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From the Building Committee ... |
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Our Church Building Project Enters An Exciting Phase! It is with great humility and sense of reverence towards the entrusted mission that the newly elected Building Committee of our parish set to work on the next phase of our church building project. The previous committee passed the baton to the new committee after accomplishing several major milestones such as buying a 50-acre parcel of land and completing most of the process for obtaining zoning approval for building the church. Progress During Last Quarter One of the first priorities of the new committee was to formulate a high level overall plan for the next phase. Having a roadmap will help us to see the big picture and keep the project manageable. We also formed sub committees so that we could dedicate the right resources to deal with each of the major issues we anticipate we will be facing during the next 3 years of the project. These included Government Relations led by Mr. Samuel Thomas, Vision & Planning led by Mr. Jacob Joseph, Technical /Engineering led by Mr. Thomas Abraham and Finance led by Mr. Shibu P. John. In addition, several task forces were set up to deal with major initiatives such as securing finance/mortgage, external fundraising, internal fundraising, planning & budgeting, raffle etc. During the first quarter we accomplished several major milestones such as zoning approval from Region, developing a vision of our future church building, building committee approval of the conceptual design of the building and finally, unanimous approval of the conceptual design by the General Body. Building Plans Approved by General Body On 25th March 2007, the parish general body unanimously approved a recommendation by the building committee to build a church and an adjacent hall with a total main floor area of 13,500 sq. ft. The sanctuary will be able to seat about 500 people with the ability to accommodate an overflow of about 100 people in the foyer. The hall will be able to seat about 300 people and could be used for Sunday School classes and for recreational activities during other days. The hall could be rented out to generate income as well. The total estimated cost based on the conceptual design is approximately $3,000,000. Plans for the Coming Quarter We have identified several priorities for the next quarter. First among this, our parish is organizing a gala for all our members to get together and celebrate the blessings we have received so far as a parish and communicate our plans for the future. On the internal finance side we will look at ways to raise money to support the next phase of our building project. We have also started discussions with various financial institutions on securing an affordable financial arrangement. On the construction side the next step would be developing a terms of reference to be used in hiring an architect. Once the architect is hired we can proceed with the next steps such as finalizing the detailed plan, submitting the site plan application (Q3, 2007) and the building permit application (Q3, 2007).
Financial Needs On the financial front we certainly have formidable challenges to overcome. According to the financial plan approved by the general body on March 25th, we have to raise approximately $1.4 million by 2009 towards down payment and meeting certain costs not financed by banks. When we look at the past 5 years, 90% of all the money we collected for the building project came from our members. Please think about ways to contribute to this worthy cause that is close to our hearts. Lending money to the project is another alternative. How You Can Get Involved You can help the project in many different ways. 1. Volunteering your time and skills for the Project. Many of our members are already spending countless hours on this project. We want each of you - including small children - to take part in this project at some point. Find ways to get involved. In the end, we should be able to proudly say we "built" this church ourselves. 2. Contributing generously for the Project. The need is really mind-boggling. No amount is too big or too small. Please think about how you can help. 3. Pray for the Church Building Project. Ordinary people are working on this extra ordinary project. Only through divine guidance and abundant blessings from above that we can accomplish our goals. Please keep our project in your daily prayers.
Abraham Jacob (Shiby) |
