Reaching Further
For regular campaign updates, check out the REACHING FURTHER blog.
Click Here to Download Full Reaching Further Brochure!
A History of Impact:
God has truly blessed Jacksonville Chapel.
From its humble beginning in 1931, Jacksonville Chapel has been a growing church. Tom Allen and George Egli, the Chapel's founding pastors, had a passion for reaching young people with Gospel of Jesus Christ. The vision grew to include all ages, and soon the church began its struggle to keep up with the growth that God was bringing.
After completing three major building projects to add additional worship space, it became apparent that, if the Chapel wanted to continue to open its doors to more people, it would take a change of strategy. There was simply no more room to effectively expand.
In 2003, Jacksonville Chapel officially launched this new strategy to reach not only more people, but also new culture groups which were largely untouched by the reach of the church. The strategy was called "multi-site." Essentially, what it means is that Jacksonville Chapel meets in multiple locations every week. Though there are different styles of service in different locations and venues, every venue operates with the same elder board, the same staff, the same budget, and the same mission.
Through this strategy, Jacksonville Chapel has seen the reach of the Gospel through the ministries of the Chapel grow exponentially. Today, over 40% of Jacksonville Chapel worships at a place other than the Lincoln Park Campus auditorium. The strategy has furthered the mission, and has now led to another point of decision.
With the Lincoln Park Campus supporting two different venues of Jacksonville Chapel, the current rate of growth, and the opportunity to see the Gospel reach even more people, it is now time to take a step of faith as a church and move boldly toward a solution which, when realized, will have the potential of bringing unprecedented opportunity for ministry.
A Church of Movement:
Today, Jacksonville Chapel has three multi-site venues: the Auditorium at the Lincoln Park Campus, the Spanish Ministry in Wayne, and Emergence, which currently meets on the Lincoln Park Campus.
The Spanish Ministry began as a small service at the Lincoln Park Campus. After a short time, it became apparent that to effectively minister to the culture they were seeing respond, it would be optimal to place the Spanish Ministry in a new place. In 2005, the Spanish Ministry began holding services at the Crossroads Campus in Wayne. Since that time, the congregation has doubled in size and has expanded to two Sunday morning services.
Emergence also began as a small service at the Lincoln Park Campus. It was officially launched in 2005 as a missional multi-site of the Chapel, called to reach a growing unchurched, unreached population. Since 2005, the congregation has sextupled in size, and is now seeing nearly 700 people every week in attendance through its four Sunday services. The Ministry Center South, which has served as the home for Emergence, is now filled far beyond capacity. We now have the opportunity to do something about it!
Now is the time for us to come together on mission. God has brought the people to us. He has been faithful. Now we must be faithful in providing for those people--as well as the people God has yet to bring to us.
The past two years, it has been no secret that we have been looking for a new place to hold Emergence to allow for continued growth and community impact. After a long search, we believe that we have found the right spot. All that is left is to come together to make it a reality.
A Step of Faith:
Some have said that the best way to see God move in power is to watch where He is working, and join Him. Through this campaign, we are hoping to do just that by investing in our Emergence site as well as other strategic places in order to prepare our current facilities for future growth.
We realize that God has richly blessed us with resources. As people who have much, we are called to bless those who are working for Christ--even outside of the confines of the Chapel. Because of this heart to enhance the kingdom, Reaching Further includes plans for a portion of the funds raised to go toward our friends at Hope for a Thousand Hills, to allow them to take their next step in the rehabilitation of a coffee plantation in Rwanda which will bring the light of Christ and the hope of a future to the people in that country recently ravaged by genocide.
The leadership of Jacksonville Chapel has identified these four key areas of investment and impact for the Reaching Further campaign:
EMERGENCE
Relocate the site, renovate the space for use, and acquire all necessary materials for function
LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS
Invest in Student Ministries--with a renovation of the Ministry Center South and outdoor recreation areas
CROSSROADS CAMPUS
Renovate education wing of Crossroads and purchase a high-capacity vehicle for ministry use
RWANDA
Provide necessary funding for sanitation and health projects
A Place of Promise:
The relocation of Emergence into the community has long been a focus of prayer at the Chapel. Finding a place to move a service of 650+ people is no easy task--especially in North Jersey.
Over the past 3 years, we have investigated many sites as possible homes for Emergence. The criteria for finding a new site were fourfold:
- A place that could hold at least 500 people and 250 cars at one time
- A building that could also provide adequate space for Children's Ministry
- A site near the Lincoln Park Campus
- A site that was reasonably priced
As a Chapel facility, the new building would not only be a new home for Emergence, but would also be available to all Chapel ministries as an additional space for classes, events, seminars, dinners, or any other ministry application.
It is the opinion of Chapel leadership that there is no better investment of our resources currently than to join together and pursue this option for relocation. God has provided the people and has blessed the mission. Now we need to do our part.
A Campaign of Purpose:
Since 2006, the Board of Elders and Chapel leadership have been considering options for our next step and praying to lead Jacksonville Chapel to the place of "Reaching Further".
As God builds our heart for His mission more and more, we believe the people of the Chapel will be motivated to support that mission in many ways, including stepping up to the task of giving.
Reaching Further is an eighteen month, $1.5M ministry expansion campaign where we will emphasize the need to grow our hearts for mission through evangelism and discipleship. This two year venture will begin with a five week series, culminating in a "first fruits" week which will allow individuals and families the opportunity to give "over and above" regular tithes and offerings to support the campaign.
Most gifts will be given in eighteen month pledges, but we anticipate some individuals giving large gifts in the form of stocks, property, wills, trusts, assets, gifts-in-kind, or cash. We have a team ready to facilitate the needs of each individual and family who commits to Reaching Further. An eighteen month follow up plan is in place ready to account for all funds received and present quarterly statements to those who give and make faith commitments.
A People of Generosity:
We need men, women and families committed to the mission of the church. We need our leaders to lead us into the future, where the sky is the limit in regards to the impact of Christ in our community.
God has called you to be a part of the larger Jacksonville Chapel family. We hope that during your time at the Chapel you have seen that this place is a community of Christ-followers committed to loving God, loving people, and serving the world. We hope that you have seen this is a place where God is at work and that you are called to join us in the work He is doing.
We appreciate your relationship and commitment to this place. Everything that has happened in the Chapel's history is because of God, and His plan for this church. We believe that God, through the changed hearts and lives of many individuals through this campaign will supply the needed funding.
We believe that God has given us a vision for the future of Jacksonville Chapel that we can all agree on and that will keep us "on mission." The key indicators of our success will be:
SPIRITUAL MATURITY - Spiritual growth in all of our members that will leave a legacy long after the campaign.
STEWARDSHIP - A deeper understanding of stewardship principles and how they pertain to our lives.
UNITY - That everyone would have a more passionate connection to the vision and mission of Jacksonville Chapel.
WE NEED YOUR HEART. WE CARE ABOUT YOU. WE CARE ABOUT YOUR HEART MORE THAN WE CARE ABOUT YOUR MONEY. JESUS SAID THAT WHERE OUR TREASURE IS--THAT IS WHERE OUR HEART IS. YOUR PARTICIPATION IN REACHING FURTHER IS A DECISION WE ASK THAT YOU MAKE BETWEEN YOURSELF AND GOD. IT IS A DECISION THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE IF YOU ALLOW GOD TO WORK IN AND THROUGH YOU.
Please prayerfully consider leading the way and becoming one of the primary investors in Reaching Further. As God challenges and changes your life, so will He change the lives of others as they seek Him. Will you join us?
In the coming weeks, you will hear more details about Reaching Further, including ways to get involved and invest in the future of the Chapel. Please begin by praying now for God to place on your heart how you can be involved.
Download the F.A.Q. here.