Less than three weeks ago we came across a building that would supply us with expanding space for our expanding church. Good space for our worship and ministry needs, good space for our growing children, good space for hosting multiple uses, good location, good price – all good news for us to proclaim Good News.

We quickly put together a plan and budget and a goal for raising the funds we would need to make this new space our own. Immediately we needed $2500 to secure the space and another, planned, $1500 for paint, cleanup and prep. Over the next month we hoped to raise funds for chairs and a sign. The next month after that, we planned to raise funds for an extra three months’ worth of rent. In all we hoped to raise $10-11,000 over sixty days.

With the great generosity of one family we were given $2500 if we could raise another $2500 – and with the great generosity of another family we did. In just a few days we already had $5000!

Funds continued to trickle in – it was a nervous and anxious week knowing we were just $5000 away from getting into a new building. It became more nervous and anxious when no new support came in for a few days consecutively. But when we replaced our anxiety with the truth and knowledge that if this was the space Jesus would have us to be in that He would bring in all we needed the fund raising doors were blown off the hinges again.

Yesterday we received $3000 – and today another $1400! Our church, our friends, and our partners have helped us raise $9400.00 in just one week!

We’re now just $1400 away from having all the funds our budget requires which includes our first months rent and deposit, paint, cleanup and prep, a new sign, new chairs, and three extra months worth of rent in savings.

We are hopeful that this last $1400 will come in soon, and prayerfully even more so we’ll be prepared for the things we haven’t thought of, like clocks, a vacuum cleaner, a coffee maker (actually we did think of a coffee maker, of course we did, look at us – all cranked up on caffeine, we’re coffee junkies so we thought of it we just didn’t think of it), etc.

So, a huge thank you to all of you who have given in huge ways – and a huge thank you to the people of TcD who are committed to continue to give towards paying the rent and utilities and maintenance of this new building. Because of you all (note the grammar here TX and KY friends!) we’re just about ready to make this good space a great place to share the Good News.

If you would still like to contribute to this new space for our Worship and Ministry you can give online at www.reachingdekalb.net or mail a check to:

Redeemer Fellowship
1125 Oak Street
St. Charles, IL 60174

As always, thank you for your partnership in the Gospel – the Good News that Jesus is excited to have being shared in DeKalb!

Grace and Peace,
Jamie

For a little bit of time now we’ve known that we were in a crisis for our kids with worship space. We’ve added families with young children and literally have run out of room for a growing children’s ministry, there is no where to care for new children now on Sunday mornings. Coupled with insufficient space for our children we are also eager to begin new ministries, a Clothes Closet or Food Pantry. And to continue current ministries – a growing church. We’ve known that we would need to raise financial support to accomplish need for new space, though the cost involved with some of the spaces we were finding seemed so hard to overcome that we hesitated to start a fund raising campaign for building needs.

However, yesterday we discovered a space that not only meets our needs for worship, ministry, and children’s space and is nearly three times larger than other space we were seeing, it also is so incredible affordable – so affordable in fact that we only need to raise just a fraction of what we thought we needed to get into our own building. Because of this I’m very anxious, this morning, to write to you about our need and see how you may be able to help us accomplish, quickly, a fund raising goal to get into this new space soon.

The new space we’re looking at is just off the main intersection of DeKalb, 1st Street and Lincoln Highway – the dead-center heart of our city. It’s a one story building, 3500 sq. feet. As you walk in there is an entry area with a coat room and, to the left, a short hallway to two bathrooms. Going to the right there is a set of double glass doors that is the entry way into the main area. The first area inside those doors has a double sided fire place (the other side is on the raised platform where song and sermon will come from). This smaller room would be great to setup coffee for worshipers as they come in. Going through this room you come to the large main area. The main area would of course be our seating section. To the right of the main area there is a hallway to a small kitchen area and opposite that a small storage room. To the left of the main area there is a very large storage room which would be fantastic for setting up as a Food Pantry or Clothes Closet. On the back wall of the main area there are three rooms that would be used as our children’s space on Sunday mornings.

In the front of the main area is a raised platform where song and sermon would come from. To one side there are two rooms – one storage for sound equipment and chairs, the other a ministry office. To the other side is the double sided fire place. Outside there is ample parking, and, being so close to the heart of the city, we’d be located in a spot for walking and biking types too.

All in all this space is incredibly sufficient for all or our needs at this stage of our church plant.

Besides just being a safe place for worship on Sundays, with great space for our children, and space for us to begin new ministries we would also use the building maybe as an art gallery, a place for local artist, writers, musicians (we have an incredible amount of the “culture class” in DeKalb) to display their art, read their art, or sing their art.

Previous spaces we were looking at where much smaller and much more expensive. Rent at these other spaces ranged from $1800 to $4000 a month and we knew that we needed at least $20,000 to get into the smallest of these buildings.

This space, however, is only $1250 a month (and nearly three times larger!) and we only need $2500 to get in!

We are praying that we can raise $2500 in one week (or sooner!) and have the funds to move in. Then we’re praying we can raise more funds for supplies, painting, and cleaning. We’ll also need to buy new chairs.

If we can raise $2500 now we can get into the building by the middle of the month. At that time we have two mission teams coming to DeKalb that could help us paint and clean and setup. If we could raise $1500 before they get here we would be well set to paint, clean and set up our new building with those teams. That would give us almost a full month to raise another $1500-$2000 for chairs. We’d also like to raise another $3600-$4000 to have three months of rent to sit on just to be prepared for potentially difficult fund raising or giving months down the road.

We know, with all certainty that God has called us to DeKalb and that because we have a genuine calling we know He will provide every need. He’s been good do draw people to The church in DeKalb to hear the Gospel and change their lives – He’s been good to send us helpers and workers for the ministry. He’s been good to send us supporters who have aided us in prayer and financial support. We’re certain that He will provide new space for us to continue to grow, worship, and minister in our city.

We’re prayerful that your participation in contributing to the money we need to get into a new building, our own space for the first time, would be what God uses to “hold the door open” for us to walk through in faith that this is the place God would have us to be to continue to reach DeKalb with the Good News.

You can contribute through our website at www.reachingdekalb.net and click the SUPPORT button.

Or you can contribute by mailing a check to our sending church:

Redeemer Fellowship

1125 Oak Street

St. Charles, IL 60174

I’m asking that if you’re able to support us with this need by sending a check or other gift that you might please respond to this email to alert us so that we can get into the building as soon as possible.

All of us at The church in DeKalb remain incredibly thankful for what God is doing in city through our new church. We’re thankful as well for your aide in accomplishing this new goal for our first building space. Your support is a wonderful partnership in the Gospel, helping to make the Good News of Jesus heard here.