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What is the Together for the Harvest campaign?  The Together for the Harvest campaign is all about establishing our ministry campus in order to continue to fulfill our mission and vision of making disciples of all nations by loving God and our neighbors.

Why are we building a new facility? The simple answer is people. Since the inception of our church, we have emphasized the importance of reaching people and seeing them come to Christ and grow in their faith. That’s why a couple years ago we renewed our commitment to God’s mission and vision for our church of making disciples of all nations by loving God and our neighbors. Because of this continued focus, we have nearly 200 people attending the weekend gatherings. The temporary nature of our facilities and limited quality parking inhibits growth. In order to accommodate the growth that we are praying that God will give us as we go out into our mission field, it is vital that we build a new church home. This facility will allow us to not only impact more people through our weekend gatherings, but will enable us to train, equip, and release leaders to touch our community, region, and the world.

What will be included in the Together for the Harvest campus? The Together for the Harvest campaign is about establishing our ministry campus in order to continue to fulfill our mission and vision of making disciples of all nations by loving God and our neighbors.  Our new facility will include…

  • Total square footage = ~11,000
  • 260+ seat auditorium
  • 124 paved parking spaces
  • Large open courtyard with baptismal fountain
  • Children’s Ministry Facilities
    • Secure check-in area
    • Expanded classroom space
    • Bathrooms for the preschoolers connected to their classroom
    • Dedicated Special Needs classroom
  • Spacious Community Lobby including a cafe area located nearby serving a variety of coffee, tea and juices.
  • Elementary/Student Meeting Areas
    • Our new facility will offer multipurpose room that can be configured to accommodate both our elementary and student ministries.

When will construction begin? In the spring of 2011, we hope for the construction process to begin with clearing land for site development. By the summer, our church will watch as construction on our new facility begins and continues throughout 2011. Prayerfully, by Easter 2012, the doors will open to our new church home. This facility will give us the opportunity to reach more people for Christ and position us to be an influence for generations to come in Jefferson County and beyond.

Where will the new facilities be built?  The new facilities will be built on Highway 51 between Charles Town and Inwood towards the middle of our 17.4 acres.

How much will the project cost?  The total project cost is $1.25-$1.5 million. This includes a 260 seat Worship Center, children’s ministry classrooms and nursery, cafe area and community lobby, 124 paved parking spots and landscaping. The cost also includes sound, video, and lighting equipment, as well as fixtures and furnishings, all of which are necessary to make this building our church home.

How are we going to do this?  This is a God-sized task far beyond the ability of any one person but, together, with God’s help, we can attain this vision. The Together for the Harvest campaign need is at least $650,000 over the next three years. It will take each of us, individuals and families, sacrificially partnering together to fulfill this project need.  Your three year commitment to the Together for the Harvest campaign should be an amount God leads you to give over and above your regular tithe. In order to continue ministering to our growing church family, we must maintain our regular giving in regards to the tithes.

Why is the total project cost $1.25 to 1.5 million and yet the project need is $650,000+?  Our elders, along with our financial consultants believe that we have the financial capacity to raise $650,000+ in this campaign and responsibly service the difference with a debt reduction strategy.

Do we have to raise the entire $650,000 before we start construction?  No, but do we need as much financial commitment as possible to go forward.

What is our philosophy regarding debt?  We, at Harvest Pointe, have historically been conservative about taking on debt. Our desire is to have a debt-free facility that will serve as a light to our community well into the 21st century. We are willing to take on moderate, reasonable debt (not to exceed our current monthly rent payments) in order to facilitate our current ministry. We desire to pay off that debt as quickly as possible, so that our future ministry is not consumed by interest payments

What are you asking me to do? We are asking everyone in our church to do two key things - pray and participate.  Pray - We are asking everyone who calls Harvest Pointe Community Church their home to pray throughout the entire three year Together for the Harvest journey. Also, please pray for the elders, the leadership team and the staff.  Participate - We are asking everyone to prayerfully partner in the Together for the Harvest journey through sacrificial giving. From Scripture (I Chronicles 28:2, 29:1-12) we learn that in the building of the Temple it was not about equal gifts, but equal sacrifice. We are asking everyone to make a three-year financial commitment. Your commitment to Together for the Harvest should be an amount God leads you to give over and above your regular tithe.

When would I begin to give?  On November 7, 2010, you can make a three-year pledge, over and above your regular tithes.  Second, on November 14, 2010, each person will have the opportunity to bring a “Firstfruits” offering as we share in what God is going to do through the Together for the Harvest campaign. Ask God for creative ways to increase your gift. Involve your whole family in raising a specific amount for your “Firstfruits” offering.

Will my contribution be made public?  No, absolutely not. Only the total of all leadership and church-wide commitments received will be announced.

Am I, as an individual, required to give?  No one is required to give anything. We want individuals to give freely and not under obligation, because the Scripture teaches that, “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). There are two very different approaches in determining what you should give. One approach is to look at your checkbook and ask, “What can I afford?” This approach simply calculates existing resources and does not call for prayer, faith or God’s surprising intervention.  A second approach is to ask God what He desires you to give. We want each family and individual to experience the thrill of hearing from God and having their vision and faith expanded. In other words, we don’t want this campaign simply to raise money to build a building. If that is all the campaign does, we’ve missed the mark. We desire this campaign to raise the overall level of our spirituality and faith.

How will this project affect our missions giving?  Each year, our church gives over 10% of our general income to both local and global initiatives. Our missions giving will not only continue through the three-year Together for the Harvest journey, but our prayer is that it will increase. We can’t do everything, but we must do something.

What will our future worship schedule look like? Will we keep two gatherings?  Our current plan is to keep offering two Sunday morning gatherings in order to give our HarvestKids and HarvestStudents volunteers the chance to worship every Sunday as they are serving every Sunday.   As our church continues to grow, we will add more services as needed.

Are we putting facilities and buildings ahead of people?  Our approach to ministry remains the same. We exist, first of all, to serve Jesus Christ and secondly, to serve people. To put it in Biblical terms, our two priorities are to love God and to love people. New facilities and expanded parking are just a necessary means to continue what we have always been committed to do. The Together for the Harvest campaign does not signal any change in Harvest Pointe’s mission, vision or priorities.

Will we become impersonal with growth?  A church’s size does not determine whether or not it is personal. In fact, only when a church is personal and relational does it grow. We are whole-heartedly committed to reaching the unchurched and we cannot do this without growing.  Our goal is to be organized in such a way that relationships are built, regardless of our size. That is why we have designed the church around community groups to facilitate spiritual growth and to foster relationships. For years we have said that we want to grow “deep and wide at the same time.” That means that while we continue to grow deep in our community group relationships, we also desire to reach as many people by keeping the doors open wide to them attending one of our gatherings. Every single person at Harvest Pointe needs an opportunity to know others and to be known. Whether we have 200 or 800 in our church family, we will remain committed to this goal.

Are we more committed to beauty or functionality in the new facility?  Harvest Pointe has not changed its approach to facilities. We are not interested in building something extravagant. We continue to strongly value simplicity in all that we do, whether architecture, dress, verbal expression or worship. But we desire that our facilities be aesthetically pleasing and approachable. We want the new building to enhance our ministry goal of making disciples of all nations by loving god and our neighbors. So while our emphasis is functionality and simplicity, in our new building project we did not overlook aesthetics and attractiveness.

Will there be an opportunity for new people to participate in the Together for the Harvest campaign?  Yes, we have a follow-up plan that will allow us to communicate about the campaign to new members and to encourage their participation. Our desire is that everyone who becomes a part of the church in the next three years has at least some opportunity to hear about the reasons why we are building our new facility and to prayerfully consider financially contributing to its cost.