GRACE IS GOING HOME

Grace Community Church, later to become Grace Raleigh, was born in 2000 as the dream of dozens of our families with a shared desire to impact the Raleigh community with the beauty of the gospel for decades to come. For 16 years, through seasons of growth and contraction, Grace occupied a large space that was not ours, but was intended to be a temporary location until a permanent home could be built. In January of 2017, we moved into our current space, maintaining the hopes that one day we might finally have a place we could call our own.  Although we could not be more grateful for our current space, we also recognize that this space is not the best long-term facility for Grace. It simply isn’t home.

When we dream about our permanent home, we dream of a unified children’s space all under one roof. We dream of a devoted space for students which they could call their own. We would love to have larger children’s rooms to accommodate our burgeoning population of young families already attending on a Sunday morning, as well as the families we anticipate reaching in years to come. We envision comfortable meeting spaces for Small Groups that aren’t just repurposed children’s spaces, but are intentionally designed to serve the needs of Small Groups, committees, and community members who need a place to gather during the week.  Our hope is for these comfortable meeting spaces to further our vision of connecting people to one another as we seek to connect with Jesus. To this end, we dream of having a larger lobby with plenty of space to linger, meet, laugh, and pray. We picture a larger, more inviting auditorium (perhaps free of mid-room poles) so that Grace can feel inviting both to the long time partner and to the first time guest. We want Grace to feel like home.

Now as we sit amidst a church body that is growing and thriving, we believe it is the time to pursue these dreams initiated 20 years ago by our faithful partners. We believe that our season of wandering is over and it is time for Grace to go home.

GRACE IS GOING HOME CAPITAL CAMPAIGN – Phase 2

What’s the timeline for the campaign and building process? When do we anticipate being in the new building? 

The simplest answer is that we just don’t know.  

The only timeline we can predict with confidence is that it will take roughly 18 months to construct the building once we begin construction. We have allotted 2 years to raise $2 million, but are hopeful that the initial capital can be raised in a shorter amount of time than 24 months.

Why are we doing Phase 2? Was this a part of the original plan? 

Many of us remember and participated in the original campaign, launched in February of 2020. The goal of that campaign was to raise $1.5 million. We believed and understood at the time that this amount of money would allow us to borrow up to $3 million and enable us to up-fit an existing space or simply construct a new building without needing to raise additional funds. In light of this, we (the board) understand and empathize deeply with the possible sentiment of disappointment at the prospect of raising a large additional sum of money before being able to begin construction. The difficult truth that we’ve had to absorb is simply that the world has changed significantly since the Fall of 2019 when we were originally making our projections. Inflation, combined with a heightened demand for commercial space in the quickly growing Raleigh market, has caused the cost of acquiring land and building on that land to increase in ways no one could have predicted. This has also had an impact on the amount we are able to borrow, given our free operating cash flow. In light of all these factors, the elders could not help but agree with the conclusion of the Campaign Committee, that raising $2 million is the right and wise goal.

With what frequency will the Partners of Grace be kept informed of the campaign? 

As frequently as possible. This will be done through a combination of letters, the GraceVine, and the announcements in the service.  

Truthfully, all of our plans are currently being made in pencil and will be evaluated on a monthly and quarterly basis. The response to the campaign and overall total of what we are able to raise will heavily impact the decision we make regarding the building moving forward. 

What is the current size of our church and are we seeing growth?

We are a church that is showing consistent growth coming out of Covid, particularly in the young families demographic. Before the pandemic, children 10 and younger represented 12% of our weekly attendance. Currently that same demographic represents over 25% of our weekly attendance. This means we are experiencing profound growth in our young families. Not only are we growing exponentially there, we are also growing in our general attendance year over year.

What happens if, for some reason, we are not able to complete the project in two years?

If at the end of our campaign the decision is made to abandon our goal of building construction for any reason, the funds collected will be evenly distributed amongst the three international ministry organizations we support: Faith Ministry, Addis Jemari, and Ubuntu. For those donors for whom this solution is less than ideal, they will have the following options:

1. To re-purpose the funds for the operating budget of Grace Raleigh.
2. To re-designate the funds for a charity of the donor’s choice (provided the primary goal of the charity is to further the kingdom of God, the charity is a legal 501(c)3, and the charity meets elder approval).
3. Grace Raleigh will work with the donor to facilitate a full refund of the donation.

Will my pledge amount and personal information remain private?

Consistent with our history, no individual giving information has been or will be used in the campaign. All donor and pledge amounts will be kept confidential, known only to Grace’s financial manager for over a decade, who resides in Michigan. It is our belief that if a permanent home is in God’s plan for Grace, then our partners will faithfully embrace that plan and give accordingly.

How will I know how much to give? What amount is appropriate?

Although the campaign obviously has a financial component, we also hope that this will be a time of self-reflection and prayer as we each ask God, “How can my giving and living reflect my commitment to your Kingdom?” As we continue to move forward in this campaign, it is important to do so in a spirit of remembrance and gratitude as we think back over God’s faithfulness to us as individuals and as a church. As you consider how you might best contribute or use your accumulated assets to help fund the campaign, we hope it becomes part of your spiritual journey. Finally, we recognize that God does not need or require our money; rather, He invites us into the process and joy of generosity.