LONG story....I've been hinting about this story for a while now... finally I can tell some of it! I've been praying for this kind of thing to happen for almost 8 years now! The timing of it at Easter is NO coincidence! It is a God thing!
The congregation that I pastor has been looking for a building for some time now. In November 2005 we thought we had one lined up and boy were we excited! But then the selling church changed the terms and we didn't like them, so we backed out! I spent almost an entire year fighting the depression of that deflating experience and our congregation suffered as well.
In August of 2006 we found the big warehouse that we dreamed about becoming The Joy Center, but the sellers would not either reject or accept our offer... so we continued to pray. Also, in February of 2007, we met with the Mayor to talk about how we would like to use that building. She called many officials together to meet with us in March 2007 on site. It became clear to us at that time that there would be no Joy Center at that location in Salisbury and that if we wanted to pursue that it would be a LONG battle... that meeting was at 3 p.m. At 5 p.m. we were meeting our realtor at a building that was on the market.
Prior to all of this, our leadership team was looking seriously at an option of opening a coffee shop that would be for profit and a place to meet for worship on Sundays. I am really excited about this and had thought this would be the direction we went. But things didn't fall into place for that to happen.
So, the next day after that meeting where it was clear that we would not be opening a coffee shop, I was walking and praying through my huge disappointment and seeking God on the direction he was calling me. As I neared the end of my walk, I was planning to invite a member of my Life Transformation Group to join me for lunch so I could share with him was was happening in my life and seek his counsel. Before I could call him, my cell phone rang and it was Steve (him) on the line. I invited him to be my guest for lunch, and he asked where I was at the moment. I told him and he said he would be right over. He came and we sat in the living room talking when he suggested we go for a ride. I asked him where we were going... he said to the church building that the leadership team was excited about and going to see the next day at 5 p.m. When we got there, he was ecstatic over the possibilities. I was mildly luke warm. Still wanted to do the coffee shop!
I then called the realtor and my wife and asked both if they could meet me there in 20 minutes to go in the building and look around. They could and did. I came out of there slightly more luke warm. Knowing the leadership team would love it.
As I said earlier, the leadership team looked at the building after our meeting with the mayor and the closed door there on The Joy Center... see several previous posts for more on this. They were excited about the building pictured above. We talked about changes we would make and agreed to pursue it. I was getting luke warm now.
I called a roofer, I knew, to do me a favor in looking at the flat roof for me. While he and I and the realtor were waiting for one of the roofer's employees to bring a ladder, we were talking oblivious to anyone else around. When a hand popped right into the middle of our conversation and a voice proclaimed, "I don't mean to interrupt, but I just wanted to say Hi". It was the pastor of the church whose property is adjacent to this property... Someone I knew - his name is Kevin Wackett. He told me to stop by his office before I left the property.
The roofer found that the roof had at least another 10 years life and that only minor improvements would be needed now. So, becoming even more warm to the idea, I went to my friend's office. While there, Kevin told me that they had explored buying the building and the vote to do so lost by 4 votes shy of a 2/3 majority and their polity said they could not revisit the issue. They had an appraisal done and he shared with me the findings. He also told me that he had seen my truck there 2 times and had gotten his leadership team to pray for us (before they knew for sure what we were doing) and that he could envision us working together in many ways to love the neighborhood. (I have been praying for the body of Christ to come together in common mission for many years now) Needless to say, that by this time I am very warm toward the possibility.
Armed with some new info, our leadership team met to make an offer. The asking price is $425,000. We offered $300,000 with the stipulation that we would pay no more than appraised value. They countered at $395,000 with word that this was FIRM and that any contract they signed would have a 72 hour kick out clause in it. We debated for a long time how to respond.... and I went to the realtor to make the response fully anticipating to agree to the $395,000 with no kick out and the real number being close to the appraised value. I left the realtor's having made a $375,000 counter. They countered our $375,000 offer at $360,000! That's NOT a typo! They also produced an appraisal they had done in Nov. 2006 for $360,000. Now I am HOT! On Fire! EXCITED! Go God!!!!!! I just love God's math!
On March 30, we reached a deal and both parties signed a contract. Also on March 30, we got pre-approval from the bank. That is a story in itself. I had spoken with this banker in Nov. 2005 when we were pursuing the other church. When I told her my name, she remembered me and told me her rates.... 7.69% without a deposit there and 7.19% with a 100,000 deposit there. She even said if it was only the 70,000 we had in the building fund and would later be used for the down payment that would work. By the time she faxed me an application, she had lowered the rates to 7.19% and 6.99%!!!!!!!!!
Now we are asking our folks to make sacrificial commitments and we are collecting them on Easter Sunday to announce to the congregation what has been committed. I fully expect God to move in a BIG way! Can't wait to see how BIG!
The realtor is paying for our building inspection... not required by the bank, but something we want. What a nice gift!
We will vote on this whole thing on April 15!
This opportunity is huge and comes at a time in our congregation's life when we needed to have a resurrection... THANKS be to GOD!
The congregation that I pastor has been looking for a building for some time now. In November 2005 we thought we had one lined up and boy were we excited! But then the selling church changed the terms and we didn't like them, so we backed out! I spent almost an entire year fighting the depression of that deflating experience and our congregation suffered as well.
In August of 2006 we found the big warehouse that we dreamed about becoming The Joy Center, but the sellers would not either reject or accept our offer... so we continued to pray. Also, in February of 2007, we met with the Mayor to talk about how we would like to use that building. She called many officials together to meet with us in March 2007 on site. It became clear to us at that time that there would be no Joy Center at that location in Salisbury and that if we wanted to pursue that it would be a LONG battle... that meeting was at 3 p.m. At 5 p.m. we were meeting our realtor at a building that was on the market.
Prior to all of this, our leadership team was looking seriously at an option of opening a coffee shop that would be for profit and a place to meet for worship on Sundays. I am really excited about this and had thought this would be the direction we went. But things didn't fall into place for that to happen.
So, the next day after that meeting where it was clear that we would not be opening a coffee shop, I was walking and praying through my huge disappointment and seeking God on the direction he was calling me. As I neared the end of my walk, I was planning to invite a member of my Life Transformation Group to join me for lunch so I could share with him was was happening in my life and seek his counsel. Before I could call him, my cell phone rang and it was Steve (him) on the line. I invited him to be my guest for lunch, and he asked where I was at the moment. I told him and he said he would be right over. He came and we sat in the living room talking when he suggested we go for a ride. I asked him where we were going... he said to the church building that the leadership team was excited about and going to see the next day at 5 p.m. When we got there, he was ecstatic over the possibilities. I was mildly luke warm. Still wanted to do the coffee shop!
I then called the realtor and my wife and asked both if they could meet me there in 20 minutes to go in the building and look around. They could and did. I came out of there slightly more luke warm. Knowing the leadership team would love it.
As I said earlier, the leadership team looked at the building after our meeting with the mayor and the closed door there on The Joy Center... see several previous posts for more on this. They were excited about the building pictured above. We talked about changes we would make and agreed to pursue it. I was getting luke warm now.
I called a roofer, I knew, to do me a favor in looking at the flat roof for me. While he and I and the realtor were waiting for one of the roofer's employees to bring a ladder, we were talking oblivious to anyone else around. When a hand popped right into the middle of our conversation and a voice proclaimed, "I don't mean to interrupt, but I just wanted to say Hi". It was the pastor of the church whose property is adjacent to this property... Someone I knew - his name is Kevin Wackett. He told me to stop by his office before I left the property.
The roofer found that the roof had at least another 10 years life and that only minor improvements would be needed now. So, becoming even more warm to the idea, I went to my friend's office. While there, Kevin told me that they had explored buying the building and the vote to do so lost by 4 votes shy of a 2/3 majority and their polity said they could not revisit the issue. They had an appraisal done and he shared with me the findings. He also told me that he had seen my truck there 2 times and had gotten his leadership team to pray for us (before they knew for sure what we were doing) and that he could envision us working together in many ways to love the neighborhood. (I have been praying for the body of Christ to come together in common mission for many years now) Needless to say, that by this time I am very warm toward the possibility.
Armed with some new info, our leadership team met to make an offer. The asking price is $425,000. We offered $300,000 with the stipulation that we would pay no more than appraised value. They countered at $395,000 with word that this was FIRM and that any contract they signed would have a 72 hour kick out clause in it. We debated for a long time how to respond.... and I went to the realtor to make the response fully anticipating to agree to the $395,000 with no kick out and the real number being close to the appraised value. I left the realtor's having made a $375,000 counter. They countered our $375,000 offer at $360,000! That's NOT a typo! They also produced an appraisal they had done in Nov. 2006 for $360,000. Now I am HOT! On Fire! EXCITED! Go God!!!!!! I just love God's math!
On March 30, we reached a deal and both parties signed a contract. Also on March 30, we got pre-approval from the bank. That is a story in itself. I had spoken with this banker in Nov. 2005 when we were pursuing the other church. When I told her my name, she remembered me and told me her rates.... 7.69% without a deposit there and 7.19% with a 100,000 deposit there. She even said if it was only the 70,000 we had in the building fund and would later be used for the down payment that would work. By the time she faxed me an application, she had lowered the rates to 7.19% and 6.99%!!!!!!!!!
Now we are asking our folks to make sacrificial commitments and we are collecting them on Easter Sunday to announce to the congregation what has been committed. I fully expect God to move in a BIG way! Can't wait to see how BIG!
The realtor is paying for our building inspection... not required by the bank, but something we want. What a nice gift!
We will vote on this whole thing on April 15!
This opportunity is huge and comes at a time in our congregation's life when we needed to have a resurrection... THANKS be to GOD!
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