Saturday, June 27, 2015

another campus for Woods Chapel?

We announced in church on Sunday that the conference was asking us to take on another campus.  There will be a meeting on Sunday night June 28th at 5pm in the sanctuary to hear about this and ask any quesitons that you may have.  

Here is a Q&A sheet about the opportunity.

St. Peter UMC
Q&A Packet

St. Peter UMC in Blue Springs has closed, primarily due to lack of finances and a decline in attendance.  The Conference Office has asked our church to consider stepping in to help. 
St. Peter is located on the south end of Blue Springs, which is rapidly expanding.  Hundreds of homes have been built over the past few years, with plans for many more to built in the area.  The Conference Office wants to keep a Methodist presence along 7 Highway, as they know this is a prime mission field for the United Methodist Church. 
Rather than start a brand new Methodist church in the building, the Conference Office has asked Woods Chapel Church to start a third campus, thus creating Woods Chapel Church – Blue Springs Campus.  This strategy of asking growing, vibrant churches to create additional campuses has been successful in Missouri and in other states, and the Conference plans to continue this strategy in the future. 

1.    What does this mean in the near future? 
The St. Peter congregation, with advice from the Conference Office, voted to close their church but continue holding a heritage worship service each Sunday in their building until a new church is started in the building.  WCC will begin holding the heritage service on Sunday, June 28 and will continue this service each Sunday morning as long as attendance is approximately 20 or more and giving is regular.  If attendance dips below that threshold for several weeks in a row, or giving stops, we will look at discontinuing the service and asking the church attendees to attend one of our services at WCC.

2.    What does a heritage service look like?
WCC will provide a pre-recorded sermon.  We will provide musicians, a sound technician, and hospitality.  Services will have the same format as WCC 9:05 sanctuary worship.  The music at St. Peter has been contemporary using a piano and instruments, and this will continue.  The time of the service has not been determined.  Services at St. Peter were previously held at 10:00 am.

3.    How will we advertise the heritage service to the community?
We will not advertise this service to the community or invite others to join us.  This heritage service is strictly for the current St. Peter members who do not want to leave their church building and are waiting for a new church to be started there.  We are simply helping out during this time period and are not trying to grow the service.




4.    When will we officially start the new Woods Chapel Church – Blue Springs Campus?
The timetable is very tentative at this point.  The Conference Office has suggested the following:
·         Hold the heritage service for nine months to build trust with the attendees.
·         Appoint a campus pastor for the Blue Springs Campus with a tentative start date of January 2016.
·         Discontinue the heritage service in the summer of 2016.
·         Launch the new Woods Chapel Church – Blue Springs Campus in October 2016.
           

5.    Who owns the building, land, and assets now that St. Peter has closed?
All assets now belong to the Conference Office.  Transfer of ownership to WCC would take place effective January 1, 2016.

6.    What is the financial status?

The church does not have any money.  The total debt is $200,000.  A parsonage will be sold for approximately $150,000, leaving $50,000 of remaining debt.

7.    What is the size of the property?
The church owns approximately 6.8 acres.  In addition to the land the building sits on, the church owns the empty land behind the church and eight-tenths of an acre along 7 Highway to the south of the church. 

8.    What is the condition of the building?
The building is in great condition.  Paint and décor has been updated.  The church has a commercial kitchen, a large fellowship area, and a sanctuary which seats approximately 250.

9.    Who maintains the building and grounds during the heritage service period?
WCC staff and a team of WCC members will maintain the property, with service and maintenance bills being paid by the Conference Office until January 1, 2016. 

10.  Who pays the utility bills during the heritage service period?
The Conference Office will pay the utility bills until January 1, 2016.

11.  Who pays the speakers and musicians during the heritage service period?
The Conference Office will pay until January 1, 2016.



12.  Will an offering be received at heritage services?
Yes, an offering will be received, and the money will help pay for utility bills.

13.  Will there be any Sunday school classes or weekday programming at the building during the heritage service period?
No.  We will invite heritage service attendees to attend programming at WCC during the week.  We will provide a copy of our bulletin each Sunday so that they can hear about the various opportunities. We will not print any separate publications for the heritage service.

14.  Who will provide pastoral care for the heritage service attendees?
Pastoral care will be provided by our team at WCC.  The heritage service attendees will call the main WCC phone number for pastoral care. 

15.  Will the conference help with finances in 2016?
Yes, the conference will provide $300,000 for the new campus, with $125,000 the first year, $100,000 the second year, and $75, 000 the third year.  This grant is intended to be used for ministry and music staff, and facilities and maintenance costs.

16.  How will a campus pastor be chosen for Blue Springs?
The conference will work closely with WCC to determine the best fit for a campus pastor.  It may be a current pastor from WCC or a new appointee. 

17.  What is the role of the campus pastor from January until the new church launch?
Beginning immediately, the campus pastor would work to build interest at the main campus and make connections in the community.  This could be done at the main campus by inviting interested parties to cook outs, bible studies, social hours and such.  This could be done in the community by getting involved and known in the community via Rotary, Chamber and the local schools.

18.  What is the role of the campus pastor after the launch?
The campus pastor will be onsite most Sundays, leading the worship.  We envision this campus being a video venue, meaning the sermons will be brought by the Senior Pastor via video approximately three Sundays a month.  The campus pastor will preach 9-12 times per year at the satellite campus and several times a year at the main campus.  The campus pastor will provide pastoral care and officiate funerals, weddings, and baptisms. 



19.  What will happen during the summer of 2016?
The summer of 2016 will be a quiet period, meaning there will not be any worship services or programming at the Blue Springs campus.  This time will be used to make changes to the building so that it looks and feels like WCC. 

20.  What renovations will be needed?
The signage will need to be changed.  Minor façade changes may be made to give the building more curb appeal.  Interior decorating changes will be made to mimic the feel of WCC’s main campus. 

21.  What programming will there be for children and students after the launch?
Children’s Sunday school and nursery will be held each Sunday.  We are also exploring a parent’s day out.

22.  How will we invite people to the new church?
The first step will be identifying our current WCC attendees that live in the mission field around the Blue Springs campus.  We will gather this group together and gauge their interest in becoming missionaries in their own neighborhood by attending the new campus.  This ‘launch team’ will be crucial to the success of the new launch by inviting their neighbors and friends to the new church.  In addition to the campus pastor’s efforts to engrain him/herself in the community, we anticipate mailers, events, small groups, and missions efforts. 

23.  What recommendations have we received from the Conference Office for the new church launch?
a)    Choose the right campus pastor who is engaged with the community.
b)    Maintain communication with the main campus so that all campuses are working together for the common mission.

24.  When will we have to start paying apportionments for the new campus?

Apportionments would be paid beginning in 2020.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, don't be afraid of change, and don't be afraid of being stretched.  God is with us - be sure to see the good. 

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