Letter from Pastor Jason
May 27, 2009
Dear More Hope Supporter:
Last month, the three year capital campaign “More Hope for More People” was concluded. I want to thank you for
your contribution to this God-honoring and God-inspired project. Your sacrifices have already made a difference
and will continue to make a difference in the life of Living Hope. God led us to change direction and has made it
possible for us to expand at our current location rather than relocating to the property God led us to purchase on
Lovers Lane.
With your contributions, we were able to pay off the land on Lovers Lane and to purchase the Holy Spirit Catholic
Church (HSCC) property next door. With the purchase of the HSCC property, we have already provided our
teenagers with their own worship and activity facility. The purchase of the HSCC’s facility has saved us millions
of dollars and has provided our student ministry with space it needs now and in the future. This purchase also
provided us with the land we need for parking and for possible future facility additions.
If you were in worship services on Sunday, May 3rd, you heard the Building Team’s update on our future
construction plans. The construction plans that will go out for bid will provide exact costs for the new facilities and
will be ready in a matter of weeks. After those bids are received from the contractors, we will be able to
communicate this information to the Church regarding what we can realistically build right now.
We have an idea of the facilities we would need to build that will provide space needed for future growth, but the
money we will have to responsibly invest in the building will determine exactly what we can build. As the
Building Team explained on May 3rd, there are three things that have reduced the amount of funding we have
available to spend on new construction. First, our “More Hope for More People” campaign received $3 million
less than was pledged. Second, our general budget is down by approximately 10 percent, which has required us to
reduce the amount we can budget for future debt service. This means we will be able to borrow less money than we
had originally planned. Third, although we own the Lovers Lane property free and clear, it would be unwise to sell
it at this time as we may not receive an amount equivalent to its true value. The dollars from the sale of that
property were factored into our original financial plan for future construction. Without the dollars from the sale of
that property, we will have fewer dollars for new construction.
Because of the faithful giving of your tithes and sacrificial offering for new facilities, we are currently debt free and
in a good position financially. We own buildings that we can use for our student ministry in the near future, and the
property on Lovers Lane is paid for and available for sale when the time is right. Thank you for making that
possible.
In our strong financial position we also have the potential to build new facilities onto our current facility. We will
know exactly what we can build once we receive the bids from the contractors. If you are a contractor interested in bidding this project, please contact Wehr Constructors at (502) 491 9250. Once we know the costs for
construction, we will share this information with the Church to seek the affirmation of the membership.
Again, I want to thank you for all you have done to get us to where we are now and to provide you with current
information so you can be encouraged and know how to be praying.
With Hope,
Pastor Jason
(Click here for pdf version of letter)