December 2024

Listening Sessions

March 24th and April 7th

To identify needs and values from the congregation.

Family Meeting

April 28th

To update the congregation; an affirmation to proceed was confirmed.

Conceptual Designs

May 30th and June 9th Conceptual designs shared with congregation for feedback.

Our committee, responding to the direction of the church from our listening sessions and focus groups, has taken the following steps this fall:

• Breaking down the overall renovation into 3 phases:

Phase 1: New children's ministry area below the gym

Phase 2: Renovated education wing (The L-shaped structure connecting the sanctuary with the parking lot foyer)

Phase 3: Renovated sanctuary

• Securing the services of The Aspiring Spirit, LLC as consultants to guide us through the commencement of Phase I (and beyond!)
• Receiving 3 bids for design and construction of our Phase I children's wing (under the basement), which will include space for Children's Worship and Pre-K through 5th grade Sunday School classes. (The nursery and preschool room are included in the "Phase 2" renovation.) We are incredibly grateful that it appears that our three anonymous donations will be sufficient to fully fund Phase I! Praise the Lord!
• Refining our "Guiding Values for Design" for Phase I, based on congregational input.
• Selecting a design firm (SV Design) and construction company (Groom Construction) and having initial meetings with both companies.
• Working toward finalizing a conceptual level construction cost estimate for Phases 2 and 3, with an eye toward a capital campaign starting in fall 2025.

In all of this, we are committed to balancing both the value of reasonable improvements (and reasonable financial goals) with our faith in a God who can give us more than we ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20).

What's Next?

This is where it gets exciting! Phase I could begin soon!

• In early January, we will receive up to 3 initial design plans from SV Designs for our Phase 1 Children's Ministry spaces. Stay tuned for a focus group to give feedback on these designs!
• Based on your feedback, we will recommend a design direction and will take a vote of affirmation at our annual meeting on January 25th to begin construction. 
• While keeping in mind that construction timelines can be difficult to nail down, we can anticipate 8 weeks for materials to arrive and 8 weeks of construction, to be complete by the end of May. We could start using these new rooms by VBS!!

Additionally, we will begin to explore next steps for "Phase 2 and Phase 3" this spring!

• Based on congregational feedback, we have refined our initial conceptual designs of Phases 2 and 3, and we hope that by the end of January, we will receive preliminary schematic designs and initial cost estimates to design and build these phases.
• Stay tuned for meeting dates to talk about updated conceptual designs, scope, and estimates for these Phase 2 and 3 projects and to gather feedback from the congregation before ultimately voting on a potential capital campaign starting in the fall. 

We continue to be so grateful for the many ways that you, our church body, have contributed meaningfully to this process--from feedback to time spent brainstorming potential plans. We trust that God is leading us through this process through listening sessions, committee meetings, and individual conversations – all these help us "focus the lens" as we work toward a final vision for our building.

We ask for your continued prayers as we work to glorify God, strengthen the church, and serve our community through this building campaign!

- NSCBC Building Campaign Committee