FAQs Q: What are we going to do? A: We will be building the first phase of our campus on Lutz Lake Fern Road, on approximately 4.25 acres of land which the church purchased late last year. The first phase will include a Christian Pre School, children’s ministry space and a gym that will double as our space to worship. Preliminary details of the plan are found in the accompanying brochure. Q: How much will the facility cost? A: The initial project budget is about $1.5 Million including the building fees, furnishings, permits, landscaping, etc. Q: How will we cover the difference between the construction cost and the cash we have now? A: This campaign will raise a substantial portion of the costs. Depending on the amount raised, mortgage financing will be used to complete the project. Therefore, the results of this campaign are crucial to the overall funding. Q: How would you summarize our financial picture? A: Your giving and God’s faithfulness have allowed us to be in the black in 2005. However, this campaign is not to interfere with the tithe that each one of us brings to the Church. We ask that everyone continue with their giving to the annual budget. As with most of Florida, the land itself has increased in value since it was purchased. Q: What is the timeframe? A: The County is currently reviewing our site plan, and will soon consider our final design selections of colors and materials. While the county is continuing its work, our architect and contractor are continuing to develop the actual blueprints for the building. The permitting and SWFWMD process could take up to 10 months. The actual completion of phase one could be as long as 18 months from permitting. Q: How long can we stay at our current meeting location? A: Barring any changes in circumstances, the YMCA has extended our time with them indefinitely. However, the Youth and Family Center will be undergoing a huge remodel in the Spring/Summer of 2006. Q: Why build? As you know, our vision is to reach people who don’t know Christ and don’t have a church home. Two of the keys to that are visibility and permanence. The YMCA Youth and Family Center is a wonderful location, but it is quite hidden and has very little “drive by” exposure. The Lutz Lake Fern location has over 17,000 cars per day that pass in front of the property- and that number is sure to increase with the widening of the road, the construction of the High School and the addition of the off ramp to the Suncoast Parkway. Secondly, God has blessed us with this great “pioneering” family, and all of you will always have a special part in the heart and history of Hope. But many folks will not invest themselves in a church without a building, especially new believers. History and experience has shown that the number of new conversions to Christ is dramatically higher in new Churches, and that attendance and participation grow rapidly when a new building is added. Q: What is the emphasis of this capital campaign? A: The focus of the campaign will be to encourage every member of the Hope family to pray and seek God's leading regarding their involvement in A time for Hope. There will be no pressure to give and your decision to give financially or to support in prayer will be held in strict confidence. Q: I've heard we hired an outside company to help us with the campaign. Why? A: We are a volunteer driven Church. As we looked at our family, we realized that none of us had the expertise or time to devote to this critical campaign. The elders felt strongly that we ought to allow our pastors to pastor, while others led the campaign. GENERIS, the company we have hired, has helped thousands of churches raise hundreds of millions of dollars for capital campaigns like ours. Their expertise and counsel will help assure broad participation and that we maintain a spiritual focus throughout this time in our church's history. In addition to consulting services, they will provide the educational materials our church will focus on during the four weeks of the campaign. It is important to understand that we are not doing a "GENERIS" campaign; it is not a package that we simply implement. The campaign will truly be ours and every effort is being made to be sensitive to the history and culture of Hope church. Q: I've also heard that we will concentrate on stewardship in adult classes, small groups, and Sunday worship. Isn't that overkill? A: There will be little difference between how we focus during the campaign and the way we focus on our goal to train and reach people each week. We will not be repeating material, nor will our worship time be focused on money. Instead, we will focus on faith, vision, trust, self-evaluation, and courage. It is important to realize that we have a broad range of church backgrounds and levels of spiritual maturity at Hope. Jesus spent a great deal of time talking about possessions and how to maximize them for Kingdom purposes. As a church, we have spent very little time talking about these issues. There are some in our body who have yet to learn about these vital areas of the Christian life. Q: When will the campaign start? A: On Sunday, Feb. 26th each family will receive materials to help them participate in the campaign. The teaching and educational components will begin on March 5th. Q: When will the campaign end? A: We will celebrate the conclusion of the campaign at a special worship service and celebration on Sunday, April 9th. Q: Will we make one time gifts or pledge to give over a period of time? A: Each person's circumstances are different. Some will choose to make a one time gift. Others will choose to pledge over a three year period. Others will choose some combination of the two. Q: How much should I give? A: That's between you and God. Q: When will I be asked to start giving? A: Begin or Commit by April 9th, 2006. Q: Can I give gifts that are not cash? A: Yes. In the last Church I pastored, several people donated cars, land and appreciated stock to the church. By not selling appreciated assets like stocks, land, etc. you may be able to give a substantial gift and not pay taxes on the transaction while getting a full deduction for tax purposes. If you would like more information on these options, please speak directly to Lyn McGregor.