The Need

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love,
any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy,
make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love,
being in full accord and of one mind. —Philippians 2:1

To renew Resurrection and prepare for a future of expanded ministry, we conducted a capital campaign in 2012. To complete the badly needed replacement of our parish house and renovation of our sanctuary, some borrowing was required.

Now, the time has come to reduce this debt, so that our resources can be more fully devoted to ministry. In addition, our organ has reached the end of its useful lifespan and must be replaced. The Make My Joy Complete capital campaign will fulfill this effort, strengthening Resurrection for many years to come.

Reduce our Mortgage | $439,000
In 2012, during the Forward in Faith campaign, it became clear that our construction costs were going to be higher than hoped for. At that time, we committed to fulfill our plans by borrowing.

After the end of the Forward in Faith campaign giving (2017) and when the loan interest rate adjusts (2020), that mortgage, with annual payments of at least $103,000 per year, would be unsustainable, causing dramatic reductions in other categories of the annual budget and eliminating new mission and ministry initiatives.

Through the campaign, we will reduce the principal of our mortgage, freeing Resurrection to grow in ministry in the years ahead. Every dollar used in the mortgage reduction will be against principal, not for paying interest.

Abundant opportunities for new work in Christ’s name are all around us. Dramatically reducing the size of our mortgage will put Resurrection on sound footing to respond to new opportunities in our Westside neighborhood, in worship and formation, and throughout our ministry areas.

This will complete the work we began in the last capital campaign and give us new budget capacity for new ministry.

Replace our Organ | $111,000
The organ is essential to our way of worship, from which the rest of our common life flows. Yet our aging and small current organ is plagued with ongoing mechanical challenges, is limited in capability, and is poorly positioned. Renovation of the current organ would offer very limited improvement and would address only some of its issues.

Through the Make My Joy Complete capital campaign, we will purchase a reliable new digital instrument made by Marshall and Ogletree. This organ will use a fully-refurbished console from the respected builder Casavant, saving us more than $100,000. We have already paid for 50% of the organ’s total cost ($222,000) with a combination of reserve funds and advance gifts, bringing the total to raise down to $111,000.

The new organ will have speakers, equivalent to ranks of pipes, at the front and rear of the church, offering much better support to the singing of the congregation and choir. The organ will have 40 ranks, offering a great increase in the range of sounds and music currently possible. Each of its notes is a recorded actual pipe organ note, distinguishing this instrument from those that play synthesized sounds and often disappoint. A high-quality digital instrument is a good fit for us, given the narrow dimensions of our church (which provides inadequate space for pipes) and our inability to purchase another pipe organ, at a cost of well more than $1 million.

The new organ, like the elimination or reduction of our mortgage, will make the work we began in 2012 more complete, the organ being the only major ministry asset of the church that remains in precarious condition. Indeed, the new organ will open a new season in our music ministry and in the life of worship that animates Resurrection.

$650,000 Challenge Goal
All funds received beyond $550,000 will be applied to our mortgage. The more we raise, the lower our mortgage will be. By meeting our challenge goal of $650,000, we will put Resurrection on a solid footing and prepare for a future of growth in ministry.