GRACE BIBLE CHURCH
Loving God, Loving Others
Thanks to all the wonderful people who make ministry happen at GBC!!
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Building project
Recent Building News:
August 9, 2019, Progress Report: This month the water/ fire line service was completed. The sewer service is approximately 25% complete. The stormwater piping and downspout leaders were installed. The monolithic slab perimeter was insulated and the building slab perimeter was backfilled. The concrete test was a success! A test sample of the building slab broke after at 4500 PSI after only 7 days, which is excellent. The slab exceeded the 4000 PSI requirement which is usually tested after 28 days. Gravel for the parking lot is being stockpiled on the north side of the property. The steel studs have arrived but won't be delivered until construction is ready to go. The first portion of the steel building is scheduled to ship on Monday, August 12th and should arrive on August 14th in the late afternoon. MDU is hoping to get the gas service bored under East Maryland and run to the building this month. Northwestern Energy has provided us with a service contract and the fee for the electrical service was paid this week.
A New Adventure Begins:
In May of 2014, the membership of GBC unanimously voted to list our current properties for sale and to begin the process raising funds to build a new facility on our property on the corner of Washington and East Maryland.
The Vision:
The hope and goal for the new building are not to build a church, as the people of GBC are the church and Christ is the One who builds the church (Matt. 16:18), and He has been building up our body for many years. The vision is that this building will be a multi-use space that can be used by Christ’s church.
It will be a building for the church: It will be a place where the entire body of GBC can come together for a meal or a service. It will be a place where our children and adults can be under the same roof during services and Life Groups. It will be a place where the elderly and disabled will not be hampered by flights of stairs and a cramped entryway. It will be a place where we can host banquets, weddings, funerals, conferences, concerts, recitals, and sporting events. Every square foot of the building and property will be usefully designed as an effective tool for worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism.
It will be a building for the community: Laurel lacks an event venue with large meeting rooms that are available to rent for community events and functions. Many of the large church buildings in our country sit vacant for the majority of the week. This seems like a shame! The vision for our new building is that it will be a community hub, a gathering place, that can be rented for meetings, conferences, banquets, dinners, recitals, sporting practices and all kinds of events. Renting the facility will both serve our community and enable us to cultivate relationships, building familiarity with unbelievers in our community. That way, when we invite our friends and neighbors to church services, they will hopefully come to a building they will be familiar with. Our multi-purpose auditorium will function as a beautiful worship center and a large meeting room for various activities. The kitchen and peripheral rooms are being designed to serve both the church and the community!
It will be a building for the future: With a design of over 12,000 square feet and being able to seat 442+ people, the new building will meet the needs of our current congregation and give us room to grow. It will be situated on our property in a way that will allow for two additional expansions to accommodate for the growth of our church body; one expansion for more classrooms and offices and one for a new worship center! Our current building has served us well for over 50 years, and our future building will give us the opportunity to grow and minister for many more!
See the future Building:
Detail of Entry-way
Street Corner View from Washington and East Maryland
GBC Floor Plan
360 Tour of the Multi-Use Auditorium
Features:
Multi-use Auditorium: This 50x85’ multi-use room can seat 442 people for services and 304 people around tables (see detail), all in view of the large platform. All chairs and tables can be put into the two large storage areas so that the room can be transformed for recreational use for youth group, basketball, volleyball, and many other purposes. The sound both is enclosed and the platform will be curtained to protect equipment when the room is used for recreational purposes.
Fellowship/Meeting Room(s): The north end of the building features a large 46x25’ fellowship room that will be perfectly suited for smaller gatherings, classes, and dinners. The kitchen has a roll up service window into this room. The fellowship room will feature paneled collapsible, sound-proof walls that can be expanded to divide the space into three large 16x20 meeting rooms. Two large roll-down doors can be lifted on the south end of the fellowship room to open it up to the multi-use auditorium for large gatherings.
The Kitchen: The design for the new kitchen is very functional. Storage will not be an issue as the design includes a large fridge, freezer, pantry, island, and cupboards. It will have a vented oven and cooktop and a dishwasher. The kitchen does not border the auditorium (for sound control) but opens into the fellowship room and has an outside entrance for deliveries.
Other Great Features: The new building will feature a large open foyer with no stairs. The children’s area has a large infant and toddler rooms with a pick-up/drop-off counter for child safety. The staff area has four good sized offices and contains a separate reception and work area. The bathrooms are handicap accessible and each has a shower. The janitor room features a washer and dryer. The new building will be placed on the property in a way that gives us room to grow with two future expansions.
Financial Need and Giving Progress
Review:
We began our building program in October 2014 with the goal of raising $1.8 million for our new facility. This includes a fundraising campaign plus liquidating our existing debt-free assets (main & annex facilities).
We will plan for 3 – 3-year pledge campaigns (9 years total) to complete the project.
The goal is to raise $600,000 over a 36 month period, sell our assets, and begin the building process.
We conducted a pledge drive complete with a Commitment Feast which resulted in a financial commitment of $450,000 through 36 months over and above the regular Annual Budget!
Update: 8/5/2019
We are very happy and excited to report that both the Annex and Church Building have sold and approximately $256,000.00 has been added to the building fund. The Lord has used you and others to bless the GBC Building Program with $1,068,524.59!
Awesome! God is so good!! And thanks to you for your faithfulness.