Freqently Asked Questions about the Capital Campaign

What is our Growing Blessings ~ Building Futures appeal?

These are exciting times for our church.  Here at Emmanuel, we are blessed by the faithfulness and generosity of members from past generations.  This appeal is our opportunity to build upon God’s many blessings, moving forward in faith and building for our future.  This appeal provides us with opportunities to help our parish grow into our future:
By Increasing Support of our Ministries

• In support of our annual and recurring ministries and operating costs, we ask parishioners to make a one-year financial pledge to fund those ministries for 2011.

By Supporting our Building Fund
In support of our building project we seek to raise significant funds through a three-year financial pledge.

In the end, our generous response to this appeal will provide the resources we need to continue to love each other and to care for both one another and those around us to whom we minister.

What are the needs of our parish?

Early on in our planning process, the following parish needs were identified:

• Repair and maintain our church building and areas of our campus
• Provide for a growing adult, youth and children’s formation program
• Improve our spaces for pre- and post-worship support activities
• Improve our office space for staff and volunteers
• Reconfigure parts of our worship space while preserving the integrity and beauty of our church
• Improve our space for formal and informal gatherings
• Provide more space for private meditation
• Provide greater accessibility to all parishioners
• Provide more accessible parking and better drop off facilities
• Provide spaces to meet projected growth in our Day School
• Insure our building projects are done according to LEED certification utilizing environmentally friendly practices whenever possible.

With the help of the architects at Houser Walker Architecture, a master plan approved by the Vestry in July 2010 was created to address our parish needs.  In today’s construction dollars, completing the five phases of the master plan would cost $12.5 million.  The master plan will guide our facilities planning for years to come.  At this time, we have set our sights on accomplishing Phase One of the master plan.

What is the scope of our building project?

Phase One of our master plan is estimated to cost $6.9 million, and consists of the following:

• New construction including:

• Narthex
• Chapel
• Bride’s room / parlor
• Classrooms for adult formation and the Catechesis program
• Choir rehearsal and storage space
• Inviting outdoor walkways, gardens and a covered drop off
• Meditation garden, labyrinth and columbarium
• Administration offices
• Handicap accessibility across campus
• Restrooms

• Renovation of:

• 540 Prince for use as our Youth Center
• Music Building for use by the Thrift House
• Existing office spaces for Altar Guild, Flower Guild and other worship support

• Demolition of the existing “outreach mall”
• New paved parking spaces & landscaping

Why is a building project important to our future?

Our building project will expand and enhance God’s ministries in many ways, strengthening the spiritual lives of our faith community both now and for generations to come.  Our building expansion and renovation of our campus will respect our historic space, enhance our spiritual lives, grow our community of faith, and invite both current and new members to come and experience God’s love.

What are the financial goals for our Growing Blessings ~ Building Futures appeal?

Building Fund:  Our goal is to raise the $6.9 million Phase One project cost through three-year financial pledges.  Raising this amount of money means we will need special gifts from all of our members and friends.  These special gifts will need to be over and above our annual pledges for current ministry expenses. 

Annual Stewardship Pledge:  We are also asking all our members to renew, and consider increasing by 5%, their annual support for the ongoing church ministries for 2011.

How much is our current debt?

Zero!  Three years ago we paid off our mortgage.  Our parish has a history of generous stewardship and prudent financial management.  This will not change.

What is the Hoped For Gift?

You may ask: "What should I consider giving so we can achieve our goals?"  You will receive a Hoped for Gift letter.  The letter suggests a variety of gift options to prayerfully consider when making your pledge to this appeal. The gifts to consider are challenging.  Receiving gifts within the ranges hoped for is necessary for us to achieve our goals..

What are the Hoped For Gift options?

1. Match Existing Giving - As a starting point, we ask you to pray and consider matching or doubling your current regular giving over the next three years.  For example, if you are currently giving $25 per week ($1,300 a year) to the church’s ministry, would you pray and consider giving an additional $25 per week to the Building Fund over the next three years, for a total pledge of $3,900?

2. Pacesetter Gift - We ask those who are in a position to give more to pray and consider making a pacesetter gift of $5,000 to $50,000 over the next three years to the Building Fund.

3. Leadership Gift - We invite those who have been financially blessed to pray and consider making a leadership gift of $50,000 to $1 million to our Building Fund.

The following giving table may be helpful in planning your building fund gifts.  Here’s how a weekly gift can grow in size over a three year period:

The decision is yours to make.  God is certainly at work in our lives helping us grow in faith and generosity.  May God lead you as you pray about your decision to support our building project.

What happens at the end of this three-year appeal?
Three years from now we will reevaluate our parish’s financial responsibilities.  To the extent we borrow funds to accomplish our building project, we would likely ask parishioners to consider renewing their financial pledges in order to pay down any remaining building project debt.  The more we raise in this appeal, the less we will need to consider borrowing.         

How do I respond to this appeal?

On Sunday, October 24, we will be hosting a special appeal celebration at each worship service.  There will be a brief presentation, and at the end of the service, you will receive an appeal packet which will contain important information.  Food and fellowship will add to our celebration.  We will ask you to spend the following weeks praying and considering how God is leading you to respond to this appeal.  Then, on Sunday, November 21, we will have our Appeal Gifting Sunday, at which time we ask that you bring your pledge cards to worship.  Your pledge cards can also be mailed to the parish office.

We encourage you to consider making an initial gift and then a three-year pledge to the building fund.  Initial cash gifts are given at the time you make your pledge.  You begin fulfilling your three-year building fund pledge by making contributions every week, month, quarter or year starting January 1, 2011.  New envelopes carrying the appeal logo will be made available for these contributions.

May we encourage friends and relatives to support our project?

Yes, please encourage your friends or relatives to make a pledge or a one-time gift.  If you would like us to mail them information, share their name and address with Melissa Fulcher in our parish office at (706) 543-1294.

May I contribute gifts other than cash?

Besides cash, you may contribute gifts of property, stock, paid-up life insurance and other securities.  In-kind gifts are also welcome.  If you wish to discuss making a gift other than cash, contact Karen Holland at (706) 543-1294.

How can I help make this appeal a success?

• By prayerfully responding to God’s gift of love in Christ Jesus with your generous gifts.
• By joining us for our special appeal celebration on October 24.
• By bringing your pledge cards to worship on Appeal Gifting Sunday, November 21.
• By praying for God blessings upon our appeal, and praying that we may be open to the Spirit as it leads us forward into our future.

What if I have additional questions?   

Please call the following individuals if you have questions or comments:

• Fr. Robert Salamone, Rector, 706-543-1294
• Marty Kemp, Appeal Team Chair, 706-202-1315
• Butch Bush, Senior Warden, 706-353-0642