Q:  Why don’t we continue to meet in the school and use the money in another way – give it to missions for example?

Grant: Our goal in building this new facility is to have a very strong base from which we can grow in every area of ministry. We own a centrally located piece of real estate that is easy for the whole Island to reach.  We believe, as we grow in numbers, our effectiveness in all areas of our mission will grow.

Q:  Why is it costing so much to build?  

Grant:  Overseas, even in mission fields like China and Africa, church leaders are realizing the value of having their own facility and the greater degree of effectiveness that results. Costs here in the U.S. are high; inflation is running at 10% on residential buildings and even higher on commercial buildings. Costs have really escalated over the last three to four years. This trend looks like it will be continuing.

Q:  We have $3,500,000 committed.  Why are we proposing $5,000,000?

Grant:  We are very grateful for the sacrificial commitments and giving of our body.  $3,500,000 is a lot of money and our building team has worked very hard to balance the needs of our ministry with the available funds.  The first pass was a building of approximately $7,000,000.  The current phased plan delivers an excellent facility for church services, community use, Children’s Church and group meetings. There is not any fat, and a facility of less scope would fail to meet the mission and, consequently, would not be advisable.

Q:  What is included in this phase?

Grant: The first phase gives us the facility we need to conduct worship services for nearly 500 folks, a fully functioning Children’s Church, Sunday School classroom, meeting rooms, restrooms and kitchen. The Sunday School area can also serve as a fellowship hall.

Q: What is not in Phase I that we had in the first set of plans?

Grant: A larger fellowship hall and commercial kitchen on the main floor, a larger area for Children’s Church, more classrooms and offices for the pastoral staff. These will be included in Phase II.  The Youth Center, serving as an after school drop-in center and all-island outreach, will be accommodated off site.

Q: Why is the Youth Center separate from the main building?

Grant: The Youth Center is a long-time vision of Island Church.  It is not a church “youth group”, but an outreach to serve the unreached young people on the island by giving them a safe place to hang with caring people after school and in the evenings.  We fully expect participation in this ministry by all Bible believing folks on the Island and others who have a heart for youth.  Frankly, the hours of operation, noise levels and other considerations make them a less than ideal “room mate” for church activities and other guest groups who might want to use the new building.  For those reasons, we have modified the program to move it off site.  Right now, we are blessed to have a lease on the former Paws & Fins location on Madison Ave. across from the Pavilion.  This location is good for approximately 18 months as the owner has other plans for this facility after that time. We have begun searching for a

permanent location.

Q: What about a simple warehouse, pole building or steel building to save money?

Grant:  The building team looked at dozens of option, including different locations, property swaps and building types.  The results of trying to meet the minimum program set out by the congregation led to the current plans.  Right now, steel prices are through the roof!  A recent look at that option didn’t offer significant cost savings.

Q:  What about using some of our own people to help build it?

Grant:  That can be a mixed blessing.  We have exceptionally talented people in the congregation and want to provide opportunities for them to participate as they are willing.  Fairbank has been asked to show us the areas where this makes the most sense in terms of the overall scope of the project, and where it won’t have a negative impact on timing and cost.  If you have skills, resources or time you would like to offer, please call the church office or drop an email to me, or to skills@islandhcurch.net.

Q:  It seems like we’re pretty comfortable where we are at Woodward.  Why now?

Grant:  We have been blessed by our time at Woodward, but there are several reasons to move on. First, this new building is not about us or our comfort. It is a tool to help us fulfill our mission of reaching the folks who don’t know Jesus and aren’t going to church.  We need to be available on more than Sunday!  Second, we’ve more than doubled our numbers at Woodward and are now up against a wall of capacity.  And, they are now welcoming additional uses.  If we mean what we say about reaching the unreached, we need more room. We need more activities. We need meeting rooms and classroom for adult classes. And third, Woodward was generously offered as a temporary solution.   We are close to wearing out our welcome and wearing out the committed volunteers who move us in and move us out each Sunday morning.

Q:  You have always said that the new facility would be used for outreach and shared with members of the community.  What does this look like?

Grant: Many, many people on the Island have identified the need to have a meeting and performance space that seats over 300.  Our nearly 500 seat, attractive and well-equipped building will be a magnet for these users. This can include concerts, performances, community meetings, seminars and other gatherings.  These are our neighbors; what a wonderful chance to serve them, to prove that we want to be part of the community and to get to know them better!