MERCYhouse currently owns a triple decker apartment house next door to our main building. The top 2 floors have tenants and the first floor goes virtually unused.  We voted as a church on March 7th to raise $44,000.00 to upgrade the space so that it can be used for small groups, meetings, Sunday classes and an administrative homebase for MERCYhouse and the 2020 Network.  Read on for more details. .

First Floor Vision

MERCYhouse currently owns a triple decker apartment house next door to our main building.  It houses 4 paying tenants in the top 2 floors and a house manager on the first.  We are currently loosing thousands of dollars on the utilities and upkeep of the building and reaping minimal fruit for the kingdom of God from these dollars.  As the leadership of the church has considered this space as well as some of the growing spiritual needs of our church, we propose an updating of the first floor in order to make it useable for the following purposes.

Space for Small Groups

Our midweek groups are seeking to multiply and are running out of space to do so in our main building.  More than ever, we are in need of living room type spaces that will provide cozy settings for small group discussions and all around connecting with one another.  Part of the updates will include remodeling the first floor kitchen which will provide a place where meals can be prepared and enjoyed by 3-4 small groups before they split off for discussion.  This provides 2 hubs (first floor and main building) where a group of around 40 people can meet together to eat and then split off into discussions.

Space for Sunday Classes

One of the spiritual needs that has been identified by our leadership is the need for more formal instruction.  We believe that one of the best times for that is Sunday morning.  This is a time when most of our church is together and seems to provide an excellent time to “piggy back” a curriculum of 6 week classes designed to aid in the spiritual growth of our congregation.  These classes would include introductions to the Bible and Theology as well as hot topics like sexuality and culture.  We plan to equip at least one of the rooms with a video projector and screen to aid in using more creative teaching techniques.  This cannot happen in our main building because of the lack of useable space and the noise level coming from our Sunday services.

Space for a more traditional church office

For ten and a half years MERCYhouse has had a virtual church office.  Robert (our lead pastor) has carried around the church’s main phone line in his pocket and fulfilled the role of church secretary, forwarding messages and answering questions.  With the growth of the church and the 2020 church planting movement, those days need to come to a close.  We are in need of a centralized home base that is staffed by volunteers and can be a place where staff can get help with administrative tasks, hold office hours, and carry out counseling appointments.  This will also make us much more responsive to people’s inquiries because currently it is common for calls and emails to be buried in voicemails and inboxes for days on end.

Space for centralized operations of the 2020 network

As the number of church plants in our network grows, the need for a centralized space for office work, planning, and prayer is growing.  Part of the administrative load on our pastor and staff is placed on them by the proliferation of churches.  A more traditional office space staffed by volunteers could help make the inner workings of the 2020 network that much more effective.

Space for community during the week

Once this space is updated, it’s going to be a place where people will want to just hang out.  There will be aesthetically pleasing rooms with comfortable couches, hot coffee, and free wifi.  MHers will be encouraged to stop by for a couple of hours, bring friends and enjoy the space whenever they’d like.  Also, it will provide a space for groups to meet for prayer, planning meetings, and other church related (or parachurch related) activities.

First Floor Budget

Here’s what we’re raising the money for . . .

First Floor Fundraising

Where is the money coming from?   This is where you come in.  This is only going to happen if our church gets behind this campaign.  Here are some ways we believe we can go about raising funds:

From church members and regular attendees

The first source of funds needs to be our home team.  Even though many of our folks don’t have regular jobs (because they are in school), they do have resources and whenever we’re about to embark on a new mission as a church, we need to be the first ones to “own” that mission.  Every little bit helps and is our way of making sure that we aren’t just looking for another handout as a church but are willing to sacrifice to participate in the mission.  Prayerfully consider what you will give to this campaign by the end of this semester (May 2010)

From MERCYhouse alumni

While our church has stayed similar in size in the last few years, it has also sent out hundreds of people in the past ten who graduated from the five colleges and are now working all over the world.  It is our hope that some of those people will be eager to “give back” to a church that gave to them when they weren’t able to invest financially in this ministry.  We need help in getting the word out to all the MH alums that you know who would be interested in being a part of this campaign.  Prayerfully consider contacting an alum by calling or emailing them.  You could even send them a copy of this pamphlet.

From friends and family of those currently attending MH

Many in our church may not have regular jobs but they do have family and friends who are fans of MERCYhouse.  These folks understand the blessing that it is to have a church that provides for the spiritual needs of students and others in the Pioneer Valley.  Prayerfully consider calling or emailing your friends and family and asking them to give toward this campaign.