On Monday November 13, we had our annual Congregational Meeting. During these meetings we worship together, hear ministry updates and elect new leaders. I want to give you a short recap of some of what happened at this year's meeting.

We re-elected two new elders: Dan Larson and Jacob Samad (both have served before). Paul Boys, Josh Kaufmann and Ben Frade are rotating off the Session after having served three year terms.

We also elected three new deacons: Austin Fleisher, Paul Laskey and Max Roy. Andrew Loenen and Lee Pinkston are rotating off after their term of service.

If you'd like to learn more about our leadership, and how to nominate someone to serve, please click here. Nominations will be open for the next couple of weeks and then training of these nominees will begin early in 2024.

During the meeting, our deacons shared about their ministry of service at the church. If you need help with a difficult season, a financial need, or even moving your couch, please reach out to the deacons (Deacons@newcity@gmail.com / 513-549-3048). You can also find a financial request form at the bottom of the Pastoral Care page.

The largest portion of the meeting was devoted to a Making Room update and discussion around a motion from the Session regarding the financing of the project.

Making Room has been a work in progress for many years. In 2018, the elders authorized a Master Plan Team to form. We were coming up on ten years as a church, and the Master Plan Team’s job was to begin to assess what we might need for the next decade of ministry and beyond. This was a team composed of folks from various areas in the church body (children’s ministry, music, hospitality, women’s ministry, mercy, outreach and more). They did research, visited other spaces, and, together with an architect, began to develop the first iterations of a plan.

Even in 2018 we knew we would need more room for children’s ministry and student ministry, more room for meals and hospitality, more room for partner ministries and for the broader community to use. Our theme all along has been Romans 15.7, “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you…”

Last fall we began the project in earnest, hoping to raise $6.8m over two years (December 2022 to December 2024). This included $2.8m for two years of our operating budget and $4m for the building addition. We’re thrilled to say that through God’s grace and your generosity, we are on track to meet this goal!

The final estimate for the building construction, however, is $6.3m. There are a few reasons for this. First, the move from conceptual drawings to design drawings yielded a more accurate understanding of the scope and cost of the project. Second, the cost of materials has risen since we began the planning. And finally, the subcontractor bids came in higher than anticipated. This is a significant increase and one we take very seriously.

The Session believes this is still a work God is calling us to. Our costs have grown, but so has the congregation, significantly so over the past few years. Our needs have continued to grow as well. We believe we are in a strong place to finish this project, even with the higher costs.

To do this, we will need to pursue financing to cover the gap between our expected giving and the final cost. The Session answered questions about this at the meeting, and the congregation voted unanimously to authorize the Session to pursue financing to complete the project.

That said, the more we give now, the less financing we will need. During this midpoint of Making Room, we’re asking you to consider what your involvement will be for the final year (December 2023 to December 2024) and to make a pledge on November 26 during our worship services.

• If you’re new, this is a chance for you to join in and make a pledge for the first time.
• If you made a pledge last year, this is a chance to reaffirm your commitment to finish strong, or to consider an increase for the next year.

We’re grateful for all the work God has done and is continuing to do in and through New City.