Light for the Future Update
A highlight each year at Fox Valley Church is the deep encounter with God on Good Friday and the celebrative worship on Easter Sunday! Cathy and I love to be with our body in exalting Jesus Christ. We also love the joy and unity of our church family. The staff and volunteer teams did a tremendous job serving our church the entire weekend!
And there is more! Light for the Future (LFTF) is exceeding our wildest expectations. In just one year we knocked down our debt from $1.4 million to $150,000. Only God could do this and to Him goes all the glory! While we planned for two years, as you can see, we are in the final stretch.
Recall that LFTF is a five-year, two phase campaign to eliminate our current debt and expand our ministry center. Phase 1 will eliminate the $1.4 million of debt which will free up needed financial resources that we will be able to invest in sharing the hope of the Gospel.
Phase 2 opens the way to expand our overall ministry center which includes a larger worship and ministry space. God entrusted to us additional property to our east to maximize our impact for the kingdom. He did not give us this additional land (in December 2018) to watch the grass grow, nor this ministry center to merely enjoy. He wants us to use it for gospel mission.
Nineteen months ago our body told the leadership of Fox Valley Church they were energized for more ministry, committed to reducing debt and in favor of moving forward with expanding our facilities (Congregational Church Assessment, August 2021). The report stated, “So much of what is happening in Fox Valley Church is positive! The personal spiritual vitality of congregants is in the 97th percentile, which is exceptional.”
Please be assured that as we move towards Phase 2, we will be preparing a series of Informational Meetings. Per our bylaws, and consistent with the spirit of openness and transparency in all matters at Fox Valley Church, the congregation’s members will vote on moving forward and any expenditures to build. As the leadership reported to the body, “with the values and practices of our body, we would prefer to be in a two-service format and a space more conducive to our worship experience and fellowship.”
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, rather let’s strongly finish Phase 1. Moreover, any additional money beyond the debt elimination will set us up for Phase 2. Be assured, no LFTF money will be spent on programs, staff, building maintenance or the like. So, for example, as Cathy and I have not completed our pledge for Phase 1, we will by God’s grace, because we made a pledge first to the Lord and then to Fox Valley Church.
I am excited about the future of Fox Valley Church. In the end, all of this is not ultimately about LFTF, but about being aligned with the things that really matter. Join me this weekend as we begin our new series Align: seeking the things that matter most. I look forward to seeing you!