Saint Mark United Methodist Church; Atlanta, Georgia

Vision Awareness Gatherings

Capital Campaign, Fall 2007

The Vision Awareness Gatherings are a series of small group forums offered to encourage discussion & understanding of our past, our present, and now our future needs.

The following is information that is to be distributed during these meetings.

A Rich Heritage ... An Exciting Future

Our Heritage

Saint Mark has a rich heritage of serving midtown Atlanta and the surrounding area. For over 100 years we have been a place of vital worship, wonderful music, prophetic leadership, authentic spiritual growth, and ministry to the hurting from the corner of Peachtree and Fifth. We have long been a community of open minds, open hearts, and open doors.

Our Vision

As we look to the future, it is important that we do not abandon the present by allowing our ministries to be under-funded because of our need to expand. Our church is trying to strike a delicate balance between providing new tools of ministry while also fully funding our current ministries.

Our vision builds on our great heritage. Music and worship have long been central to Saint Mark's identity. Our wonderful organ needs critical work if it is to continue to provide the music we love. Our sanctuary is in need of repainting. Expanding our campus allows us to support all of our ministries with safe, secure, accessible parking and lays the groundwork for future expansion and modernization of our facilities which will be needed as our ministries grow. Increasing our operating budget allows us to expand our regular ministries such as those with children and youth, our drama and music ministries, our outreach with the needy, and our efforts to reach newcomers to the midtown area.

Our Estimated 2008 Operating Budget: $1,390,000.00

To support our regular program ministries such as music and drama, children's and youth ministries, and opportunities for spiritual growth and nurture.
To fund our strong missional outreach ministries such as Breakfast Club and Supper Club.
To pay the staff that guides and/or supports these ministries.
To maintain our buildings needed to house these ministries.
To fund our portion of the ministries carried out by the District, the Conference, and the Denomination.
To fund our current debt.

Our Three-Year Capital Needs: $2,500,000.00

Releathering and keyboard replacement for our organ - $90,000
Painting the sanctuary - $80,000
Funds to purchase properties on Juniper Street - $2,300,000 - These funds will give us much of the resources we will need to purchase lots on Fifth Street between our property and Juniper Street. These acquisitions will move us toward completing our vision for expansion and will allow us to immediately address critical parking needs. This parking will make participating in our ministries safer and more accessible - no streets to cross! It will be parking entirely under our control. This property moves us toward our long-term goal of building a parking deck and of having a footprint that will allow us to enhance our ministries by completely redoing our Education Building. Click here to view plat diagrams of areas under consideration surrounding Saint Mark.

Our Plan:

September - November 2007: Conduct a stewardship campaign to raise the funds needed for our 2008 operating budget and for our capital needs.
2008: Carry out the ministries we have funded. Repair the organ and paint the sanctuary. Begin negotiations on the properties on Fifth Street. Any purchases will have to be approved by Church Conferences. Develop parking as property is acquired.

Your Commitment

The single most important decision you will make during the course of this campaign will be the one you make concerning your own personal commitment. The theme of the program is `Not Equal Giving, but Equal Sacrifice." This theme recognizes that God has given financial resources to us all, in differing measure, and that not everyone can give the same amount in dollars and cents. Everyone, however, can and should give something. Even the widow gave her two mites.

Through sacrificial giving, everyone has the opportunity and privilege to share equally, not in amount, but in the quality of commitment. What "sacrifice" means to one person may be completely different from what it means to another. However, it does mean that any gift must have real meaning and value to the giver. As one person said, "If I am to give sacrificially, my lifestyle cannot remain the same."

In great part, the success of the program will depend upon the degree to which the Leadership Team takes seriously the concept of sacrifice. It is important that your commitment set the example of sacrificial giving. You can be sure that the congregation will not rise above the standard of sacrificial giving which is set by the Leadership Team.

Because of this, you are now urged to begin seeking God's will regarding your commitment. Please make the amount of your three-year commitment a prayer priority. Remember, when you make your commitment a matter of earnest prayer, your decision will become a joyous act of worship and praise for all the Lord's blessing.

The congregation will follow the pattern of giving established by the Leadership Team, therefore, the decision you make will be most helpful to your consultant in the establishment of the financial goals for the campaign. You are asked to submit your tentative commitment to your consultant according to a pre-arranged schedule.

A Helpful Guide to Your Stewardship Journey

Purpose

Motivate households/individuals to be concerned about the church's plans and see the campaign as a means by which to achieve those plans.
Challenge households/individuals to pray about their part in what the church is seeking to do in the campaign.
Motivate households/individuals to achieve a level of sacrificial commitment over and above what they regularly give in support of the church's work.

Preparation

Reach an appropriate God-honoring decision about your commitment using the following guidelines. Base it on realistic faith. Reflect sacrifice and an adjustment of priorities. Reflect faith and a dependence upon God's provisions. Reflect that God is Lord of Your life.

Write out, or make notes, concerning the main ideas in your preparation. It should be clear, concise, and brief. It should be about five (5) minutes in length.

Share the important elements of: Your excitement and interest in what the church is doing in the campaign; Your personal or your household's experience of prayer in discovering the Lord's leadership and how your commitment reflects prayer, sacrifice, and faith; Your specific commitment stated as weekly, monthly, or annual amounts and the three-year total; and Your sincere concern and your sacrificial three-year commitment dearly conveyed in order to motivate others.

Realization

God can use your journey to reach others for spiritual decisions and personal Christian growth.
Be assured that this will be a good and growing experience for you.

Levels of Giving to Produce $2,500,000