OUR CHALLENGES
As we look at the history of our church, it is clear to us that we have been blessed beyond anything we could have imagined. Now, as we look to the future and pursue the vision God has given us, we must acknowledge the challenges we face:
1. Westview is getting grayer, faster. Our congregation is aging and we are no longer as effective in our original DNA as a church to reach the next generation of students and young families. We love our seniors and will continue to serve them, but we must address this trend and renew our intentionality to reach young families.
2. While statistics show that in our area less than 10% of people attend church weekly, most of our visitors come from other churches. The Biblical mission of our church cannot come from that 10% deciding to switch churches. The story of Westview began with a group of those dedicated to reaching people who were unconnected to God or a church. We must recommit ourselves to this calling.
3. While we are grateful for the opportunity to meet at St. George Elementary, the school has made it clear that this is not a long term solution for TRU. We must find a permanent meeting location for TRU – one that will facilitate our mission of continued growth, and build on the momentum that TRU has a church.
*TRU now has their own building! Check out their
site.
4. While we are proud of what The Homestead Ministry has accomplished, its current facility, staff and finances are simply unable to keep up with the sheer number of women who have been rescued out of sex trafficking and need help.
OUR REACH CAMPAIGN
The story of Westview is a story about people dedicated to reaching others with the Gospel. Now nearly 80 years after we began, God has convicted our leadership that we must rededicate ourselves to that mission – to reach our community. As Christ-followers, we have a Biblical mandate to reach each person in our community who is living outside a relationship with Him. We know that God’s heart is for all nations to know Him. The question is: will we do our part to REACH??
In order to fulfill our mission and realize God’s vision for our church:
1. We will mobilize congregations in Manhattan to reach those who do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ. We are committed to walk with them and disciple them in their new faith. We will dedicate ourselves to being examples to those who are far from God.
2. TRU will transition from a campus ministry to an established church, in order to more effectively reach people in the Highway 24 corridor.
*As of June 1, 2018, TRU has gone into developing church status within the Wesleyan church.
3. We will raise funds to address our current facility needs. These needs are not to provide improvements for us, but to enable our facilities to expand our mission as a church and reach others. This includes:
a. Providing a permanent home for TRU
*As of December 31, 2018, TRU and Westview REACH funds were split. If you would like to give to TRU, click HERE.
b. Refreshing Westview’s building by improving our children’s areas, updating our worship center, providing more connecting space and enhancing our visibility from Highway K18.
*As of Winter of 2019, Phase 1 of the building project was completed!
4. We will continue to maintain our national and international mission partnerships to reach our nation and the world.
5. We will remain committed to new church plant opportunities in our region as we see the life impact that has resulted in the launching of TRU.
MAKE THIS VISION A REALITY
To make this vision a reality, our leadership has prayerfully set a goal of $1.5 million, to be raised over the next three years, through the sacrificial gifts of each of us. This goal will enable us to address the immediate needs of our churches. Further, 10% of the funds raised during our REACH Campaign will go to The Homestead Ministry, to help tackle their capacity issues and enable them to fulfill their mission to reach those rescued from sex trafficking.
We know that this goal requires sacrifice, but we believe that our mission is worth the cost. For us, success is not just reaching a number; it means 100% participation from our church family.
*UPDATE:
As a Westview church family over the past couple of years, we have enjoyed the benefits of a wonderful and newly improved church building. Much of what we enjoy is the result of prayerful, strategic planning and Gods guidance as we developed the REACH campaign. The REACH campaign was designed to enhance our children’s ministry with a passion to reach young families to grow our church. We’re seeing the benefits and fruit of prayerful planning as God has blessed us with a growing Westview church family.
If you are new to Westview, the REACH campaign in 2018 included a proposed building project including 2 phases: Phase 1 included and completed: a new Children’s wing, a new East entrance, enhancements to security and fire safety, and upgraded water service, parking, and mechanical/electrical systems.
As a Westview church tradition, we also believe the first 10% of any capital project for “our walls” should include the first 10% given as a “First Fruits” blessing to ministry “outside our walls”. We initially chose to give to The Homestead ministry and to TRU Church and now that TRU is on their own, this first fruits blessing will continue to be given to The Homestead ministry. We are blessed with how God has worked through our church and the ministries we support. Phase 1 was completed in 2019 and there is enthusiasm for the potential to complete Phase 2 with a new worship center and multipurpose room to better reach our community. However, at congregational meetings held after completing phase 1, it was decided we should prayerfully pause and retire the remaining debt before asking God’s blessings for Phase 2.
Our lender recently reduced the interest rate on our note and mortgage from 5.5% down to 4.5% for the next 3 years. As of May 22nd, the REACH campaign has received $833,901 of the $1,494,422 phase 1 costs. We owe a remaining balance of $705,470.
At the direction of the Westview LBA and with verbal support given at the recent LCC meeting held on May 10th, the Finance Committee asks the congregation to prayerfully consider giving over and above your regular tithe for the next 2 years to retire the remaining REACH campaign debt. Retiring this debt in 2 years will save the church around $200,000 in interest from the 17-year note. God willing, we think we have an opportunity as a congregation during this period of lower interest rates to put more to principle and retire the remaining debt.
OUR NEED
You can make an impact! Here’s how:
We believe that God is calling all of us to equal sacrifice during this season, although that does not necessarily mean giving equal amounts. For some of us, giving to the REACH Campaign might be as simple as eating out less. For others, it will mean much more substantial sacrifice and gifts. Just as God has given us different resources to steward, so our commitments to the REACH Campaign will vary. But all of us are called to further the Kingdom and we would ask that you prayerfully consider what God is calling you to give. We also know that each of us is commanded to further our passion and commitment to investing in the lives of those who do not know Jesus personally.
With God’s help and with the commitment of everyone who calls Westview home, we can boldly step into the future He has for our church.
HERE’S HOW FAR YOUR GIFT COULD GO
This is about equal sacrifice, not equal gifts. Together, we can make an eternal impact in our community! Here’s an example of how far your gift could go over the course of our two-year campaign.
*As of July 2022: Over the next two years, we are focused on paying off the remaining note and mortgage debt incurred for Phase I of the REACH campaign. Paying off the debt ahead of schedule will potentially save us as much as $250,000 in interest expense.
We are excited to announce that we have received a matching grant of $150,000 to give this campaign some momentum, effective July 1! This means that your dollar is doubled; the first $150,000 donations will now equate to $300,000 towards the payoff!
Want to give to the REACH Vision Campaign?
Want to know more? Check out:
