So, we came together as a church decision-making body, there were about 30 of us, at this special Church Conference, to talk about it and decide what to do. As you can imagine, there were people who spoke up both for and against the proposal. What impressed me was that everyone who was there truly had the long-term best interests of the church at heart, even if they disagreed.
I have to tell you honestly that, in my own mind, I was pretty evenly split about what we should do. It just seemed like a win-win situation, whichever way we might go. On the one hand, we could sell and have perhaps up to $100,000 to further pay down the principal on our debt. On the other, we could hold onto it and allow God to reveal some great use for the property as we open back up more and more after Covid, knowing we can always sell at a later date if that will benefit the church. It was a tough decision for sure.
As it turned out, those who were opposed to the sale prevailed, so none of the 3 lots will be sold. Or maybe more specifically, I should say, the prevailing sentiment seemed to be that we would not sell at this time, but if the need did arise to sell at some point in the future, especially if it was necessary to completely pay off our mortgage, we would revisit the matter then.
What I think won the day for those who ultimately decided not to sell, was the fact that our "What If" campaign really does seem to be making great progress. In less than a year, we've managed to pay off well over one-third of the mortgage ($309,713 paid off of the original principal amount of $865,000), as of the end of January. We have another one-third in the form of pledges still to be received over the next 2 years and our 6-month reserve. So we are well on the way and have reason to celebrate.
My only hesitation is that we don't want to celebrate too soon and take our foot off the accelerator of progress we are making toward our goal. We aren't quite there just yet. In fact, I think this gives each one of us the opportunity to renew our commitment to do what we can to pay off our mortgage and move even more powerfully into the future to which God is calling us.
So, thank you, thank you, thank you - for doing your part and allowing God to work through you. We are getting there, and we will get there - with God's faithfulness and your continued support!
Grace and Hope to you,
Pastor Duane
