TURNING POINT! Frequently Asked Questions
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I committed financially to the BREAKTHROUGH! Capital Campaign in 2015-18. How will the TURNING POINT! Campaign impact my current payment promise?
- BREAKTHROUGH! and TURNING POINT! are two separate campaigns. The three-year BREAKTHROUGH! campaign covered the giving years of 2016, 2017, and 2018, and will conclude on December 31, 2018. We ask that any commitment you made for BREAKTHROUGH! be fulfilled to the degree possible by that date.
Contributions to our next three-year campaign, TURNING POINT!, will begin on Jan. 1, 2019, and will continue through 2019, 2020, and 2021. Any promise of financial support for TURNING POINT! would be separate and additional to what you have already contributed.
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What where the deliverables from the BREAKTHROUGH! Campaign?
BREAKTHROUGH! contributions paid for our sanctuary renovations, including a renovated sanctuary, new ceiling, new sound system, improved acoustics, new lighting, a new HVAC system, new chairs (through a separate fundraising initiative) and livestreaming equipment (50% reimbursed by Unity Worldwide Ministries). BREAKTHROUGH! also provided the funds to pay off our new roof and to pay for the civil engineering and architectural plans needed for the next two phases.
Additionally, thanks to the generous giving to BREAKTHROUGH!, we expect to have saved nearly $400,000 by the end of this year to help fund the next phases. That means we would already have about one-third of the amount needed to pay for Phases I and II (described below)!
How much money do we need to raise for Phase 1?
TURNING POINT! is aimed at raising the funds for Phase 1 (new education wing, multipurpose room, expanded kitchen and bathrooms) as well as Phase II (a new fellowship hall/café/bookstore). We do not have the final cost projections yet, but estimate about $1 million for Phase I and $250,000 for Phase II. We are working with civil engineers to reduce the cost of site work, which originally came in at $300,000 (included in the $1 million Phase I estimate).
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What will the $1.2 million buy for Unity Renaissance?
Contributions to TURNING POINT will fund a new education wing, including classrooms to be used for both youth and adult education (three of those classrooms will have movable walls that allow us to combine their space for multipurpose uses); a larger kitchen for church functions as well as community outreach; larger, handicapped accessible bathrooms; additional storage; and will also pay for a new fellowship hall/café/bookstore where we can break bread together after Sunday services and host other informal gatherings.
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Phase 0 cost more than the original estimate. What measures have been taken to keep the costs contained to the projected $1.2 million?
- We are currently working to reduce the projected costs for Phases 1 and 2 by conferring and negotiating with the architects and construction firm, as well as civil engineers on the costs of site work. Every construction project includes a percentage of contingency funding if needed. We hope to keep all costs within the $1.2 million projection.
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How much do we need to raise through the TURNING POINT! campaign?
We want to come as close as we can to raise the additional funding needed for Phases 1 and 2. With that in mind, we have set some benchmarks: If we raise $300,000 through the TURNING POINT campaign, we would need to rethink and revise our plans. If we raise $600,000, we should be able to complete Phases 1 and 2 and take out a modest mortgage to fund the rest. If we raise $900,000, we should be able to pay for Phase 1 and 2 without taking out a mortgage. The church currently has no mortgage and no debt.
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How will Unity Renaissance keep the congregants up-to-date on the TURNING POINT Campaign?
We are committed to providing regular updates on TURNING POINTand subsequent construction via:
- 1. Capital Campaign Meeting Updates in the Sanctuary
- 2. Regular updates during Sunday Services
- 3. Weekly Social Media Posts showing progress and milestones reached.
- 4. Dedicated Website page including floor plans, timeframes, milestones, and updated information.
- 5. Quarterly progress reports mailed to members.
- 6. Bulletin updates
- 7. E-blast updates
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How will the construction affect day-to-day operations at Unity Renaissance?
Construction projects are always disruptive, but we will work with our construction crew to minimize the impact on daily operations and Sunday services.
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What is in it [expansion plans] for me? I don’t have kids.
The education wing is for both children AND adult learners. Additionally, it includes much-needed additional space for church gatherings and events. Every week, staff and volunteers must juggle space and sometimes reject proposed events due to lack of space. We are also one of the few churches our size without a full-sized kitchen, and no fellowship hall. The new expansion would give us the space we need to host informal gatherings; to accommodate larger church events and dinners; to support new programs; and to more fully serve our growing congregation and the community at large.
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How will YFM classrooms be impacted and where will classes be held?
We do not yet know the order of construction but will be working with the contractors to assure we have space for youth education classes on Sundays. It may be possible to build the new education wing first, before taking down the walls of the current classrooms. Stay tuned!