What?
We would like to let you know about 2 substantial proposals that we've asked the Members of Grace to vote on at an upcoming Congregational meeting - April 14th, 10:45am. We wanted to also let those who are not official members, but are regular and faithful attenders know about the details, so you can get excited and consider partnering with us too! We are proposing a renovation of our current sound system in the sanctuary and a new partnership with Parable Ministries - learn more below.
Please pray about both of these matters for the next couple of weeks - we need to keep the congregational meeting short (10 minutes) in order to honor the Children's Ministry volunteers. To that end, there will NOT be time for Q&A to take place - please direct all questions to, Pastor Beth (bbalmer@gracelb.org) in advance of the meeting and she will do her best to make sure you feel equipped to vote informedly. -on both matters are answered HERE.
Sound system Renovation
INTERNAL - SANCTUARY SOUND SYSTEM RENOVATION
One of the central connecting points and first encounters for most people at Grace is Sunday worship in the sanctuary.
The most recent renovation to the sanctuary, completed in 2011, brought the building well into the 20th century—everything up to the stage steps, that is. The current sound system has been piecemealed together over the last 4 decades. Technology has evolved significantly since the 1980's and we believe it's well past time to replace it.
We have solicited bids to replace the system with a modern one designed specifically for our space. We want to move forward on the project with a company called ‘ProVision’, whose quote for the project is $340,000.
Our proposal for paying for the project is as follows: use the interest that has been generated on the Elm building sale funds (approx. $266k), and fundraise the balance (approx. $74k) from the congregation.
Our worship gathering on Sunday mornings is YOUR worship experience—we desire, with this renovation, to enhance the audio quality of that experience so that your worship, and generations to come, can be undistracted, ‘whole’, and felt in a way that helps us to encounter God in a very real and felt way.
So the ask is twofold:
*Spending of any money related to the Elm sale must be approved by a vote of the Members.
*Will you partner with us in raising the $74,000? (250 people giving $300 = $75,000!
We often say around here that we ‘are blessed to be a blessing’ - so while this sound system renovation is a necessary, internal expense, we want to boldly release the same amount of funds towards outward facing ministries. We were recently exposed to one such opportunity …
FAQ’s
Parable Ministry
EXTERNAL - PARABLE MINISTRIES PARTNERSHIP
Parable Ministries is a non-profit para-church start-up, serving youth and teens primarily from under-resourced neighborhoods and schools in Long Beach.
Parable is led by Hung Thach, elder at Parkcrest Church and longtime minister at Cru. In his over 20 years working with youth he has uncovered a gap in the current ministry model. Youth in under-resourced urban settings have a need to not only hear the gospel but to experience the love of Christ through mental-emotional and economical support. Hung's calling to use a holistic approach in urban youth ministry is what inspired him to create Parable Ministry. His heart for students meeting Jesus, growing in their faith, and sharing the gospel with others is obvious and contagious. Along with his calling to go out into the community, he also desires to train, equip, and empower local churches to be hospitable and inclusive spaces for these youth to be welcomed into the local body of Christ.
Parable’s strategic areas of focus:
To raise up indigenous leadership with sustainable funding models.
To minister to urban youth holistically, addressing the spiritual, physical and mental-emotional needs of students.
To partner with local Churches and believers to plant middle and high school campus movements of evangelism, discipleship, and multiplying disciples."
Grace's priorities for missional partnerships are incredibly similar to Parable’s areas of focus: Indigenous Leadership, Holistic Understanding of the Gospel, and Strong Connection to the Local Church. In addition to these, our ABCD focus in Wrigley, desire to be welcoming to the next generation, and openness to increase our diversity at Grace also align with Parable.
The Ask:
* releasing $270,000 from the Elm sale proceeds (which must be approved by a vote of the Members), to support Parable Ministries (up to $210,000 which is their current fundraising goal), and other missional opportunities as they are presented to the Executive Board of Elders - to be spent by the end of this fiscal year (Sep 30).