May 314 min read

May Update 2024

From Concept to Reality

Seven years ago when our family joined TECH Team, the Lord had given me a particular passion and interest in helping ministries with master planning. That passion has been put to use: in 84 months I have been privileged to be involved in 30 (yes 30) master plans! In each case I have enjoyed the process of helping each ministry think through their unique challenges and ministry opportunities to arrive at a plan to assist in facility development. At the conclusion of the master planning process there is an understanding that most ministries will not be in a position to begin construction right away. Many will need to coordinate resources and fundraise for several years before they begin the building process.

We recently completed one such master plan for Fellowship Bible Church of Jacksonville, Texas. TECH was contacted by the church in December of 2022. Throughout 2023 TECH worked alongside the church leadership to identify the primary challenges they faced with their facilities and envision potential solutions. At the conclusion of the process 3 primary needs were identified: Additional fellowship space, improved classroom space, and a modest increase in worship capacity. These were delineated into a plan and renderings. TECH was invited in January of 2024 to share the vision with the congregation on a Sunday morning. Everyone we talked to was excited about the plan. TECH was glad to be a part of their journey and prayed the Lord would use the plan to help guide the church in the planning processes in the years to come.

Little did we know that God had something else in store. Less than two months after the presentation of the master plan, FBC reached out to TECH seeking further information on the process of creating construction documents, the first step of the building process, for the first 2 phases of the master plan which includes a new fellowship hall and interior remodel of their existing fellowship space into classrooms. I sent the requested information to them and anticipated not hearing from the church for a while. The reason being that this was not the first time this information has been requested by a ministry. Often the purpose is to be sure the right committee has the tools they need so they can begin planning the steps that will take place months or years down the road. This is not a criticism; it is just the reality of how committee run ministries often operate. We are glad to serve them in the ways that are most helpful within their processes.

However, this was not the process that was planned at FBC. In an exciting twist, FBC has requested that TECH pursue the construction documents for the first two phases of the master plan. We are actively working on translating the master plan into construction documents, with the goal to release the drawings later this fall. Where it is typically 5 or more years from the start of master planning process to when the first building is realized, FBC could have the first part of the master plan constructed in a couple years from the start of the master planning process! I am excited to be a part of this journey with FBC Jacksonville and look forward to how the Lord will be glorified in the process of construction and in the final building.

Closer to Home

In our February Livingston Loop update we shared about some financial needs and giving shortfalls. Even as we wrote the February update, unbeknownst to us, the Lord was working something in the background that we could not have anticipated.

Story time. Back in 2021 Katie started teaching three-year-olds two days a week for the Mother's Day Out all our children once attended. She loves what she does and has enjoyed teaching the tiny humans. At the beginning of the 2023 school year, she made the decision to be a substitute teacher at the school our girls attend. What we thought would be a once-in-a-while opportunity to make a little extra cash, turned into an almost weekly event. Quickly Katie became one of the first people the school would call. After some initial conversations and an interview process, the school has offered Katie a full-time position teaching 2nd grade starting in August! We are thankful for this unlooked-for provision! Katie is looking forward to the new adventure.

Thank you for your prayers as we continue to work through this process of finances. While this opportunity for Katie helps significantly, we would ask you to continue to pray as we meet with and seek out additional financial partners to fill in the remaining gaps.