Building Project Update - 10.8.08

It is no secret that times are tough.  The economic turmoil in our country has affected many, many families as well as our church.  But we know God is faithful and He is going to provide, and we are encouraged by His Word, which says, “the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance” (Psalm 33:11-12).

As we walk by faith and not by sight in a time of uncertainty (2 Corinthians 5:7), our vision to expand our worship facility—in order to lift up the name of Jesus in this valley—remains strong and steadfast. 

The purpose of this letter is to give you an update of where we stand with our Honoring His Name capital campaign and building project. We are in the final stretch of the campaign with less than three months left to go.  We want to encourage you to try to do your best to fulfill your commitment and stand with us in accomplishing this goal.

To date, we have received pledges of $17,554,036.45 since November 2005, to be given over a 38-month period of time.  Thus far, we have received $7,987,055.42 with $9,566,981.03 still left to be given.  See graph.

(For up-to-date information on the HHN Capital Campaign, visit www.honoringhisname.com.)

Here is an update regarding the building project itself:

·         In March 2007, Nathan Shapell—one of the owners of Shapell Industries with whom we were in escrow to purchase the land adjacent to our property—passed away.  Since then, we have been working with the new leadership team at Shapell to finalize a land sale and/or mutual parking agreement that is critical to our expansion and growth. Negotiations for a shared parking agreement have been difficult and time consuming.  After much consideration, we are now directing our attention to building a parking deck on top of our existing parking lot at our far west end to accommodate the required number of parking spaces needed to continue with our expansion plan. 

      Prayer Focus: Please pray for God’s direction and wisdom for the decision-makers involved as we transition to this stage of planning.  Pray for fruitful negotiations with the leadership team at Shapell Industries with whom we hope to have a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship.

·         With this plan, construction on the new building will commence after the parking deck is finished, likely in the first quarter of 2010. 

      Prayer Focus: that the price of commodities will not significantly increase because of this delay and that this time may be used to continue to reach the lost and grow God’s family.

·         We continue to work with both CalTrans and the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks to secure a lease for the lot located at the intersection of Corbin Avenue and Trammell Lane.  Use of this lot for weekend service parking will help greatly during upcoming campus construction and ongoing service needs.  This land is owned by the state but managed by the city.  Though leadership teams for both are open to creating a “win-win” for the community at large and for Shepherd, negotiations are often lengthy. 

      Prayer Focus: Please pray that an agreement that is beneficial to both Shepherd and our community can be reached soon.