BodyBuilding Update 5/1/2009

Land Purchase Frequently Asked Questions

Why would we consider buying property in these uncertain economic times?

While it may seem counter-intuitive to make a large purchase like this, five factors are critical to our decision:

1. It keeps faith with our vision and the number one priority of the BodyBuilding Campaign. A clearly articulated vision for St. Luke’s and The United Methodist Church in the Florida Conference is the planting of a new congregation. A church conference vote authorizing the BodyBuilding campaign and subsequently designating the first priority as land purchase and facility set us on this path. Contributions given to the campaign are for capital needs only and by law cannot be transferred to operating expense needs. In short, we must use these funds for the stated purpose.
2. This is a great time to be a real estate purchaser. The parcel of land we propose to buy is one we were very interested in six years ago, but because of the inflated real estate prices and speculation about just how high values might go in the area there was no interest on the part of the seller to sell.
3. Faithful stewardship on the part of the donors to BodyBuilding places us in a positive position. To date, we have received 86% of the total amount of money pledged to the BodyBuilding Campaign in 2005. This is significantly higher than the average payout on three year pledges (e.g. some persons move away, financial situations change, etc.) We are thus capable of completing a purchase without needing to secure a large loan.
4. Fiscal restraint on the part of staff and the members of the Committee on Finance anticipated the challenges of the recession we now face. Whereas many churches are in serious trouble regarding their operating funds as weekly donations decline, your St. Luke’s leadership teams made critical and not altogether popular decisions about budgetary and spending reductions before the crisis hit in order to bring spending to a level consistent with anticipated receipts. Even if it were legally permissible (which it is not!) we would not need to tap BodyBuilding funds for current operations.
5. Operating reserve funds are at an all-time high. The same kind of faithful and conservative management of our tithes and offerings which we have seen in recent years is nothing new. All through the years, the persons elected to financial management positions at St. Luke’s have done their best to maximize ministry and minimize unnecessary expenditures. As a result, our undesignated, unencumbered operating reserve funds exceed $938,000.
   

Where is the land located?

The pie-shaped lot is located 4/10ths of a mile south of the intersection of CR-535 (Winter Garden-Vineland Road) and Lake Butler Boulevard. Traveling south on CR-535 from Lake Butler Blvd you will see the property on the left side of the road beginning at the traffic light which marks West Lake Butler Road on the left and Summerport on the right. The current location for the HopeSpring campus is at the Shoppes at Lake Butler, at the intersection of CR-535 and Lake Butler Blvd.

What is the total cost of the property?

The property itself costs $2,100,000
The impact fees are estimated to be around $180,000

The St. Luke’s Church Council authorized the Land Acquisition Team to move forward and sign a purchase agreement that called for a 90 day “Due Diligence” period. That began on January 5, 2009 and ends on April 5, 2009. The Council also authorized the expenditure of no more than $25,000 for the fees and costs associated with the work of due diligence (surveys, soil boring, retention, environmental, title confirmation, etc.). This amount is in addition to the purchase price and the impact fees.

How large is this site, and will it meet our requirements for growth?

The portion of the site that we propose to purchase is 9 acres. The southern portion of the site is projected to be sold to a purchaser who intends to build a day-care center. (This is not in conflict with whatever plans we might envision for a pre-school program similar to the CDC.) The suggested model for new church plants in The United Methodist Church envisions smaller congregations and more of them. The East Central District Committee on Church Building and Location of The United Methodist Church unanimously affirmed this purchase last fall as meeting their requirements. The current guideline concerning new church plants in the Florida Conference is that seven years after a new congregation is chartered, that congregation must plant another United Methodist Church. As a result there may be fewer mega-church campuses like St. Luke’s in the future.

(Land Outlined in Red)

Do we have a proposed site plan for the land?

Zoning and land use considerations for Orange County require a proposed site plan. The site plan was also needed to determine the locations for soil boring related to the foundations for future buildings. The Land Acquisition Team worked with architects to make certain that facilities of acceptable square footage for worship and ministry would fit well on the property. They also took into consideration parking, green space, set-backs, landscaping, and water retention. The plan below calls for three buildings. We envision that the first building constructed would be a multi-purpose building, followed by a worship center and a children and youth ministry building. These plans are only conceptual and any specific floor plans or elevations would become appropriate only as the church moved toward a groundbreaking.

When would building take place?

This purchase seeks to take advantage of a buyer’s market in real estate as we secure land for the future. Currently the HopeSpring ministry is gearing up for the move to the newly remodeled Shoppes at Lake Butler in April. We have entered into a five year lease there, the cost of which is factored into our operating budget. As the congregation there grows and meets the benchmarks the denomination has set for chartering, or as our ministry objectives continue to evolve, we will move forward to build. Of course, the current recession will determine in large measure just when that can happen because any building on the site will require a capital campaign building fund.

Do we have enough cash on hand for this purchase or will we need to consider financing?

Response from BodyBuilding donors who have either completed their giving or plan to do so before the end of 2009 indicates that we can expect to have $1,900,000 available for the purchase. Of the original targeted amount of $2,500,000, the Trustees have allocated no more than $200,000 for build out expenses at the Shoppes of Lake Butler, which includes fixtures, furniture, and equipment.

How would we deal with the shortfall?

1. Option 1: Secure additional funding. Many persons have joined St. Luke’s since BodyBuilding pledging was completed. There may be visionary donors who will participate. Selected confidential requests can be made to current donors.
2. Option 2: The Committee on Finance would consider utilizing not more than $300,000 of our unrestricted Operating Reserve Funds to this purchase. (Operating funds may legally be transferred to capital needs; the reverse transfer is not allowed.)
3. Option 3: After ascertaining the total amount available through a combination of Options 1 and 2, we could consider a short-term financing plan through an outside lender or through the Florida United Methodist Foundation.

The anticipated closing date for the purchase will be either late August or early September 2009, which allows six months for the receipt of new or additional gifts.

What are the steps as we move forward?

The contractual Due Diligence period ends on April 5, 2009, but can be extended for 30 days upon payment of a nonrefundable fee of $5,000.

Prior to April 5, 2009, as a part of the contract, we must obtain all necessary local church and denominational approvals for the purchase. As noted in another answer here, The United Methodist Church requirements through our Book of Discipline have been met. All that remains is the St. Luke’s decision. At the Church Conference all persons present have voice, but only Professing Members (Full Members) may vote.

If we vote not to purchase the property, the earnest money in escrow ($10,000) will be returned to us with no other fees or payments due the seller. Of course the money spent for the due diligence portion of our preparation is not refundable.

Funds given to BodyBuilding for land purchase must still be used for that purpose, so it is anticipated that based upon previous votes of the Church Conference we will continue to look for an appropriate site for a new church.

Additional BodyBuilding Questions

1. What was the original BodyBuilding pledge target amount?

The original target amount was $20,500,000. This amount included the following priorities:

2a. What happened to the plans to build new buildings and expand the St. Luke's campus as shown in the model and fly-through video?

These plans have not gone away.  At a Church Conference held on May 25, 2006 a vote was taken affirming the following priorities for the anticipated receipts of approximately of $5,700,000:

It is our desire to hold a phase II BodyBuilding Campaign to raise funds to complete the build out on this campus. This could include a Children's Ministry building to house children's Sunday school and an expanded Child Development Center as well as a new Fellowship Center which would house our contemporary worship and move it out of the gymnasium. The funds would also be used to renovate our oldest building on campus the Fellowship Hall into a 100+ seat chapel.

2 b. Were these plans reduced to the mural-painting initiatives in the existing buildings due to a shortfall between the targeted amount and the actual pledged amount?

No, the mural painting initiative in our existing Education building was funded through a designated gift beyond the $6 million referenced above. There was also an additional designated gift given to cover the expense of covered walkways which are currently in the design phase and should be completed in late summer.

BodyBuilding Update 12/17/2008

BIG NEWS!

We took another very important step forward in our vision for our HopeSpring campus last night at the Church Council meeting. The top priority of the BodyBuilding Campaign was the purchase of property for a new congregation. Our Florida United Methodist bishop, Timothy Whitaker, and the East Central District leadership had both asked St. Luke's to share its unique ministry commitment by giving birth to a new church. For nearly three years we have been receiving financial support from our District to strengthen our church planting initiatives.

Meanwhile a dedicated group of St. Lukers have been diligently looking for the best location for a new church campus. A great piece of property located just .04 mile south of the Shoppes at Lake Butler (across from the northern entrance to Summerport) became available. It was the same piece of property that I had wanted us to pursue more than five years ago, but at that time the owners were not interested in selling. Those of you who have been following developments in the property search will recall that there were two other tracts of land that we considered a few years ago before determining that they would not meet our needs. Now I am certain that we have located the ideal site.

Last night the Church Council voted unanimously to move to the initial stage of a property purchase. This involves signing a purchase agreement that provides for 90 days of due diligence, during which time we will make certain that the ensuing purchase is in our best interest and that the land will fully support the programming vision we see as necessary for a new church. Before any final purchase is agreed to, we will need to have a Church Conference and vote on the sale. In advance of that, which will come this spring, we will have several opportunities for everyone to ask questions and fully understand the details of the purchase.

Our BodyBuilding receipts continue to come in on a regular basis and we expect to have all the cash we need on hand to cover the $2.1 million purchase price. This time the declining real estate market worked to our advantage! Because it may be several years until we will be in a position to build anything on the site, we will still need to occupy the new space being readied for us at the Shoppes at Lake Butler. Construction continues as we anticipate a grand opening for HopeSpring in its new location in early spring.

One other BodyBuilding note: on the Central campus finishing touches are being made to the Children's ministry building rooms and final theme elements in the hallways. The warning cones by the sanctuary choir entrance mark the place where architects took a look at the footers for the covered walkways that were put in place 20 years ago. The construction of the walkways will commence in early 2009 as the result of a designated gift from the BodyBuilding Campaign. These items will complete the list of priorities we made for that campaign, and we give thanks for all the visionary donors who gave over the past three years.

BodyBuilding Update - 6/3/2008

Can you believe that it has been almost three years since our church-wide gathering at SeaWorld celebrating the beginning of our BodyBuilding Campaign? Wonderful things have happened for St. Luke's and others because you shared in our vision and commitment! Here's what has happened since then:

• St. Luke's is now debt free.
• Our mission endowment fund is ready to make its first disbursements to organizations needing help with capital projects.
• We have renovated our Children's Ministry area with exciting new Biblical themes.
• HopeSpring, our new congregation, is worshiping weekly at Bridgewater Middle School and we have an opportunity to take the next step for its future.

God has continued to use our gifts to build the Kingdom one heart at a time.

As we approach the end of our three-year pledge period in December 2008, we are also presented with an opportunity to purchase land for our HopeSpring location. We have made provisions in our operating budget for continuing ministry at a temporary site, but the property purchase would allow us to make long range decisions for the future. Your Church Council leaders and the members of the Board of Trustees are seeking to make an informed decision about the funding needed for this purchase. To help them make that decision, I am asking you to share confidentially with us your ability and desire to fulfill the pledge commitment you made in 2005 or at some other time during the past three years. Many circumstances have changed in all of our lives and in the economy since you made your pledge, and at this critical decision point for the future we must be realistic about our ability to move forward.

If you have completed your pledge, or have given as much as you have been able, please know of my sincere gratitude for your visionary generosity. It will help us immensely to have your reponse to the future. Please let us know your plans by completing the form below. With this information your Church Council and Board of Trustees will have what they need to respond faithfully to this land opportunity.

Whatever you have already done and will continue to do through the BodyBuilding Campaign, by both your gifts and your prayers, has enriched our witness for Jesus Christ. Many wonderful things have already come to reality, and we continue to look for clear direction from God on how we are called to proceed with the challenging opportunities we are given.

With faith, hope and love,

Bill Barnes
Lead Pastor

P.S. Please ask us about the many options we have for charitable giving that take advantage of our tax laws, including, but not limited to, the transfer of stock and other assets, charitable trusts and annuities.

BodyBuilding Update - 7/23/2007

Extreme Makeover: Buildings A & B

Entrance to Building A

Buildings A and B have been a flurry of activity as a design team, artists and a number of servant ministers have been working on the renovation of Buildings A and B thanks to a gift to the BodyBuilding campaign. The design team made up of Meredith Barnes, Joanne Dorr, Amanda Knight, John Stiles Williams and Mark Wollard has been meeting since May and last month turned the buildings into a giant coloring book with murals designed by artist Chad Thompson.

Building A Hallway

The team was charged with coming up with a theme and
transforming the buildings into a fun, multi-functional space that is child-friendly and exciting. To find out what kids like, go to the source. The theme God-o-sea came as a suggestion from 7 year old Caroline Stiles Williams.

Building B Hallway

The first floor of the design will bring the Bible to life with murals of Moses parting the waters, Noah’s ark and a seaside resort on the Sea of Galilee. The upstairs gathering space will be turned into a cool surf shack and the hallways upstairs will help all surf the scriptures in a fun way.

Building B Hallway

Room A201

Building B Upstairs Hallway

Churches transplant their DNA to make new disciples - Florida UMC article

Achieving A Milestone in Our History - 4/1/2007

Were you at St. Luke’s back in 1988 when we started building the sanctuary? I was, and it was so exciting! At the ground-breaking we all lined up around the cross-shaped outline of the building and held hands, sang hymns and said prayers. It was a huge milestone in the life of St. Luke’s.

Last month we achieved another milestone. After nearly twenty years of making large mortgage payments and refinancing loans, we have finally retired the debt on our beautiful sanctuary! We also retired the debt on the Annex property. For the first time in twenty years, St. Luke’s is completely debt-free! What a victory!

Last spring we held a church conference and decided to use BodyBuilding funds to pay down our debt. That decision saved us over $21,000 per month in the operating budget. Each month we paid all the extra money we had in the BodyBuilding account, which allowed us to be able to pay off over $2 million of debt in a year. God has truly blessed all of you in your faithfulness to the BodyBuilding campaign, and in turn you have blessed St. Luke’s. We can now focus on other BodyBuilding goals. When we find the right piece of property for HopeSpring, our plan is that your continued faithfulness will allow us to finance the purchase on our own and not go in to debt again.

Thank you all for your continued financial support of St. Luke’s. With the retirement of our debt, we can use that money to help even more people in need. God bless you!

BodyBuilding Update 3/1/2007

A Note from Pastor Bill

Dear Saints:

Do you remember BodyBuilding? Do you remember our vision for “Building the Kingdom One Heart at a Time?” Do you remember the priorities we set for Phase 1?

Well, if you need a refresher, here it is: Our first priority was the establishing of the new congregation, using the first $2.5 million we received. That will fund property purchase and possibly some first unit building. We continue to look for the right location, but in the meantime, HopeSpring Church has begun preview worship services on a monthly basis at Thornebrooke Elementary School, and Pastor Gary has assembled his staff. Operating costs for HopeSpring (a ministry of St. Luke’s until the congregation is chartered on its own) are being covered through the reduction of our debt service.

We have paid off the mortgage on the Foxshire parsonage through BodyBuilding receipts, and we continue to reduce the sanctuary debt. We will be burning another mortgage before the end of 2007.

The Missions Endowment fund now totals over $300,000, as we have tithed (given 10%) every dollar received in the campaign. Now we begin to look at what portions of the needs on our St. Luke’s campus can be funded with what we expect to receive over the next two years of the campaign. You really have been receiving news about BodyBuilding all this time. It just has been coming in the form of celebrations of things we have accomplished already. Thank you so much for your faithfulness, and for claiming the vision of building the body of Christ in so many important and creative ways.

With faith, hope, and love,

Dr. William S. Barnes,
Lead Pastor

BodyBuilding Update 11/5/2006

We Have a Name!

After more than sixteen months of thinking, praying and dreaming together our new church strategy team has chosen the name HopeSpring for St. Luke’s daughter congregation. Naming a church is not an easy task. Many of you know we had two previous names that were suddenly taken by other congregations in our target area. Obviously these were good names! So we had to come up with something else.

The name of a church needs to convey a sense of who the congregation is and what they’re about. To insure broad appeal a church name needs to be attractive, inviting and inclusive (just like the congregation it represents--especially to those who don’t consider themselves “church” people. We believe HopeSpring offers this and more!

People are looking for hope. Hope is defined as “a wish or desire accompanied by confident expectation of its fulfillment.” People all around us hope for love, acceptance, grace and justice. Unfortunately, many of the people around us just don’t expect to find these things in “church.”

We believe the hopes of the human heart find their greatest fulfillment in a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ culminating in acts of love and service in the world. And just as a spring is a natural source of refreshment and revitalization we believe HopeSpring will extend the “living water” of Christ to a parched and weary world.

We Have a Vision We Call “Grow to Go!”

HopeSpring is an externally-focused church partnering with the Holy Spirit to help people grow in relationship with Jesus Christ and go to extend God’s kingdom through selfless acts of love and service.

How Do We Know We’re Being Successful In Our Vision?

Two significant ways. The people of HopeSpring will be able to identify ways they are growing in their relationship with Christ and ways they are going out into the world to serve.

We Have a Date For Our First Preview Service- Sunday, January 28, 2007!

As we move toward a fall 2007 launch HopeSpring will meet monthly for worship as we gather the members and friends of St. Luke’s who are interested in becoming a part of the mission of the new church. In addition to monthly worship we will invite people to become part of a small group for fellowship, study and spiritual growth; participate in regular outreach events in the target area and join one of several essential teams to help us build the necessary ministries we will need for our launch of weekly worship services in the fall of 2007--these teams will include children and youth ministries, hospitality, worship, music, mission, set-up for Sunday mornings, small group leadership, marketing and more!

Our first preview service will be held on Sunday, January 28th at Thornebrooke Elementary School just off of Maguire near Windermere at 10:00 a.m.

If you, or someone you know, is interested in helping us get ready for our January 28th event please call me. I’d love to hear from you and get you connected to HopeSpring! If you want to get involved fill out the form (form no longer available) on the HopeSpring site.

The Rev. Gary Shockley

BodyBuilding Update 7/24/2006

We are making great steps towards our goals related to the BodyBuilding Campaign. Below is a brief update on where we currently are:

• New Church Start – The Trustees in conjunction with the strategy team for the new church have been working diligently on finding property for the new church. We currently have a parcel of land under contract and are in the due diligence stage. Should the due diligence work have a favorable outcome we could close as early as September on this property. We would then go into the design phase of the work and then to permitting. As of now, Orange County permitting process is taking approximately 18 – 24 months. So even though we might possibly have the land we are still a ways away from seeing construction. However, this does not mean we won’t continue to work on the development of this new church. Pastor Gary Shockley and the strategy team are working on creative ways to begin the new church services as early as February, 2007 on the St. Luke’s campus. Keep looking for additional updates on the website, your newsletter and the E-news Update.
• The Capital Missions Endowment Fund continues to grow. We currently have over $500,000 in this account. What a great praise!! The Church Council is reviewing a document to create a Permanent Endowment Fund Committee which will put processes in place for ways to apply for these funds for Mission capital needs. This fund will continue to grow as pledges are paid. Remember 10% of each dollar received goes directly to this fund.
• Debt Reduction is another area where we are making great strides. During worship in July we celebrated the “Burning of the Mortgage” on the Foxshire parsonage. This debt is now completely paid off and St. Luke’s owns the parsonage. We continue to pay down the loan on the Sanctuary at an accelerated rate and anticipate we will be out of debt by late 2007.

Your gifts to the BodyBuilding Campaign are helping to do the work of Building the Kingdom here at St. Luke’s and beyond. Thank you for your faithfulness and continue to look for more and exciting news on how we are moving forward.

June 7, 2006

Dear Builders,

A Church Conference was held on Thursday, May 25, 2006 to review and vote on the BodyBuilding Discernment Team’s recommendation for distribution of BodyBuilding funds. This recommendation had previously been approved by Church Council at their April meeting by unanimous vote. The recommendation was as follows:

The recommendation was presented by our Vice Chairperson for Church Council, Cindy Hunter. There was a time for questions and discussion and then a vote was taken. The recommendation was overwhelmingly approved and actions will now be taken to make these recommendations a reality. Please continue to pray for clarity as we move forward with these exciting plans and begin steps towards a new church plant, mission beyond St. Luke’s and retirement of our debt. God has truly blessed us – once again!