A hearty welcome back to our main parking lot!!

Our shuttle service will run between church and the Hawthorne lot on Sunday, 10/24.  Beginning Sunday, 10/31, we will return to using the lot at the corner of PARK & MARKET - the CORNERSTONE CENTER (NE CORNER).  Shuttles will continue to serve this location on a weekly basis.  Remember: parking spaces at the HOME FIRE STOVE store are available to us for use on Sunday. 

GREAT NEWS!  Yesterday we paved our main parking lot.  Tomorrow (Thursday, 10/21) striping crews will be at work.  The lot WILL be available for parking this coming Sunday, 10/24.   

We continue to prepare the main parking lot for paving. During this time there is NO PARKING unless otherwise indicated. Thanks, again, for remaining flexible during this construction phase! Pastor Jerry

We began site work on the main parking lot this week.  What this means for you:  LIMITED PARKING AND LOTS OF GRAVEL!  Please be careful.  Pastor Rich & Dr. Dan will do their best each Sunday to help you find available parking spots.  In the meantime, be flexible.  We expect these conditions for the next month or so.   

PROJECT FUNDING PRIORITY: $107,000 IN NEW PLEDGES STILL NEEDED
Several weeks ago Pastor Dave talked about needing $700,000 in new pledges to finish our building. Our HIGHEST priority is the next $150,000. We need that portion pledged by this December. Placing certain audio-visual and lighting elements in the first phase of construction (which necessitated the immediate need) will save us tens of thousands of dollars in additional expense later on. We've received $43,000! ONLY $107,000 to go! When you pledge please make sure I know, whether making a new pledge or choosing to increase / extend the pledge you already have in place. You've been incredibly FAITHFUL toward this project! THANKS so much!

PHASE 1 COST

We estimate the cost to finish and occupy a basic structure to be 4.95 million. The $150,000 in new pledges will cover this cost. This phase does not include furnishings or equipment.
PHASE 2 COST: HOW MUCH DO WE NEED? WHAT IS IT FOR?

The $550,000 balance in the 5.5 million budget must also be raised if we're to adequately furnish and equip the new building, including the cost of our re-modeled children's center. It goes toward the following:
* NEW CHILDREN'S CENTER: Re-model & construction costs;
* HIGH SCHOOL / MIDDLE SCHOOL CENTER (2 Rooms & adjoining corridor): Audio-visual, additional lighting elements, furnishings, acoustics, and snack bar;

* KITCHEN: appliances, equipment & cupboards;

* GYM: equipment, audio-visual, additional lighting elements, and gym floor;
* LOBBY: furnishings, additional lighting elements, and service center for food and drink;

Is that a lot to buy with the remaining $550,000? Yes. Will it completely cover everything on our wish list? No, but it will allow us to get well beyond what we need to simply open up the building. Our new Center is designed to be a "presentation venue" for seminars, banquets, receptions, dinners, and worship services. That means we have a dream list beyond our $550,000 budget. While it will not give us everything we ultimately hope to have, it does ensure every space can be used for multiple purposes from day one.
I encourage all of you to ASK QUESTIONS if you're unclear about anything. I believe as people understand the need they will give as God prompts them. Ken Robertson is our expert on all things construction; Dave Walborn on all things financial. You can always start with me. If I don't know the answer, I'll find someone that does.

In my next update I'll cover two things: 1) the link between pledges and our bridge loan; 2) transitions, including when we can move our children downstairs .

Blessings to the family! Pastor Jerry

The annex is on the way out!  Make sure you watch on the construction cam!

May 24, 2010

GOOD-BYE ANNEX:
Yesterday marked the last time for our youth department to meet in the Annex. It marks the end of an era. Wouldn't it be interesting to know what only God knows: how many kids found Jesus, received a call to vocational ministry, were filled with the Holy Spirit, learned something new from God's Word, or even met their future spouse? Only God knows, but it served our teens and families for many years. The building is scheduled to be moved June 14.

HELLO CAVE:
The Lower Rickard Center is now home to our youth department. You will hear them calling it... THE CAVE. Our staff and teens are busy at work transforming this bastion of adult activity to something more suited to their taste. Don't worry - the temporary facilities will all be returned to their adult-friendly status once our new youth center can be occupied.

CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULES: In addition to the annex removal these major changes are about to take place:

* Demolition and re-model of our business office and lobby area, scheduled to begin June 7. We are affected in two ways: 1) reduces the amount of space we have in our lobby; 2) will make it necessary to enter the business office through the workroom door.

* Site work on our main parking lot, scheduled for the end of June. This affects the rest of our parking in the main lot. There may be a number of Sundays where no parking is available - we'll keep you posted. Our shuttle drives have done a fantastic job of getting us to and from our cars. The silver lining is that all of this will take place during our best weather months.

* Installation of a new fire suppression sprinkler system . The system was required by code as a result of the city's decision to make us attach our new building to our old building. Work on this system began in our east corridor several months ago. It is now ready to advance into the lobby and sanctuary areas. This may affect our ability to use one wing, or the other, over a Sunday or two.

OK, that's it! My hope and prayer is that all of us engage in something this week that makes an eternal difference. Ask God to show you where He's at work in your world, then join in with Him!

Pastor Jerry

More cement for the slab will be poured on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.  Parking will be at a minimum - traffic in/out will be heavy.  PLEASE BE CAREFUL -  thanks!

Until further notice our main parking site will now be the Park & Ride lot at the corner of Market St & Hawthorne.  Shuttle routes will begin making this run on Sunday, March 14.

The east parking lot closest to our main entrance may now be entered from Market St. only.  This will be in effect for the next several months. 

We begin cement pours of the new footings this week.  Please be aware that on certain days the only parking available may be on the west side lot. 

We are pleased that so many of you are using our shuttle on Sunday mornings!  I have just one reminder: PLEASE be considerate of the spaces we've been asked NOT to use.  The first two rows nearest the stores are for CUSTOMERS ONLY.  Thanks for keeping this in mind!

The biggest challenge continues to be PARKING.  In our ongoing effort to keep our nearest spaces for those who need them most please note the following items:

THANKS to Bud (Bibelheimer) & Bill (Read) for building a new parking lot ramp for our use during construction.  Those with chair-equipped lifts in their vehicles can now park & enter the facility from the east lot.  Pastor Jerry

During this phase of our project trucks will be entering and exiting our lot.  As you arrive for activities Monday-Friday PLEASE be alert and careful.  Pastor Jerry

Just came from our weekly meeting w/ Dalke Construction.  GREAT bunch of people & sub-contractors!  Remember to pray for them and their crews.  FIRST ITEM: within the NEXT FEW WEEKS our parking lot west of 16th St. will be needed to build the 86,000 pound concrete slab walls that form our new building.  As a result MANY spaces in this lot will be lost.  The estimated time needed to prepare and place these walls is about 4 weeks.  You may a need to park across the street or use our off-site shuttle location at the NE corner of Market St & Park St.  SECOND ITEM: The southern double doors - nearest East St - are available for EMERGENCY USE ONLY.   You've done a great job making adjustments to our new construction reality.  Remember - stay ALERT - small changes will take place weekly.  I'll try and stay ahead of any major change (as in our first item) so you can be prepared.  Thanks - that's the latest!  CYA Sunday... Pastor Jerry

Pastor Jerry

Well, it’s beginning to look a lot like… 2010!  As we look ahead listen to these words from God:
 
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
 
Trouble abounds everywhere in our world.  God’s word of encouragement reminds us that He, alone, will author this world’s final chapter.  In the meantime we’re to remain focused on the task at hand: extending His love and mercy to hurting people.
 
PLEDGES & CONTRIBUTIONS
Thank you so much for your faithfulness in giving.  Your generous gifts for the project arrive weekly.   We recently reached a milestone, having now received more than 1 million dollars in donations from family and friends of Salem First!   I’ll be going to city hall this morning to pull permits.  Don’t miss Sunday morning!  Our groundbreaking service begins at 11:00 am.
 
 
RESERVED PARKING & NEIGHBORHOOD CONSIDERATION
Please remember: parking in the west lot, as well as in the new turn-around and drop-off area is RESERVED for handicap placards, special needs, and seniors.  The row of spaces nearest the south side of our annex is also reserved for these categories.  Thanks for being considerate of those who need to be as close to our front entrance as possible.
 
Also be considerate of our neighbors as well.  We are concerned about two things: first, that we do not use all the available parking on private streets around the church, and second, that we do not block anyone’s driveway.  Thanks for making sure we continue to be good neighbors.   
 
Overflow parking: Shuttles will run each week from 7:45am - 12:45pm between church and Cornerstone Plaza (NE corner of Park & Market Streets)
 
SECURITY VOLUNTEERS
We need many of you to give ONE SUNDAY in 2010 to parking lot security.  This is a critical need.  Please sign up this week at the volunteer desk.
 
YEAR-END GIVING
One last reminder that contributions to be credited in 2009 must be in our office by December 31, or have a 2009 post-mark.  You can slip envelopes through our mail slot if the office is closed.  THANKS for your faithfulness!
 
NEW YEAR Blessings to you all!!
Pastor Jerry

Join us Sunday, January 3, 2010 for the groundbreaking of our new community life center!  The ceremony will start in the sanctuary at 11:00 AM and conclude outside by 12:30 PM. 

We’re finally there!  Groundbreaking takes place January 3rd.  I hope all of you will make an effort to join us for this historic moment.  My goal in this update is to give you a financial overview of where we currently stand.  It will help to picture this project as three large pieces of a puzzle, with each separate piece needing funds: the finished building, the furnished building, and the Children’s Ministry Center.   

THE FINISHED BUILDING

The church board made finishing the building structure, itself, our first priority.  Much of this decision was based on the unusual opportunity to significantly reduce building costs, in large part produced by the recession that began in the fall of 2008.   With the help of Dave Walborn we set targets for cash-on-hand, property sales, and pledges received.  Once we reached our first target we knew that phase one, the completion of our basic structure, could be achieved.  That is how we arrived at January 3rd as our date for groundbreaking.

It is important to understand the following: a finished building is not a furnished building.  We have funded, at this moment, the completion of a basic structure that will house our new high school and mid-high youth centers, our new commercial kitchen, and our new gym.  While we will be able to occupy these new spaces in their most rudimentary form, they will not be usable as envisioned until additional lights, audio-visual equipment, and furnishings are all in place.

THE FURNISHED BUILDING

Our new building contains five large spaces.  Four of these spaces - the High School & Mid-High centers, lobby and gym - must serve multiple purposes, including that of presentation venues.  Our gym will be a sports center, a reception hall, a special events center, and a worship venue.  Our youth spaces, centers for our high school and mid-high ministries, will be worship and teaching venues, as well as fellowship halls for the various activities essential to youth ministry. Our lobby will serve as a welcome center, a small Starbucks-like meeting area, and a small-scale presentation center for less formal group gatherings.  Our commercial kitchen is designed for restaurant type equipment that can serve large groups of people in formal, informal, and ministry settings.

The furnishing of our new community life center requires additional gifts and pledges of approximately $500,000.  While this may seem like a lot of money it represents only 8% of the overall cost of this project. (6 Million total: 5.5 for new building and furnishings; .5 for Children’s Center re-model and furnishings.)  It includes equipment for our kitchen, special lighting for our lobby, sound, a/v, and acoustical for our gym and youth centers.  Up-to-date lighting and audio-visual equipment, as well as the acoustical treatment necessary to make these spaces truly multi-functional, is critical.  The long-term viability of this building depends on every single element now being designed.   

Picture a boat without a motor, or worse, without a rudder, and you have a picture of what we have without these furnishings.  It looks like a boat, and floats like a boat, but it won’t get you where you need to go.  These features may seem expensive as a whole, but they represent only 16% of the total cost.  They are essentials, not luxuries.

THE CHILDREN’S CENTER

One of the reasons we opted for a spacious gym in our new building was to free up the old gym and London Room to become our new Children’s Center.   We anticipate doing this re-model concurrently with our new building.  We are asking for expertise from within the church family to help keep our costs as low as possible.  There is very little structural change anticipated.  Plans call for a large room with the current high ceilings.  The most significant change will be a family check-in and entrance area.  This requires us to open the large wall separating the gym from the east-side hallway.  We are in the process of producing our first working drawings for the center.

The estimated cost, fully equipped and furnished, is approximately $500,000.  Once again, this represents about 8% of the combined cost of our new building and Children’s Center re-model.  This estimate is subject to significant change – it could be less - but lighting, a/v, and acoustical treatment for a space of this size will be similar to what we’ve designed for our new youth centers.  We must see this as an investment in our future.  Our church will be reaching families, Lord willing, for generations to come.  While everything need not be purchased up front, we must build into this center the ability to minister to hundreds of children, and their families, on a weekly basis.

FUNDING FOR THE FINISHED BUILDING AND THE CHILREN’S CENTER

This is where we take our step of faith.  Remember, we’re already 80% there!  It’s been the belief of Pastor, staff, board, and building committee that additional gifts would be given once ground was actually broken.  We’ve waited so long – we’ve had multiple false starts – who can blame those who’ve taken a “wait and see” attitude?

In January we will make available a list of everything necessary to completely furnish our building and Children’s Center.  We’ve used this approach as a church family in the past.  There may be an item or items you choose to take on as a family, a ministry team, or a Sunday school class.  Those of you with a heart for our new kitchen will have appliances galore to choose from.  Those with a love for kids can help Pastor Trevor provide the latest and greatest equipment for our Children’s Center.  Love teens?  Make a gift of an HD overhead projector.

The key is for all of us to give something, and for all of us to pray and believe that God will provide!  If you have cash to give, give joyfully.  If you can make a new pledge, or increase one you already made, let us know.  If you have items of value you’re willing to sell, call Mark Parrish at 971-240-2218.  In the meantime, continue each week to be faithful with your tithes.  King David said,  “Who am I, and who are these people, that we should give so generously?” (1Chron. 29:14) Well, they were people blessed by God.  They gave generously because they understood that all they “owned” was not theirs at all – it belonged to God.  Thousands of years later we are “these” people.  Who are we?  We are God’s redeemed, God’s Church, God’s family.  “Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”  (1Chron. 29:14)

Blessings to you all!

Pastor Jerry

Groundbreaking takes place on January 3rd.  Here are some important items of information regarding parking during construction: