·         Demolishing the Elting wing and rebuilding a smaller section to meet the needs of   

          the congregation and community organizations

·         Reconfiguring and updating all 3 floors of the education building to utilize the entire 

          space to maximize our ministry growth and community engagement

·         Freeing up capital for ministry by paying off HVAC debt

·         Supporting our growing ministry by entering a covenant agreement with Memphis

          seminary providing us a youth director for 3 years while they receive their master’s 

          degree

• We are having fun living out our vision and need to continue growing in our calling. Serving God is a joy, and our capital campaign will enable us to better share this joy with others. A full plan for the use of our building is the culmination of both our vision and mission. How we decide to allocate space for members, community organizations, and missions is the reality of who we say we are as a church. A full church plan forces us to recognize all of who we are and how we might best come together to grow in Christ.

• The Elting Wing is collapsing upon itself and creating additional annual cost for unusable space. We also need adequate bathrooms for social gatherings and ministries hosting those in need of food and shelter (Room in the Inn and Soup Kitchen)

• Our church is a growing church and we need a plan for use of space in our building so that we can optimize our resources and better serve our members, visitors, and community. This starts by having presentable and functional bathrooms that meet ADA standards, children and youth rooms designated for that purpose, and adult education/meeting rooms easily accessible.

• The HVAC loan is costing the church $25,000 a year and $19,000 of that is interest. This money could be better used towards ministries of the church.

• The Elting wing must be demolished and a new building built so that we can continue our commitment to being a church that serves the community in the name of God. Currently, we have severely limited the amount of community organizations able to use our facilities because we do not have usable restrooms. And asking our food and shelter insecure guests to use those very same restrooms sends the message that we don’t value them as true brothers and sisters in Christ. We might be serving the hands of Christ, but asking them to use unclean and unsafe facilities is not loving them with the heart of Christ. And it certainly is not us uniting as one people under God with a vision of always moving closer to Christ together.

• The HVAC debt is prohibiting our congregation from expanding our ministries because of financial restrictions. As we expand our VBS, Trunk or Treat, Soup Kitchen, and nonprofit partnerships, it is essential that we have the capital and personnel to faithfully engage each of these expanding ministries. For us to live into our mission of Thinking with the Mind of Christ we must think sacrificially and share our gratitude of God’s blessings by being good stewards of our resources.

• A full plan for the use of our building is the culmination of both our vision and mission. How we decide to allocate the space that we have and use it for members, community organizations, and mission is the reality of who we say we are as a church. Having a plan for our footprint and how each room will provide for different needs of the church allows us to be prepared for education, congregational care, stewardship, worship, and mission. Developing and implementing a full church plan forces us to recognize all of who we are and how we might best come together to grow in Christ.

First Presbyterian is a church living out its mission: Thinking with Christ’s Mind, Loving with Christ’s Heart, Serving with Christ’s Hands. Living our mission and reaching our community through service has created energy and excitement among our growing congregation. To continue in our faith development, we must plan to meet the future needs of the congregation and the community. The Be Renewed campaign will enable us to fulfill the work God is calling us to do by fully utilizing our building and equipping our members to grow in their journey of discovering God’s Kingdom.

Our congregation is one of the few in the Shoals area that invites anyone into a journey of faith to discover the unfolding kingdom of God around us and how God is calling us to live in this new reality. This campaign will multiply our outreach potential in how we can share this good news with the community and enable our own members to grow in their journey of discovering God’s Kingdom.

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This campaign can renew our momentum and further our mission. More than that, this campaign is an opportunity for the whole congregation to better understand our identity as a church, and in knowing who we are, be better prepared to share our vision with the community.

We are about to outgrow our own ministry capabilities. We have so much energy and excitement because members see us moving forward as a congregation in a meaningful way. If we do not continue this transformative restoration we run the risk of stalling our ministries and hindering our faith development.

Our goal is to raise 1 million dollars over three years to:

• Demolish the Elting wing and rebuild a smaller structure with a choir room and ADA bathroom on the top floor. The bottom floor will have family restrooms and storage for the fellowship hall.

• Update the Education building. This will include painting walls on all three floors, new furniture for Library, new carpet in areas, new furniture for children’s rooms, youth rooms, and new family room. It will also include updating bathrooms on both floors, updating lights, and fixing broken tile, other small fixes, and paving the parking lot.

• Pay off our HVAC dept. In 2013 we took out a loan to purchase an HVAC system. We currently owe 390,000.

Demolishing and rebuilding the Elting Wing                                               $450,000

Reconfiguring and updating all 3 floors of the education building         $160,000

Freeing up capital for ministry by paying off HVAC debt                           $390,000

                                                                                                                                $1,000,000

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• Pray for our Church and this campaign

• Participate in events

• Read and engage Be Renewed material

• Discuss your commitment with your family members

• Consider sacrificial giving.