THE VISION

The Outreach Center will be a completely updated and highly versatile building. The Outreach Center will provide an expanded Food Pantry for the community to better serve those in need. The Sewing Ministry will have a new, more functional home while also freeing up classrooms in our existing building for our expanding number of children and adults. A few small rooms will be suitable for counseling and small group evangelism efforts. There will be several large meeting spaces suitable for Bible classes, community outreach events, and fellowship gatherings with the largest room adjacent to a kitchen. These large, multiple-use rooms will be available to accommodate future ideas as we continue to solicit suggestions from the congregation. The possibilities are numerous and exciting.


THE JOURNEY

While we look forward to the Lord’s return to take us home, we also know we have great responsibilities at this important moment. As a congregation nearly 200 years old, we truly stand on the shoulders of men and women who gave so much to advance the cause of Jesus in Maury County and around the world. This journey has also included a consistent desire to maintain our location as the downtown church. The possibilities are numerous and exciting. West Seventh has a solid foundation: devotion to Jesus and Scripture, unity, growth, talent, and stability. Our church family worships our God in spirit and in truth each Lord’s Day. We provide a broad array of learning and fellowship activities for all ages through Bible classes and small groups. We also love our old auditorium and the rest of our campus. However, sufficient spaces for our growing church family’s ministries and gatherings have become a mission-limiting pressure point.

 

Two years ago, God blessed us with an unexpected and rare opportunity to expand our campus with the purchase of the 10,000 square foot building across School Street. In today’s construction market, this building would approach four million dollars to build, not including furnishings and the cost of the land. Acquiring this adjacent building will enable us to advance our discipling, equipping, serving, and loving to another level. Several volunteers have completed internal demolition at a significant savings of money. A contractor has been secured and final engineering plans are nearing completion to submit to the city engineers for approval and permitting to occur. The contractor estimates an 8-10 month completion time once work begins in early 2024. We are calling this building The Outreach Center.


THE CHALLENGE

Our prayer is that you share this vision, pray fervently for this effort, and help make it a reality. While construction will begin soon, we do not wish to incur additional long-term debt because we know every dollar of debt not incurred is a dollar we can use to expand our impact for the Kingdom.

 

A $2.5 million Building to Serve—Upreach for Outreach campaign to fund this building renovation has begun. During the next three years, the generosity of this church - enabled by God - will pay off the debt for both the purchase of the building and land and the full remodel of The Outreach Center to fit our needs.

 

Gary Ealy, an effective and experienced generosity consultant and minister of the Gospel, has been engaged to work with us in this three- year effort. His help and a team of West 7th volunteers will keep our elders shepherding, deacons serving, and staff ministering. Your elders believe this is a God-provided opportunity--a golden moment in history for this generation of the West Seventh family and those to come. May God bless us as we disciple, equip, serve, and love!


 

Helpful Links

Below are several links to materials that are meant to inform and encourage you as you make a decision about your financial support of the Building to Serve—Upreach for Outreach initiative.


The Gift Profile Guide reflects the types and number of gifts needed to raise $2.5 million! That’s a lot. We are and will be totally dependent upon God to realize a miracle like that. But, if we seek Him and allow Him to work through our sacrificial giving over three years, it’s possible to meet the goal! Your gift matters to God. Remember, it is “Not equal gifts, but equal sacrifice”. That means someone may give over $100,000 to match the sacrifice of another who gives $1,000. God knows the degree of sacrifice each of us will make for Him. He is the one who will bless us. No one else will know what you give except those who now take care of our records of giving. They have been faithful to keep confidentiality and will continue to do so. The Guide suggests there is a giving level for all of us. Pray and ask God, “Where do I fit?”


The “Creative Strategies in Giving” pamphlet will suggest several ways to discover dollars to give sacrificially.



The 13-day Prayer Guide is to help focus your prayer thoughts to bathe this effort in prayers for God’s guidance. For those of you with small children, a Children’s Prayer Guide has also been included to involve your whole family in praying for this effort.



  

The 21-day Devotional Guide is to help focus thoughts on what God has given you already and how you can best steward these blessings.