This blog has been set up so that the people of Crossroads Fellowship can leave their comments about the facility that we are considering leasing.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
On Moving to This Facility
What do you think about this facility on Coal? Here's your chance to be heard!
7 comments:
Anonymous
said...
The new facility is too far from the Lee house and we are not moving. Far NE Heights to SE Albuquerque for a church commute passing hundreds of churches along the way is crazy for us. However, God has moved us to Crossroads, and he can help us cover the fuel bill. This is my only gripe and I figured it best to get it out first.
Crossroads needs to grow, make hard decisions and take new risks. I have always loved the idea of acting on faith to do God’s work; if He wants us to get involved in his plan, then he is more than capable of equipping us to do his work. In Experiencing God, Blackabee says that our faith must have action; if we believe that God has big plans for Albuquerque and that we are a part of His vision, then we have to have the faith that He will provide for our needs. If we always act based on what we have and what we know, then we have a small view of God; rather our view of God is really a view of a slightly expanded self. Knowing how things will turn out might be a good way of running a business, but it is a lousy way of worshiping as a church. A challenged faith with big obstacles allow God to demonstrate His glory and His power. This is the same God whose very thoughts keep the world ordered and together; the same God who knows the hairs on all of our heads. If He is big enough to conquer sin, save our souls and lead us to glory-hallelujah, then following his lead to a new building seems like an easy choice to leave in his hands. Lets have Him worry about the money.
We must also not allow the consequences of inaction to go undiscussed. If we keep doing what we are doing, then it goes without saying that chances are good that we will keep getting the same results. While we all were called by God to be a part of Crossroads up to this point, I think that God has much bigger plans for us than Sandia Prep on Sunday Morning. He wants us as a full time 24/7 church, not a school cafeteria for 3 hours one day a week church. We have been blessed thus far with God’s provision; all that we needed, God has provided. But to stay limits our ability to get where God needs us.
Lastly, I will follow Mike’s passion as I believe it to be from God. Lets get behind the same guy who God moved here to start Crossroads in the first place. I fasted like the rest of you and realized that our new location is really close to the Frontier for all my dining needs; seriously, can there be a better place nearby to break all my future fasts? I am confirmed in my trust of God’s plan and Mike’s vision.
The Lees have to drive too far to get there, but I am on board.
I see the same great things about having our own facility that others see: the ability to do more "stuff", being able to leave things set up and not have a set up crew each week, being able to personalize facility to the needs of our church. Many great things can come from having a place to really call home.
However, I'm a very practical (some would say heartless) Engineer. I see some big problems with this building. Some problems can be overcome, others can be overlooked; but they are still problems.
1. Size. The building is small. No matter how close our church family is, people need personal space. Once we add room for the worship team, a "sound booth" area, a communion table, and isles with enough room to get kids and car seats in and out, I'd bet we can't comfortably seat more than 60-70. That's were we are now - and we're not growing much from there. Unchurched strangers will be even less compelled to visit a church they are physically uncomfortable in. Beyond all that, if the Fire Marshal says that the Occupational Load Capacity is only 60 people, we're kinda stuck.
Even having two services will be nearly impossible unless they are significantly separated - literally two separate churches. The facility is not large enough to handle the segue between services.
2. Sound. The room is very "live". That will translate to being loud and difficult to control acoustically (everything mushing together). Speaking and singing definition will be diminished. Even small congregational noises will compete with speaking and singing. I have a very loud little guy with a relatively high voice that WILL drown out Mike's voice in that building. The average person will feel uncomfortable, but they won't realize that it is ear fatigue from trying to decipher speech over all the other sounds they're hearing. It's real. It's purely physics. The size, shape, and construction materials of the room are just this way. It can be treated, but at a cost. (And yes, I've been studying Acoustics for a while - it is not trivial).
3. Cost. Some will argue that we should just move forward and trust that God will provide. Yes! I'm all for trusting God; He WILL provide. However, the initial cost to get moved in and set up will be significant. Even if we DO get chairs from the previous church, we still have to consider the cost of any remodeling. We'll have to build a secure sound booth area, run cables, build a stage area, deal with the acoustics, buy tables... My guess is that $8-10k is barely enough to think about these things. If God hasn't provided that much up front, are we wise to move forward with no way to pay the initial bills? Perhaps he has and I (or we) just don't know it yet.
I only bring these things up for consideration. I still see all the great possibilities of this location and facility. But I'm really good at tempering my enthusiasm for just about everything with a healthy dose of practical reality. Just ask my wife.
But, like the Lees, God has brought the McMillans to Crossroads and we will go where our Church Family feels called by God to go.
I don't feel like posting two different messages on the boards (Urban church, facility, you get what I mean). I believe that Crossroads is called to be an Urban Church. Some might say that I (along with Mike and guys like Bryant & Delano) am perhaps biased to feel this way because I am one of "those" types of individuals. However, I feel a strong conviction (and have from the first day I began @ Crossroads) that God has called Mike, along with his ministry (Crossroads)to be the type of ministry which our "Vision Statement" describes. I honestly feel that in the two years I've been involved at Crossroads that we could have (and should have) done more....I think that moving to the new facility and stepping out with new outreach programs and urban ministries is what God desires of this church. Moreover, if we are obedient in fulfilling our role in Christ's commission, I believe wholeheartedly that God will bless our ministry. I am excited about the possibility of moving to this facility and area of town. Although I will not be continuing with the Music Leading after May, I would be excited to begin, or be involved with a campus evangelism minsitry (like a few of us did over the summer)! I know I am a college student and hence, do not contribute much to the church financially. However, I have worked with several churches and feel strongly that Crossroads can and should do more! I praise God for the work that he has done in Mike's life, ministry, and vision and am encouraged by the session's desire to better and boldy minister to the city of Albuquerque! Finally, the owner of the building said he would be willing to lease the facility for one year. Essentially then, I feel that this is a MUST DO! I say we move, reach out to the community, see what God WILL do, hit max capacity in a year, and move into another facility then.....hahahahaha
Rowie and I live in Rio Rancho which is right next to Colorado however we feel strongly that the Mission of Crossroads is to reach the lost in OUR Jerusalem, Judea, and the Uttermost parts of the Earth. So being "in the City" as the focal point makes sense.
I've been part of a city/urban ministry in the past and I think those who haven't may be a little surprised by how much more can be done in meeting the physical and spiritual needs of those who reside in relative proximity to the Church.
We can't comment on the building as we have not seen it but we do trust the Session to make the right decision on the Church's behalf.
Phil blogging on Heather's account. The Building: 1. Excellent convenient location. 2. Attractive building with decent parking for a downtown location. 3. At our current size, we could move in with minimal changes to the facility. While we may want to move walls, etc. we could decide to do that later.
The Sunday school rooms are small and awkward, but may be adequate in the current configuration. Moving the walls in that area seems more straightforward than enlarging the sanctuary…
This brings up the only real drawback for the building: size. As Jonathon mentions, what is the firecode limit on the room? I have difficulty envisioning how many could fit into the room, particularly after the stage and other things are put in place, but 70 seems reasonable. This puts us at half-full? With a one year lease this may be reasonable. It also gives us time to see if we can modify the building or how to do things to make it work before overcrowding becomes an issue. Having said that, I would be hesitant to dump a lot of money into a building where we are only going to spend 12 months.
We have discussed a Sunday evening service which would alleviate the crowding; however, at that point we really have two different churches. Is this good or bad? I dunno.
Money doesn’t need to stand in our way. But the giving units of the church need to have a serious discussion about what this means for their finances. Taking our typical monthly expenditure (which we have been meeting with current giving, but barely) an increase of 15% in giving will be required to meet the new outlays.
7 comments:
The new facility is too far from the Lee house and we are not moving. Far NE Heights to SE Albuquerque for a church commute passing hundreds of churches along the way is crazy for us. However, God has moved us to Crossroads, and he can help us cover the fuel bill. This is my only gripe and I figured it best to get it out first.
Crossroads needs to grow, make hard decisions and take new risks. I have always loved the idea of acting on faith to do God’s work; if He wants us to get involved in his plan, then he is more than capable of equipping us to do his work. In Experiencing God, Blackabee says that our faith must have action; if we believe that God has big plans for Albuquerque and that we are a part of His vision, then we have to have the faith that He will provide for our needs. If we always act based on what we have and what we know, then we have a small view of God; rather our view of God is really a view of a slightly expanded self. Knowing how things will turn out might be a good way of running a business, but it is a lousy way of worshiping as a church. A challenged faith with big obstacles allow God to demonstrate His glory and His power. This is the same God whose very thoughts keep the world ordered and together; the same God who knows the hairs on all of our heads. If He is big enough to conquer sin, save our souls and lead us to glory-hallelujah, then following his lead to a new building seems like an easy choice to leave in his hands. Lets have Him worry about the money.
We must also not allow the consequences of inaction to go undiscussed. If we keep doing what we are doing, then it goes without saying that chances are good that we will keep getting the same results. While we all were called by God to be a part of Crossroads up to this point, I think that God has much bigger plans for us than Sandia Prep on Sunday Morning. He wants us as a full time 24/7 church, not a school cafeteria for 3 hours one day a week church. We have been blessed thus far with God’s provision; all that we needed, God has provided. But to stay limits our ability to get where God needs us.
Lastly, I will follow Mike’s passion as I believe it to be from God. Lets get behind the same guy who God moved here to start Crossroads in the first place. I fasted like the rest of you and realized that our new location is really close to the Frontier for all my dining needs; seriously, can there be a better place nearby to break all my future fasts? I am confirmed in my trust of God’s plan and Mike’s vision.
The Lees have to drive too far to get there, but I am on board.
I see the same great things about having our own facility that others see: the ability to do more "stuff", being able to leave things set up and not have a set up crew each week, being able to personalize facility to the needs of our church. Many great things can come from having a place to really call home.
However, I'm a very practical (some would say heartless) Engineer. I see some big problems with this building. Some problems can be overcome, others can be overlooked; but they are still problems.
1. Size. The building is small. No matter how close our church family is, people need personal space. Once we add room for the worship team, a "sound booth" area, a communion table, and isles with enough room to get kids and car seats in and out, I'd bet we can't comfortably seat more than 60-70. That's were we are now - and we're not growing much from there. Unchurched strangers will be even less compelled to visit a church they are physically uncomfortable in. Beyond all that, if the Fire Marshal says that the Occupational Load Capacity is only 60 people, we're kinda stuck.
Even having two services will be nearly impossible unless they are significantly separated - literally two separate churches. The facility is not large enough to handle the segue between services.
2. Sound. The room is very "live". That will translate to being loud and difficult to control acoustically (everything mushing together). Speaking and singing definition will be diminished. Even small congregational noises will compete with speaking and singing. I have a very loud little guy with a relatively high voice that WILL drown out Mike's voice in that building. The average person will feel uncomfortable, but they won't realize that it is ear fatigue from trying to decipher speech over all the other sounds they're hearing. It's real. It's purely physics. The size, shape, and construction materials of the room are just this way. It can be treated, but at a cost. (And yes, I've been studying Acoustics for a while - it is not trivial).
3. Cost. Some will argue that we should just move forward and trust that God will provide. Yes! I'm all for trusting God; He WILL provide. However, the initial cost to get moved in and set up will be significant. Even if we DO get chairs from the previous church, we still have to consider the cost of any remodeling. We'll have to build a secure sound booth area, run cables, build a stage area, deal with the acoustics, buy tables... My guess is that $8-10k is barely enough to think about these things. If God hasn't provided that much up front, are we wise to move forward with no way to pay the initial bills? Perhaps he has and I (or we) just don't know it yet.
I only bring these things up for consideration. I still see all the great possibilities of this location and facility. But I'm really good at tempering my enthusiasm for just about everything with a healthy dose of practical reality. Just ask my wife.
But, like the Lees, God has brought the McMillans to Crossroads and we will go where our Church Family feels called by God to go.
I don't feel like posting two different messages on the boards (Urban church, facility, you get what I mean). I believe that Crossroads is called to be an Urban Church. Some might say that I (along with Mike and guys like Bryant & Delano) am perhaps biased to feel this way because I am one of "those" types of individuals. However, I feel a strong conviction (and have from the first day I began @ Crossroads) that God has called Mike, along with his ministry (Crossroads)to be the type of ministry which our "Vision Statement" describes. I honestly feel that in the two years I've been involved at Crossroads that we could have (and should have) done more....I think that moving to the new facility and stepping out with new outreach programs and urban ministries is what God desires of this church. Moreover, if we are obedient in fulfilling our role in Christ's commission, I believe wholeheartedly that God will bless our ministry. I am excited about the possibility of moving to this facility and area of town. Although I will not be continuing with the Music Leading after May, I would be excited to begin, or be involved with a campus evangelism minsitry (like a few of us did over the summer)! I know I am a college student and hence, do not contribute much to the church financially. However, I have worked with several churches and feel strongly that Crossroads can and should do more! I praise God for the work that he has done in Mike's life, ministry, and vision and am encouraged by the session's desire to better and boldy minister to the city of Albuquerque! Finally, the owner of the building said he would be willing to lease the facility for one year. Essentially then, I feel that this is a MUST DO! I say we move, reach out to the community, see what God WILL do, hit max capacity in a year, and move into another facility then.....hahahahaha
Stage, walls, cabinet, whatever it is that needs built is no match for my set of cordless DeWalt power tools.
nuff said.
I like the idea of being closer to the college campus. My heart seems to gravitate towards college students. This could open up some doors, literally.
Rowie and I live in Rio Rancho which is right next to Colorado however we feel strongly that the Mission of Crossroads is to reach the lost in OUR Jerusalem, Judea, and the Uttermost parts of the Earth. So being "in the City" as the focal point makes sense.
I've been part of a city/urban ministry in the past and I think those who haven't may be a little surprised by how much more can be done in meeting the physical and spiritual needs of those who reside in relative proximity to the Church.
We can't comment on the building as we have not seen it but we do trust the Session to make the right decision on the Church's behalf.
Phil blogging on Heather's account.
The Building:
1. Excellent convenient location.
2. Attractive building with decent parking for a downtown location.
3. At our current size, we could move in with minimal changes to the facility. While we may want to move walls, etc. we could decide to do that later.
The Sunday school rooms are small and awkward, but may be adequate in the current configuration. Moving the walls in that area seems more straightforward than enlarging the sanctuary…
This brings up the only real drawback for the building: size. As Jonathon mentions, what is the firecode limit on the room? I have difficulty envisioning how many could fit into the room, particularly after the stage and other things are put in place, but 70 seems reasonable. This puts us at half-full? With a one year lease this may be reasonable. It also gives us time to see if we can modify the building or how to do things to make it work before overcrowding becomes an issue. Having said that, I would be hesitant to dump a lot of money into a building where we are only going to spend 12 months.
We have discussed a Sunday evening service which would alleviate the crowding; however, at that point we really have two different churches. Is this good or bad? I dunno.
Money doesn’t need to stand in our way. But the giving units of the church need to have a serious discussion about what this means for their finances. Taking our typical monthly expenditure (which we have been meeting with current giving, but barely) an increase of 15% in giving will be required to meet the new outlays.
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