his opinion. We continued shopping, being irritated by this conversation. On the way home, after having some time to process what was said to us, we both agreed that God had put us in this place as a church to remind His people (and those watching from the outside) that He is in control and He will be the only one deserving of our praises when His building is completed in His perfect timing! As the church moves forward with the resources that God has provided and will continue to provide, are you ready to give God all the praise and glory for an adventure He began and will complete?

Kim

Open Forum Questions Re: Project Funding

Open Forum Date: April 5th, 2009

(Answers Provided by: Andy Limes and Keith Carson)

Q. What is the loan term?
A. First bank, Up to $13.5mil for a two year construction period followed by a 5 year loan with a 25 year amortization

Q. What are the bond amounts?
A. Any increment of $1,000

Q. Where do we stand with the Aspen Academy repayment?
A. On track. The loan is current and Aspen’s financial position has improved from 6/30/08

Q. Is our rent fixed with Aspen Academy?
A. Fixed at $30,000 per month for 12 month periods

Q. How is the construction loan different from the long term loan?
A. Its maximum duration is 2 years. We pay interest only during that time.
Then it converts to a 5 year note amortized over a 25 year period

Q. If we have savings through the bid process, what will we do with these savings?
A. Save them, build more into the space architecturally or enhance the quality of the furnishings most notably the sound and lighting , add more parking

Q. How are we going to handle the increased debt service in the general budget?
A. The net increase over our current budget with rent for both the church and the office will be less than $50,000 per month and therefore less than 25% of our budget. We continue to rely on God’s faithfulness and the churches generosity plus growth to offset any increase in expense

Q. Have we sold the lot across the street?
A. No, we still own the “Grange” property. Its value is $120,000 and it is for sale.

Open Forum Questions and Answers

Questions from Open Forum on March 1, 2009
(Primary answers given by Greg Markling and Andy Limes)

Q. Would you please explain the roof structures – they seem to be flat roofs? Is there a reason for this and what about leaking?
A. “Flat” roofs are technically sloped so that water will drain to pre-destined locations. Flat roofs are employed world-wide and are not a problem if designed and installed properly. The most common is a rubberize “EPDM” which is made by the same companies that make tires.

Q. Would you describe “Main Street” for us?
A. Main Street is intended to link the various ministry locations including the chapel, youth, nursery, classrooms and the Early Learning Center, most of which are now located in the South Wing but, in the future, intended to be relocated to the delayed North Wing. Further, Main Street, intended to offer similar features as you see in the Park Meadows Mall will also provide space for gathering, special displays, etc..

Q. How many people will the new worship center seat? Will it be expandable?
A. Keith clarified that the WC will seat approximately 1,200, but I wasn’t sure the exact number. The future expansion plan was briefly described.

Q. Six years from now when the energy costs skyrocket – how will the new building be energy efficient? How are we building the facility with a “green” emphasis?
A. I described the beneficial orientation of the building, the solar reflectance of the roof to reduce heat island effects, and the sun-control wall feature on the west glass wall, etc. I also made the general statement that our HVAC systems were design to be as energy efficient as possible in compliance with current Codes, etc.

Q. Will the worship center have any glass?
A. No glass for views to the exterior, according to programmatic requirement.

Q. Will the stained glass windows in our present facility be included in the new building? What about other historical pieces?
A. I described the general locations of the relocated stained glass. Iwas not specifically aware of any other “historical pieces” that were contemplated for the move, but assured the individual that we were looking at all significant legacy items for relocation to the new facility.

Q. Where will the baptismal be on the platform?
A. Pointed to it on the plan.

Q. Where will the choir be on the platform?
A. Pointed to it on the plan.

Q. How much acoustical consideration are we giving to the new design?
A. Described in general terms the quality and nature of the AVL systems and the passive acoustical attenuation of the space.

Q. Will there be space for a library?
A. Mike Romberger responded no – just a small resource center in the Lobby for selected books that support the current sermon series, etc.

Q. What is the cost of additional parking? How many total spaces are we planning?
A. I indicated that we were going to try to keep as much of the parking as possible in Phase 1, but that budget may not allow that fully. Keith added that we plan to enter into shared parking agreements with adjacent properties. I stated that an approximate cost for the parking in question was in the neighborhood of $75K, but was not sure of the exact figures.

Q. When is the projected start date for Phase One? Additional Phases?
A. Phase 1 start is still scheduled for early July 2009. No schedule for Phase 2, since fund raising will be needed for that Phase.

Q. Is the $29 million the amended budget?
A. Yes, it has been reduced from $35mil

Q. Who are the banks we have approached for funding?
A. We have talked with many banks including Wells Fargo, Bank of the West, Vectra Bank, CoBank and others. As of this writing, we are still being considered by both Colorado State Bank and 1stBank. We have reason to believe that 1stBank will provide us a loan in a joint venture with our preferred bond underwriter (Share Financial). We believe that 1stBank will give us a loan, in an amount to-be-determined after Share sells a “local placement” to the Mission Hills family as stated below.

Q. How will a possible bond issue work? Will the church be able to participate in this bond issue? A. Yes, the church will be able to participate. We have received some inquiries by interested people and more specifically Share Inc’s strategy is to sell bonds inside the Mission Hills family first and then outside the church. They believe that $5-8 million (of the $16million total) is a reasonable target for our participation.

Q. What is our current budget? How do we plan to pay for the debt service on the new facility?
A. The current budget is $2.7million. If we replaced the rent we pay for the church and offices with the new anticipated mortgage and nothing else changed the annual budget would increase to $3.3million. We will create a bridge plan to fund until we have growth and new givers.

Q. Regarding the bonds – will this be a best efforts issue or a guaranteed issue?
A. Right now a “Best Efforts” has been approved but we are working towards a “Guarantee Issue” option based on what portion of the pledges and assets we have in cash.


Questions from the Open Forum on 3/8/2009
(Primary answers given by Steve Kugler and Andy Limes)

Q. What’s the best financing option at this point?
A. As stated above, it would be essentially a firm underwriting of bond backed up by a loan from 1stBank. The plan would be to pay off the loan in 5-7 years or sooner and therefore not be subject to interest rate risk that may lie ahead.

Q. Is the church a 501(c)(3) and does it qualify for tax-exempt bonds?
A. Yes, we are a 501(c)(3) but the only tax-free portion is on the Early Learning Center space because of the education exemption.

Q. How many parking places do we have now? In the new facility?
A. 472 now. Approximately 355 in new. We will work out parking agreements with area owners, if needed. This is also a funding issue and we might be able to add more parking once we get the final budget numbers. Keith has been in contact with area owners and they are excited to have us move in.

Q. What is the interest rate on the Aspen Academy note?
A. 10-12-14%, but they are paying 8-10-12%, etc.

Q. Would bond companies have recourse on the property?
A. Yes

Q. Did the offices in the redesign change?
A. No

Q. What are monthly utility costs now, then?
A. We have budgeted the same amount for ongoing operations. Even though there is more square footage in the new building, it should be more energy efficient.

Q. Why are we just now talking to bond companies?
A. This is not new. We have been considering this for at least two years. Banks do 80% of typical church funding; 20% comes from other sources. (Lee Architects gave this stat.) We think that the bond option is a good fit for our situation.

Q. How many adult classrooms, now vs. then?
A. 9 Adult classrooms plus fellowship areas in the current facility vs. 6 in the new building. This is probably where we felt the greatest impact by the loss of the chapel and the north wing. The plan is to make new classrooms very flexible with moveable walls, etc.

Q. What is the new worship center capacity?
A. 1,200 with a plan to move to 1,800 eventually

Q. Have we thought about having a shuttle to the Wincrest Facility?
A. Discussions are in progress about this.

Q. What will be the interest rate paid on the bonds?
A. Depending on the time of maturity, the interest paid to the purchaser of a bond will range from 5.5-7.5%. The approximate rate that MHC will pay is 7.1% over a fixed 20 year period.

Q. Are all the seats theater style?
A. All the seats will be the same style, whether pew or theater. This has not been finally decided, but theater style is recommended because it provides for a better use of seating capacity. Individual seats are 80-85% efficient vs. pew seating which is about 70% efficient.

Q. What is the project timeline?
A. Trying to break ground in July, 2009, in order to meet the ELC need of fall, 2010.

A Place To Call Home

As we are but stewards in a building that is not our own, every Sunday I watch as youth and adults prepare for the onslaught of kids. We do everything from setting up tables and chairs, moving furniture in classrooms, bringing stage props up from one wing of the building to another. I am amazed but not surprised at the energy and joy in which this is done. Although at times tiresome those who help know their work furthers God's kingdom and that is where our joy comes from. Oh, how I long for the day that God will entrust to us a building of our own. We may still be setting up tables and chairs, moving furniture and props, but we will be stewards over a building that God has placed us in; that He has ordained for us; one we can call home.

Carrol

Helping People Get Connected

Finding a place to connect in a large church can be a difficult and intimidating experience for anyone.  It is especially difficult for those who have not been in church for a very long time.  Over this past year we have worked hard to create clear pathways to help those who are new to Mission Hills find places to connect.  This issue of connection is also important to those who regularly attend services on Sundays but have yet to find a place where they can make friends or feel like they belong.  In other words, they attend, but they’re not connected. 

God has been bringing an increasing number of new people to Mission Hills this past year, and we have a growing passion to do all we can to help those folks, Christians and seekers alike, to connect with God and with our church family.  We want this to be a priority for us today and as we think about moving into a new community. It is our goal to have clear pathways for people to connect with God and with each other. 

Here are a few of the ways we help people find a place to connect and make new friends …

• The Guest Services Center is a convenient place for new people to gather information and talk to someone about what our church has to offer for them, their family, or their friends.

• NEXT is a brief 30 minute orientation to Mission Hills and the various opportunities for you or your family members to get connected, meet other people, or find a place to serve.

 • Starting Point is a safe place for people with questions about faith, as well as those who want to learn more about the Bible, God, and Christianity in a conversational environment. Starting Point is specifically designed for three kinds of people:

    Seekers – those who are curious about God, Jesus, the Bible, or Christianity

Starters – those who have just begun a relationship with Jesus Christ

Returners – those who have some church experience, but have been away for a while

 • Plugged-In is a two week class to help participants discover their unique make-up and get “plugged-in” to a place of service based on who God has made them to be. 

 • Small Groups are a great place for help people to develop close friendships and find mutual support and encouragement.  Some groups are on-going groups, such as our Home Groups; other groups are short-term, such as our Starter Groups (8 weeks) and Truth Project Groups (12 weeks).

 • Block Party Lunch provides another convenient place for those new to Mission Hills to meet some of the staff and learn how they can get connected at Mission Hills 

It is fun to see what God is doing in the life of Mission Hills at this point in our history.  Like you, I was absolutely thrilled when a large number of people accepted Christ at the end of a morning worship service two weeks ago.  Now, while many churches would be scrambling to figure out a way to follow-up with all those new believers … by God’s grace, we were ready.  We have Starting Point.  We simply added a new Starting Point group on Monday nights, and we’re ready to help them on their new journey with Jesus Christ.  Isn’t God good!

 

Let’s keep on praying for and expecting God to bring new people to Mission Hills … people who need to connect with Christ and connect with His Church.

 

Galatians 6:9

“Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest, if we don’t give up.”

Pastor Rick

 

Most Recent Frequently Asked Questions

Over the last two weeks a number of our elders have gone to the adult Sunday School classes and discussed the following questions. If you were not able to be in one of these classes we hope this information will be helpful. As always, if you have any questions, please contact us.

Q. Why was the building size reduced?

A. It was reduced by 15% due to financial reasons. It was reduced from 117,000 sq ft to 100,000 sq ft. Our current building is 75,000 sq ft. Even with a reduction, this building is 33% larger than the existing space and much more efficient. Even with a reduction, we will still be able to accomplish all of our essential ministry functions.

Q. How are we accommodating ministries in a smaller building?

A. The youth will have dedicated space in the southwest wing and the leadership is excited for this change. This new space will allow for additional growth. The nursery space will be conveniently located next to the Worship Center along Main Street. Most of the chapel functions will take place in the Worship Center or in the large Main Street Lobby area.

Q. What is the general financial breakdown of the $29 mil project? What is the projected loan amount? What are we projecting as the monthly payment for this loan amount?

A.

· Land cost = $5.9 mil

· Professional services = $1.7 million

· Construction = $16.6 million

· Equipment and furnishings = $1.5 million

· miscellaneous = $2.7 million

· contingency and reserves = $1.0 million

· In-kind services ($400,000)

· Total project cost $29.0 million

· Projected loan amount = $16 mil permanent loan

· Projected monthly loan payment = $100,000

Q. What is the likely funding option?

A. At this point the most likely funding scenario is through a bond issue. We are still working through all of the underwriting details and there will be more information available at the Open Forums.

Q. What will be taking place over the next few months prior to ground breaking?

A. The Building Committee will be working to complete construction documents and completing the paperwork for building permits and approvals for construction; The Finance Committee will be completing the paperwork and details related to the bond issue. The congregation will be voting on approval of the funding package in April.

Q. What is the purpose of the Open Forums on March 1 and 8? When will we be voting on the funding for the project?

A. The purpose of these Open Forums will be to make short presentations on the building redesign and the funding options but they are really for you to come and ask your questions. The church vote for funding will be in April.

Q. How can I be involved?

A. Keep praying with us for God’s wisdom and guidance; continue your faithful giving to the general budget and the building fund. If at all possible, fulfill your pledge early; attend the open forum and funding informational sessions if you have questions and/or concerns. Our desire is to keep you informed and involved in the process.