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"Forward in Faith,
Growing to Serve!"
Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church
"Forward in Faith, Growing to Serve" is the theme for Spirit of Joy's faith-raising and fund raising campaign. Alan Aleckson of Kairos and Associates has led us in this effort to raise money for our first mission center. We have set a goal to receive $300,000 to $500,000 over the next three years for construction of the mission center on the land just south of 69th Street and Western Avenue in Sioux Falls.
Response Update: As of May 2005, Spirit of Joy received $472,222 in commitments over a three-year period for the "Forward in Faith, Growing to Serve" campaign.
Verse
The verse we have chosen for our stewardship campaign is Mark 4:31-32:
"It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground is the smallest of all seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."
A Look Back:
Dedication Sunday - February 2006
We celebrated the dedication of the new mission center during one worship service on Sunday, February 12th, 2006, with music provided by One Sunday, our adult choir, brass, and children's choir.
First Worship in New Mission Center - January 2006
We moved into the new mission center in January 2006 and had our first worship service there on January 22, 2006.
Groundbreaking Celebrated - May 2005
Spirit of Joy celebrated a groundbreaking for construction of our mission center south and east of the corner of 69th Street and Western Avenue on Sunday, May 15th, 2005. Click here to view photos from our Service of Groundbreaking and a 30 second video from a song of praise during the service. (After the window opens with the first photo, you will need to use the right arrow at the bottom of the screen to see additional photos. The video plays best when using Windows Media Player.)
April 2005
A congregational meeting was held on Sunday, April 24th between services to review the latest developments and plans for the worship center. Spirit of Joy voted on and approved the final proposal/building plans as presented by the Building Team for construction of our first mission center.
Jan/Feb 2005
New signs and a large cross were placed on the church property announcing that Spirit of Joy would have a new worship center in 2005. The Building Team met with Jans Corp and RSA to finalize the design. We worked with the ELCA Mission Investment Fund to finalize financing. In April/May 2005 and again in 2006 we will have a follow-up to the capital campaign. This will give our new partners a chance to participate in giving to the future mission center.
Dec 2004
The sale of two acres of land was completed on December 1st. Proceeds from the sale were used to pay closing costs and the remaining balance on our land loan. The balance was deposited in our Building Fund. We now own nine acres of land free and clear and will be able to move into construction of our mission center debt-free. As we look at dollars pledged, bulidng cost, and our needs for ministry, we believe that our first mission center will be somewhere between 8000-9500 square feet. We plan to have a worship space that will seat 200-250, a large gathering area (narthex), two offices, a kitchen, 5-6 classrooms including a "fireside room" for adult gatherings and a nursery. A number of task forces have worked on the specific details of the worship center including: kitchen, worship, education, audio/visual, administration, and landscaping. A Prayer Team was also put together to pray for this process.
Oct 2004
Spirit of Joy's Building Team presented an updated site and floor plan for our future mission center between services. Spirit of Joy partners and friends gathered to hear the presentation and offered additional input for the building planning process. The Building Team has put in many hours to come up with a good plan for our first mission center. Due to the number of decisions that need to be made, and a desire to "get it right" the first time, construction of our mission center was pushed back until Spring 2005. This allowed more time for input and additional time to make financing arrangements that can include the sale of part of our property.
Jun/July/Aug 2004
On Sunday, June 27th, Spirit of Joy held a congregational meeting to give partners and friends an update on our capital campaign and the work of our building team. The following items were up for consideration and received approval to move forward:
1) Guaranteeing access to our property from Western Avenue for a city assessed price of $58,000
Note: Full street assessment of $58,343.58 for the Western Avenue frontage of our property was approved at the July 12th city council meeting.
2) A recommendation of who to hire for our building project
3) An offer to purchase a portion of our land
Our Building Team, working with Jans Corporation, hired Randall-Stanley Architects (RSA) in mid-2004 for the design of our first mission center. In August 2004, representatives from RS Architects were with us following worship for a presentation and conversation on the preliminary design of our building.
Mar/Apr 2004
Partners of Spirit of Joy shared faith stories and mission moments during worship. Partners and friends of Spirit of Joy received an appeal packet in preparation for Celebration Sunday, April 25th, 2004. A prayer vigil was held in the Jerstad Center chapel to encourage partners to set aside time to pray specifically for the mission and ministry of our congregation. On April 25th, Celebration Sunday, we received the responses of our community to our "Forward in Faith, Growing to Serve" campaign.
Spirit of Joy's newly organized building team hosted building focus meetings several Sundays in May following worship. Partners and friends gathered to hear, share, and discuss ideas for the preliminary proposal for a first building.
Appeal Packet
The appeal packet displays our theme of "Forward in Faith, Growing to Serve" and outlines the following:
* Our call.
* Our mission.
* Our core values.
* Our vision.
* Our challenge.
* Our future mission center.
* Our appeal.
* Creative giving options.
* Commonly asked questions.
* A project timeline.
* A letter from Pastor Jeff and our Executive Team Co-Directors.
The appeal packet contains many colorful photos, a response card, and a Daily Devotional booklet created by Spirit of Joy partners and Sunday School students. Thank you for everyone's contributions!
If you did not receive an appeal packet, please contact Pastor Jeff Eisele at 333-2004.
