UPDATE:
Dear River Family,
I have some great news… The River has found a new place to call home! At this time last year, we were in a difficult place. We knew that we had to move out of Summit Middle School within a few months, but we didn’t know where our next meeting location would be. It was at this time that we asked the entire church to embark on a journey called Go Beyond. Go Beyond was our way of describing and funding our immediate need of finding a new location as well as our future desire for a 24/7 facility. God led us to Canterbury High School earlier this year, but we kept praying and working to find that 24/7 box. Through Go Beyond, we have been asking everyone to pray boldly, give generously, so that we could change more lives.
Well, after a five and a half year journey, our new church home will be at 1515 Magnavox Way. It’s right off I-69 at exit 105. If you head east on Illinois Road from I-69, you turn right at the very first stop light (Magnavox Way)and the building is a couple hundred yards on the left. It’s a 23,600 square foot building that will work very well for our needs and become a hub for outreach and ministry to the surrounding area. There is plenty of parking on the property and at the adjacent business properties. Needless to say, this is a HUGE step for us as a church family in this journey.
We have been blessed to have a great team of volunteers that have selflessly given of their time and energy to help create our Sunday experience at The River. Despite the early mornings, heat and snow, they have been unloading trucks, pushing cars, setting chairs, making coffee… for the first time in the history of our church, we won’t be restrained by the limitations of renting a facility, but can do ministry 24/7. I recently asked Larry Hiatt to calculate how many chairs he has set up over the past five and a half years. He told me… 26,000… per year… that’s 143,000 chairs! Wow.
I’m so excited for you to see it but keep in mind that this is our first building and it will require some TLC and improvements. It’s like that first car… first home… first girlfriend. You have to start somewhere, right? Actually, it will be a great building and I think you’re going to love it. Part of our plan will require that many of us volunteer our services and time. We will need lots of volunteer labor to get the exterior grounds and interior of the building ready. Jill Lenardson is in charge of our landscaping and she has already formulated her plan and is looking for help and materials. You can read more about that below. On October 14-16, we hope to get all the outside work completed. On Sunday afternoon, October 16th, we will be having an open house at 2pm combined with a work afternoon. There will be inside and outside projects to do.
Since all of our available cash is going toward the down payment on our purchase, we need to raise the additional $200,000 (approximate) in renovation and move-in costs. Here’s the good news. I have a friend outside of our church family that is gifting The River $100,000! Yeah God! We are half-way there. These costs include bringing the building up to code, painting, creating a worship center/auditorium, needed equipment, servicing HVAC, repairing parking lot cracks, new entrance, changing some walls, some new flooring in critical areas (kids, etc), worship center chairs, and getting the word out to the community.
On Sunday, October 23rd, we are praying for a Miracle Day offering to enable us to do all the things we need to do to our new building. Maybe you are able to fulfill your entire Go Beyond commitment by October 23rd. That would help us so much. Maybe you can give something beyond your regular giving and commitment. That would be awesome too. Maybe you have friends, relatives and co-workers who might consider a one-time gift to help us with this HUGE step as a young church. We are in the process of compiling a list of needs – perhaps you or your business would consider underwriting a specific item. Whatever we can do by October 23rd will only help us move into that facility equipped and prepared. Please be in prayer about that. Let me encourage you to continue giving your tithe to our General Fund as well. Our giving the past few weeks has been low and we need to maintain our giving at our budgeted level through the end of the year. Our General Fund is running behind and we really need to keep it strong.
This journey is just that… it’s one step at a time. There are many steps to take, but if we take them together, we accomplish so much in the name of Jesus. Thanks for your partnership in the Gospel and for helping The Riverbring life to dead places.
Take Risks!
Since day one, we have seen God work in amazing ways in the life of people at the River. Now, we are embarking on a journey together that will radically expand our ability to meet people’s deepest needs. We’ve dreamed of a place designed to serve others and empower us to meet a wider range of physical, emotional and spiritual needs in our community. It’s time to make the dream a reality. It’s time to Go Beyond!
As a church, and as individuals, we are asking you to GO BEYOND by praying boldly, giving generously and changing lives with God as we seek his direction for a new "box" to meet in.
From the beginning, we’ve dreamed of building a different type of community. We believed the church should be in the business of changing lives, not the real estate business. After much prayer, God led The River to Lafayette Meadows Elementary School - a first class facility. There’s no way we could have afforded to build a meeting place like that on our own.
Four years later we had outgrown that facility and moved up the road to Summit Middle School for better accessibility and to take our kids areas to a whole new level.
The Southwest Allen County Schools have been great to work with for the first five years of The River.
After much prayer, God opened the door for The River to move to Canterbury High School. It's a great facility and the administration has been awesome to work with. Meeting at Canterbury High School will give us an opportunity to continue to reach out to the community and bring life change.
But we always knew that meeting in a school was a temporary solution. A building is not the church. It’s just a box for God’s people – His Church – to meet in. So now it’s time to find a new “box.”
What?
Move to our next box where we can continue to pursue people that are far from God and grow to 800-1,000 weekly worshippers in the next 3-5 years.
Build a nest egg for a future purchase.
AND, go beyond ourselves and our own box by helping plant more churches locally and beyond.
Why?
We have been blessed to use the Southwest Allen County Schools since our church began. But this has come to an end and we are now meeting at Canterbury High School until God leads us to our own 24/7 facility.
Where?
We are actively praying and seeking God's direction as we pursue locations with good access throughout the southwest quadrant of Fort Wayne. This next box will provide space for...
- Dynamic worship
- Top-notch ministry to kids, students and families
- Plenty of parking
- 24/7 presence in the community and a base for service outreach
How?
To move forward, it will take all of us partnering together to give generously beyond what we currently give.
Off the top, 10% (a tithe) will go beyond ourselves to plant new churches.
The next portion of Go Beyond giving will facilitate our move. A lease option would likely include some upfront costs.
The remainder will be set aside as a nest egg to purchase a permanent facility and/or land for future ministry potential as God op ens doors and reveals new opportunities.
We have seen Him do great things in and through the lives of people in our community. Yet we believe we have just begun to scratch the surface of what is possible. You may already know the story.
In 2006, we asked God to do something “more than we can see” as we dreamed of – and planned for – a new church in the southwest corner of Allen County that would be a safe place to ask questions, hear God’s Word explained in relevant ways, and create a community of authentic believers.
As He often does, He answered in an unexpected way.
He said, “Wait, I have something better in mind.”
His answer was truly more than we could see.
He said, “I want you to forget about your limitations and... GO BEYOND"
This will not be an inexpensive project. To lease or acquire a new meeting place and do the improvements necessary to meet our current and future needs will likely cost us a significant sum of money. The more cash we raise internally, the less we have to pay on interest and the more we have available for ministry.
We can do this... if all individuals and families who call The River their church home take ownership of this project, pray, and give – with God’s blessing – it can become a reality.
A step of faith this size – truly God sized – can only be accomplished if we pray, and pray boldly. Your prayers are mission critical. Pray not just for our future meeting place, but for the people that will come to know Christ through its impact.
Financially, we’d ask you to prayerfully consider making a substantial – and even sacrificial – investment over the next 3 years. This just might be one of the largest Kingdom projects you will ever be a part of, so we’d ask you to consider making the largest Kingdom gift you have ever made. (Perhaps it goes without saying, but the gift should be above and beyond your regular tithes you give to The River to support its work currently.)
We understand that the word “substantial” means different things to different people at different income levels. Still, we need everyone, regardless of income level, to pray and get involved. It will succeed only as we all come together to give – even those who suspect that their own sacrificial giving “might not help much.” This vision will only be accomplished as we – the people of The River – step up, join God, and sacrifice.
Are you ready to GO BEYOND?
pray boldy >> give generously >> change lives
FAQ’s: Answers About The River’s Upcoming Move
1. Why couldn’t we stay at Summit Middle School or in SWAC schools any longer?
We have always said that meeting in a school was a temporary home for us. The Southwest Allen County (SWAC) schools have a policy that allows churches to meet in their schools for two years. We will have been there for five years by March 31, 2011. Before our move, we approached the principal at Summit Middle School and were told we could meet there for two years. After our move, we received a letter from the SWAC administration indicating we would only be given one year until the end of March 2011. We approached them to see if this could be extended, but they said it could not. Some people may be thinking that in a down economy the schools would welcome the extra revenue. This really is not about money. What we pay covers basic utilities and usage, plus janitorial fees. Summit does not profit from our renting their facility.
Having said all this, we want to express our gratitude towards them for being able to meet in SWAC schools for this long. They have been very accommodating and gracious to us and we thank them for that.
2. How has our move to Summit Middle School helped us advance our mission as a church?
We exist as a church to help people pursue God. This means we want to do whatever it takes to reach them with the love of Christ and let them know we exist to help them in their God journey. Moving to Summit Middle School has provided us with a more visible location, given us a new chance to engage the community, and allowed us to significantly expand and upgrade our space for kid’s ministry. As a result, we have seen a steady flow of new people coming to The River since moving last spring.
3. Why the move to Canterbury High School?
We are actively praying and seeking God's direction for our next "box". In the current economy, there are very few options that stand out as being the "perfect" solution for a church of our size. Our target area is the southwest quadrant of Fort Wayne. Besides this area of Fort Wayne, we also draw people from neighboring communities like Roanoke, Zanesville, Ossian, Markle and Huntington. Canterbury High School is a great facility in a centralized location for these communities. The administration has been great to work with so far and we look forward to a great relationship with them as we continue to look for a full-time facility.
4. Are we going to buy or rent?
Yes. We are knocking on all doors. The criteria for this move includes: accessible, visible, plenty of parking, big enough for worship, kid’s ministry and offices. We would love to have a large piece of land or our own facility, but until then, we have to keep reaching people.
5. How much is this move going to cost?
It depends. Our first priority is to move to our next box. If possible, we would love to find a place to lease/rent that does not require a lot of upfront costs but still meets our criteria mentioned above. We are somewhat like a family that wants to buy a home but realizes they have to rent first. You pay the costs to rent while saving for the future home. This is the basic approach we will take.
6. Will this campaign provide money for a future land and/or building purchase?
We believe it will. The initial need of Go Beyond gifts will be used for the costs related to moving to our next box. At the same time, as this search and move takes place, we continue to research a suitable long term answer. It may be an existing building that we can repurpose for our needs or it may be a piece of land perfect for a future church campus.
In order for us to be in a position to eventually purchase, we will need to build up a sizable nest egg that allows our interest to be taken seriously. All funds in excess of those needed for our next move will be applied to this effort.
In addition, we are designating 10% (a tithe) of all proceeds received to plant more churches. From day one, The River has been committed to going beyond ourselves and be a church that multiplies. We have seen God bring about life change in many people’s lives and we want to continue to see our church flow to bring life to more dead places.
Just imagine that while we raise funds for our church family’s new home, we will be planting seeds for future churches to continue this amazing journey.
7. How can I get involved and help?
One significant way is to pray boldly. We invite everyone to spend time daily praying and asking God to provide as only he can. While we don’t have all the answers, we know he does and that he will lead us into the future.
Another way is to give generously, beyond your tithe and regular giving. We believe all the resources needed to fulfill God’s mission and plan for our church are already available to us in the families attending The River. The reality is everything we have belongs to God anyway. Times like these are valuable opportunities to affirm our whole-hearted trust in him by giving back to him what is already his to fulfill his mission for our church.
Beyond these, we ask you to get involved in changing lives with God. This means you invest time in relationships, loving and serving people and inviting them to join us on this journey of pursuing God together.