Building On Purpose

Big Meetings Ahead...

As we have been sharing, May 4-7 we'll be having some very important meetings at which Pastor Wade will be giving us an update on our building plans.  Plan on attending one of these meetings as you won't want to miss hearing what he has to share.  Its always better to hear first hand what is going on, plus we'll even provide dinner so you don't have to cook that night!  You may sign up via the church's website (fbcmodesto.com), at church this weekend or call the church offices.

This week we are meeting with the Board of Deacons and praying, then making some key decisions on our campus development.  Would you please be in prayer for these men...for wisdom, discernment and clarity of direction from the Lord.

Until next week,
Paul

Planning...

Sometimes it seems like all we do is plan!  But as you might guess, proper planning really makes the difference when it comes time to actually build. This week is filled with more meetings and planning toward renovating office space and refining our multi-purpose building plans. 

One critical component to our project is the relocation of the public utilities that run through our campus.  We need to move these utilities in order to clear space for our new building.  This means that we must coordinate moving the electrical (MID), gas (PG&E), water & sewer (City of Modesto), telephone (AT&T) and cable (Cablecom) services that currently run through our campus.  The details in this coordination can be very involved but we are really making good progress in our planning and we are working with some really great people at each of the utility companies!  If all goes well, we'll begin to relocate these utilities in late May or early June.

Please pray this week that our planning will go well, that we won't miss any critical detail and that we'll be as efficient as possible in our design.  And, don't forget to sign up for one of the Building on Purpose dinners we'll be having May 4-7.  You'll get the opportunity to hear the latest news and enjoy a great dinner with us.

Until next week,
Paul

Dinner Anyone?

This week we sent an invitation to the church for some special dinners planned the week of May 4-7. Be sure to sign up ASAP ... we really want each person who calls First B their home to join us at one of these dinners and hear the latest developments on our building project, plus find out what the next six months will be like around our campus. It's going to get messy and somewhat inconvenient here on campus, but at the end of the project it will all be worth it!

By the way, if you are wandering around the church campus looking for the Kid Country offices, they are now located in the upstairs of The Point and the Women's Ministry offices are now in the Admin building. We moved these offices out of the CE Building while renovation is taking place. We are still working through a few details on the office relocation and will likely begin remodel in the very near future.

Until next week,
Paul

Office Moves Have Begun...

Ok, last week I didn't post ... it was my turn for some vacation! So this week we are rearing to go and things are moving ahead!

The office remodel officially began today as we moved the women's ministry offices to the admin building while remodel of the CE building takes place. This Wednesday we begin moving the Kid Country offices into their temporary home in the upstairs of The Point. When construction is completed both Womens and Kid Country offices will return to the renovated office space.

In the next couple days we will finalize office remodel costs, meet with our bank and have our next look at updated multi-purpose building costs. There is a high probablity that we will begin construction on the new office space in the CE building within 2 weeks.  Until then we willl continue to plan and prepare for all we will face in the coming months. 

Please pray for our board of deacons and Pastor Wade as we continue to seek the Lord in wisdom and direction.

Until Next Week,
Paul

 

Here comes Easter!

Easter is here! It sure seemed to come quickly this year. As I thought through this week's building update I was reminded that Easter is a time when we have a high number of guests at church and our hospitality toward each new person is very important. While we continue to work on our church campus being even a more inviting place for our guests, it is even more important that each person who calls First Baptist home is prepared to welcome our guests! 

As we continue to work on the development of our multi-purpose facility and park area, we want to create a warm, inviting atmosphere and a place where we can grow in Christ. I was reminded that the building is only a tool for ministry. It is us, the people who are part of First Baptist, who will make the difference as we reach out to others and help each other grow in our relationship with God.

Please pray this week for our contractor who continues to refine costs for the multi-purpose building, the office remodel and the utility relocation. We all know the challenges our economy is facing, but the Lord continues to move us ahead as so many are faithfully giving to the building program. Continue to pray for those who pledged real estate and the timing of those properties going back on the market and selling.

Until next week,
Paul

Office Relocation

Things are moving fast...just this morning I received word that our office relocation and remodel plans are in the last stages of approval by the City of Modesto. We have just a few small items to follow-up on and we should be set to obtain the permit.

As you know we need to move the main church offices in order to clear space for the multi-purpose building. It now appears that the remodel work will likely begin in April and be complete this summer. Our contractor has the remodel plans and is currently receiving bids from sub-contractors. Please pray that we can wrap up the office plan details quickly!

Until next week,
Paul

Utility Exploration

Well, I know it's not Monday, but I wanted to give you a mid-week update on some work that is being done today. This morning a work crew confirmed the location of some existing utilities in 11th Street and behind the Chapel. This work was necessary to finalize the design of our utility relocation project. Early next week we'll submit the drawings to the City of Modesto and when approved, we'll be ready to obtain the permit. We hope to begin our utility relocation project in April or May.

Until next week,
Paul

Cost Savings & More...

The meetings I mentioned last week went well. We met with about 15 different subcontractors. Some good news is that we were able to identify some potential ways to save. We also learned the cost of steel is projected to rise 7-10% in the coming months. It became clear that if we can move forward with our building on schedule, we may avoid a good portion of this anticipated increase in steel costs.

We have another busy week in store as we continue to prepare to build. We'll do some final exploration for the utility relocation and continue work on the design of the park area.

Please pray for wisdom and discernment as we make some significant decisions in the coming weeks and months - it's absolutely vital! We also need to continue praying that we would faithfully give to Building on Purpose, and that new folks would join this effort to reach our community.

Until next week,
Paul

Big Meetings!

Late this week we'll hold some of the most important development meetings yet on the new facility. Thursday and Friday we meet with the builder, architect and various sub-contractors to evaluate current building design and consider cost savings ideas. This step is one of many cost evaluations to make sure we stay on track. It will also be the most in-depth evaluation so far, providing critical feedback for both cost planning and final design.

Please pray that we make good and prudent decisions and that ideas surface which let us save dollars while keeping our preferred design. Next week I'll let you know how the meetings went.

Until next week!
Paul

Planning the Park

This week we're working on the design of the park area in front of the new building. We want to create a warm, friendly, inviting area - the heart of our campus. It will be a great place for regulars and guests to meet and hang out together. Please pray for the team who is designing this very important area of the church campus this week.

Until next week,
Paul