When St. Mo’s started we had an extensive search for space we could rent in the Charles Village watershed and the only option we found was a Sunday rental of the Single Carrot Theater. This space soon became inadequate for a single Sunday worship service and required us to move everything needed in and out each week. A team of staff, volunteers and board members was created over the winter to search for space that would meet our needs.

When St. Mo’s started we had an extensive search for space we could rent in the Charles Village watershed and the only option we found was a Sunday rental of the Single Carrot Theater. This space soon became inadequate for a single Sunday worship service and required us to move everything needed in and out each week. A team of staff, volunteers and board members was created over the winter to search for space that would meet our needs.

The search team found few opportunities that met our core criteria – inside the Charles Village watershed, within our budget for a church of our size and permanent space from which to serve God and our neighbors. This building came up for auction and we had it evaluated by contractors, architects and an appraiser. The board approved a ceiling bid of $350,000 which was required at auction to purchase the building.

• The new building provides us with a ministry space we have access to all week rather than just Sunday morning
• The building can currently accommodate all of us in one service (less volunteer burnout),
• The building has multiple rooms for our growing families and children’s ministry
• The building allows church staff to work within our watershed.
• The building allows us to share our space with other organizations like we once shared the Single Carrot Theatre

The building has excellent structural integrity, however it has been neglected for some time so it needs improvement. The work plan includes:

• overdue repairs and maintenance of the building (roof and HVAC)
• renovation of the sanctuary to create a welcoming, simple, and flexible space
  making the building accessible to our community
• Many spaces will be similar to what they are now, including offices upstairs, the balcony, and the large community room in the basement.
• These spaces will be renovated with new paint and flooring.

At present, there are no plans to renovate the kitchen due to the cost of making it compliant with commercial kitchen regulations.

A building management team comprising Ian McFadden, Mike Troxell, Esther Park, Kenneth McFadden, and Greg Rittler are overseeing design and renovation plans. They will continue to consult with ministry leaders and experts inside and outside St. Mo’s. You can post ideas or concerns on the Slack Plan to Stay Channel. Several helpful suggestions have already been posted.

We plan to speak to our City Council representative about negotiating a flat-rate for the Waverly lot that would avoid having Sunday worshippers pay for parking individually. In an ongoing effort to be good neighbors, we are encouraging people attending St. Mo’s to avoid street parking.

The yard will be used at Sunday’s Community event for our first church picnic. We hope to soon have it available for play use by children at St. Mo’s and it offers many opportunities for neighborhood ministry.

The Seed Church met in this building prior to our purchase and we have agreed to let them continue to rent space and hold their worship service at 11am. We found that our 9am service at Single Carrot drew both families and students and had better attendance (including students) than our 10:45 service. We will certainly consider alternate times that meet the needs of our neighbors as we work within these parameters and growth requires adding additional services.

The building was purchased with cash from early donors and funds we had in reserve from our primary sending church, Central Presbyterian. There is no mortgage on the building. We also will no longer have rent expense at The Single Carrot Theatre – these funds can be repurposed for ministry and building operation.

We are challenging members and friends to prayerfully consider a three-year pledge for Plan to Stay above and beyond their regular giving to St. Mo’s or their local congregation. Friends of St. Mo’s have offered a three year operating construction loan to match Plan to Stay pledges. This will permit us to move ahead based on pledges received.

The Seed Church will continue to use the building and pay rent. These funds are being passed on as a gift from St. Mo’s to another city church plant. Similar to how we were sent from Central Church, we are supporting planting another church. We have no current plans to rent out additional space.

Neighbor Groups are our primary mechanism for engaging with our neighbors. All of the current neighbor groups have a “Common Group” focus in the surrounding community.

Pastor Sam is leading a discernment process, (including prayer walks, asset mapping, and meeting with local stakeholders) to help us focus on one or two strategic corporate engagement points. This could be something like one of the local elementary schools, a non-profit partner etc.

The goal approved by the Board is one million dollars. $750,000 will be spent on the building and $250,000 will be used for a primarily local missions and ministry investment. Our church has been supported, in part, from a missional component of a previous capital campaign and we want to follow in their footsteps.

We are seeking pledges to be paid over a three-year period ending December 31, 2020 and asking that commitments be made by November 12, 2017. Our regular worship time on Sunday, November 12 will be a service of celebration and thanksgiving for the commitments made by our members and friends to Plan to Stay.

A pledge form will be available at each Plan to Stay Community event and can be filled out and dropped in the offering basket at one of these events or any Sunday up to and including November 12. An online pledge form can also be accessed from our website at plantostay.saintmos.org. Gifts for Plan to Stay can be made online, by text, or in the offering basket on any Sunday over the next three years. Please designate Plan to Stay when giving electronically or on checks placed in the offering basket or mailed to the church.