| |
||
|
THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN FOR HUGHSON STREET BAPTIST CHURCH
~ISAIAH 58:12 NASV
why does hughson need a NEW BUILDING? Hughson St. Baptist Church has been serving God in the North End of Hamilton since 1887; one of the poorest urban neighbourhoods in both Hamilton and Canada. Yet through God’s blessing, our church has moved from a place where it was nearly empty to the place where we are now packed. It is at this time in our history that we are asking for your partnership with the daunting task of constructing a new church building. After seeking the advice of several experts
including architects and contractors, we realized that the cost
of renovating the building is not as wise or effective as building
a new church on site. The foundation of our building is slowly
crumbling as much of it rests on dirt, offering inadequate support,
making renovating an expensive After much prayer and consideration, we have chosen to construct our new building on our present site. Currently 65% of our attendees live within walking distance of the church. We also have the privilege of ministering to over 150 non-believers weekly who live in the immediate area. In addition, across the street lies one of the largest public elementary schools in the city, the community recreation centre, a Catholic elementary school and a soon to-be-built community health centre, servicing over 7000 clients. We are heavily involved in these neighbourhood institutions and, as both seeing and being God’s presence in our neighbourhood is vital to our calling, we believe that we need to build on site to preserve these existing relationships. We are prayerfully asking God for 3.8 million dollars to tear down our present facility and build a new multi-purpose church on site. Our young church of modest income earners, living in an impoverished area, does not have the means to venture into a capital plan alone. We need your help and we are asking you to consider partnering with us in this seemingly insurmountable challenge.
the ministry of HUGHSON ST... Our church firmly believes that God has called us to minister to the neighbourhood we have been serving in since 1887. Many of our church members and adherents have moved into the community in order to missionally love their neighbours. We have intentionally permeated the North End with God’s love in order to see those who have rejected God or lived without any knowledge of Him, fall in love with Him. To that end, we care for our neighbourhood and extend God’s love through children’s ministries, youth drop-ins, emergency food and clothing assistance, as well as involvement in the local schools.
Since 1995, Hughson St. Baptist Church has organized a summer soccer league to allow neighbourhood children, who otherwise would not have a summer soccer league accessible to them, the opportunity to play soccer, learn essential skills and hear about God’s love. In 2006 we had the privilege of serving over 130 children in the league; most of whom came from modest or low-income, unchurched homes. Every year, with the assistance of more than a dozen area churches, we are able to provide Christmas hampers to the neediest families in our neighbourhood. Last year we provided 139 families with hampers that included a turkey, food for Christmas dinner, additional food to help them for several days, and new toys for all the children. We also offer every family a Bible for their home. We then follow up the hampers with an invitation to a Bible study where we can further foster relationships with those who have no other ties to a church community.
We look forward to a day when we have enough space to accommodate the various ministries God is calling us to. We are praying for a place where the often aimless and destructive lives of young people will be transformed by God. We long for a building where neighbours and friends who come for emergency food and clothing can have the dignity of being able to walk through a room where they can easily pick out the food and clothing they need. We dream about building a facility where our children and grandchildren will gather as a community to worship and serve God. We are asking you to help make this dream possible by partnering with us with your prayerful support.
As Hughson begins its capital campaign we have been caused to reflect on the story of Nehemiah and his passion for prayer. Nehemiah believed that God was calling him to approach King Artaxerxes for help in rebuilding Jerusalem’s wall. The problem was this: King Artaxerxes was an enemy of the Jewish People. Nehemiah faced an impossible situation. How do you ask the leader of your enemy for permission to build a wall that will protect you from those same enemies?
what will our new church LOOK LIKE? OUR BUILDING PHILOSOPHY Although details of what the building will look like are not yet determined, we will try to encompass both the youthfulness of our congregation as well as a continuity with its history in its design. This will mean building a church that visually will have both historical design elements – giving voice to our past – as well as modern elements, reflecting the younger demographic of our church. On a practical level, we will strive to design a building that is able to function with all the programs that are vitally important to our community. Our intention is to be as efficient and versatile with our space as possible. A GREEN CHURCH As Christians, we believe that God loves His creation and that His heart is broken when the natural world is thoughtlessly and sometimes deliberately destroyed through pollution and ecological abuse. This is why we aim to create our new building as a model of what it means to actively promote energy efficiency in a culture where profit often overshadows stewardship. A new church building is a major undertaking and we want to invest in design and construction that is sustainable for our future. As global energy demand increases and supply decreases, the importance of building efficiently will become more and more vital in new construction. By choosing to address our energy use now, we will avoid the high price of retrofits later. Building a church that uses fewer resources will also allow us to cycle the money that would be spent on energy costs into having a positive impact on our community. Hughson St. has been blessed with a building that has lasted almost 150 years. We want to be a blessing to future generationss and build a church that will meet their needs, allowing them to concentrate on serving God.
We believe that God will provide a new building for Hughson Street Baptist Church. Raising enough money will be an incredible journey, and we are asking for your support. For this project to go ahead as envisioned, the total cost is estimated to be $3 800 000. This is the basic cost of what is needed to continue kingdom building in the part of Hamilton to which God has called us. What we are raising is well beyond our internal means, so we need partners for our journey to succeed. The dynamics of our church are such that internal giving has only just begun to meet operational expenses. For those who attend Hughson St. we are asking that you give towards this project in excess of your regular giving, and we challenge our larger Christian community to partner with us with the same effort. Over the years God has proven Himself faithful in keeping the ministry of our church alive to our neighbours; we are praying that with your help we can continue to be salt and light in this community. Honouring God with our finances is not about equal giving, but equal sacrifice. We do not all have the same wealth, but we can all give faithfully and with the same heart. The chart to the left illustrates how a variety of donations together add up to the money we need for a new facility. Individually, the goal for each of us should be to give faithfully with what we have been entrusted. Please pray about your involvement and ask that God would show you what is generous and appropriate for your situation.
planning YOUR GIVING There are several ways you can give and this section is a guide to help you decide on your contribution. Everyone's circumstances will be different, so give the type and amount that best matches your situation. This will help maximize the value of your donation and increase the benefits available to you. Remember that when you donate to Hughson St. you receive a charitable tax credit that can be applied directly against any income tax you owe. See appendix for more details on tax and for a commitment planner to help you put monthly contributions into perspective. GIFTS OF CASH Make a difference today, and receive a tax receipt for your gift. You can donate by cheque, money order, or online. You may also set up regular monthly contributions. We are able to use your donations immediately to support Hughson St.’s building project, and allow you to enjoy tax savings now. Please consult your Human Resources department to see if your employer has a matching charitable donation plan, as many do. This is an incredible way to double or even triple the value of your contribution. GIFTS OF INVESTMENTS Be tax-smart. Did you know that you can donate investments such as stocks, mutual funds, and segregated funds directly to Hughson St. instead of cashing them out first, thereby eliminating paying the capital gains tax? This is a strategic way to contribute if you have non-registered investments, and one that helps Hughson St. immediately. If you have an employee stock option plan, consider donating shares you own from this plan, which may have been bought or matched by your employer. Plan for two futures: yours and Hughson St.'s. Enjoy your savings in life, and with the remainder, tax-protect your estate and create a legacy by designating Hughson St. as the beneficiary of your RRSP/ RRIF and the gift will bypass the probate process. GIFTS OF LIFE INSURANCE POLICIES Make it a policy to support Hughson St. Gifts of life insurance can be made by transferring beneficiary status of an existing or new policy to Hughson St. By simply naming Hughson St. as a beneficiary, upon your death the proceeds will be paid to the church and your estate will receive a tax credit for the gift. GIFTS-IN-KIND Share a possession with Hughson St. that will assist us in our build. Gifts-in-kind can include real estate, office equipment, construction materials and countless more types of items. If you have an item in mind that you wish to donate, it will need to be considered by the church, followed by an appraisal of the item(s). GIFTS BY WILL A will is the simplest means to distribute your assets as you wish. Gifts by will, or bequests, can include cash, securities, real estate, other property, or a percentage of the residue of your estate. A bequest allows you to make a substantial future gift to Hughson St. without diminishing your assets today. Be tax savvy: don't make yourself pay extra tax. If money flows through your estate it is subject to probate fees which will reduce its value. Get around probate by directing your money through beneficiary designations in registered investments and insurance policies. GIFT OF TIME, TALENTS AND PRAYER Hughson St. can use your time, talents and prayer during our construction process. Hughson St. can benefit from your time whether you are a skilled professional or just want to help out. For businesses that wish to donate services, we encourage you to bill us for the full amount and then donate the amount back entitling you to a charitable receipt. And, of course, please remember to pray that Hughson St would constantly seek God’s guidance during this planning and building process.
|
|
| |
||
 |
||
proposition. As well, our auditorium,
Sunday school rooms, foyer space and washrooms limit our ministry
capacity which means that renovating, while temporarily fixing
our crumbling building, would not allow us to grow beyond our
current space. We have also pursued the possibility of purchasing
other land in the North End as well as renting space, neither
of which turned out to be a possibility.
