Mount Pisgah Church leadership, The Student Life Center Task Force, Student Life staff, volunteers, parents and congregation members gathered on January 30th to discuss the progress towards the new Mount Pisgah Student Life Center. David Paris, the Task Force chairman, briefed the audience of the process over the past year of collecting information, assessment as well as the initial stages of planning, presentations to the board of trustees, Administrative Council, Promise Campaign, etc. The Task Force recommendation of placing the new Student Life Center on the North Campus was proposed and discussed.
Lead Student minister, Mark Danzey, spoke of Mount Pisgah embracing the philosophy of a Family Based Student Ministry. The new Student Life Center on the North Campus, alongside the main sanctuary will facilitate families worship together. United, the campuses would provide exposure for families to various types of ministry programs and worship styles. Imagine a place where students can walk in and say, “WOW, THIS IS COOL!”, a place that centers on learning to live a Christ-like life, a place they love to meet for small groups to grow in the Word, a place to drop by after school and visit with a leader, staff or just hangout with friends, a place to come on Friday and Saturday nights to hear live music, a place that builds them up, a place for accountability, to share prayer requests, play sports, their favorite video games, and a place to worship with their family in the same building.
Executive Pastor Fred Erler updated the Promise campaign that congregants generously participated in for the last three years. We are in the final year of The Promise campaign, where $8.4 million was pledged, to be shared between the Student Life Center, The Beacon and Summit Home, Global Missions, and Church Home. 72% has been collected of the total pledge, of which 1.6 M is targeted for student ministry. Approximately $100,000 of capital equipment has been purchased to date to upgrade current student ministry facilities which will be transferred to the new home. This leaves 1.5 M to invest in the new Center.
The church will continue to be a better steward of the blessings that have been given. Kim McNaron, parent and volunteer leader, will help this process through a congregational prayer effort. As a part of developing a 10 year strategic land use plan, Collins, Cooper, and Carusi, an architectural firm has been commissioned by the School and Church. We are hoping for the land study to be completed in June/July, 2007 and the “design phase” of the Center to begin as early as July 2007, with ground breaking in early 2008, building possibly completed in 2 to 2 ˝ years. Size and square footage and final cost are still under discussion.
Frank Lemond, the Task Force member, discussed some of the challenges we will face, such as skepticism of raising more funds, traffic congestion and parking, but through prayers and comprehensive land facilities study for both church and school, we are looking at how best to blend the needs with God’s resources.
If you would like to become a part of the prayer team, and receive prayer updates contact Kim McNaron at k.mcnaron@comcast.net.