What an exciting time to be a part of Brookwood! We have committed ourselves to a fellowship that
desires to be constantly surrendering, passionately worshipping and creatively guiding everyone we
meet to a life centered in Christ. We have just completed 5 years in our new location, and hundreds
of new people have joined us on the journey. There is no doubt the future is bright with God-sized
possibilities for our church.
I want to take this opportunity to introduce you to our Renovate project. From March 1 to May 31,
everyone who calls Brookwood home has the opportunity to join me on this journey. Renovate is a three
month project that will fund the physical renovation of three areas in our church: kids' area, worship
environment, and a new gathering/café space. As you will see from the emphasis during our worship
times, however, Renovate will be more than a physical project. It also involves a spiritual renovation.
It will be a journey of vision, commitment, generosity, and even sacrifice. I look forward to your
joining me on this journey to help our vision become a reality!
Mark Sutton
Senior Pastor
At Brookwood, we believe that kids need to know that there is a really big God they can trust no matter what.
They need friends that believe the same things they do about faith. They need parents that take God's command
in Deuteronomy 6:4-7 seriously. That’s why we want to form a partnership with parents because we know that
nothing has a greater impact in a kid’s life than their relationship to their parents.
Through the Renovate project we have the opportunity to empower families by taking two influences, church and
home, and synchronizing them to maximize the impact both can have on kids. Join us in an experience that's
designed to help shape the way your child or grandchild sees faith. Join us in providing an incredible environment
for family worship that’s designed to help parents get involved with their kids’ spiritual lives.
Please Note: These drawings are conceptual only. No decisions have been made as to color or upholstery.
Each weekend we gather as a body of believers in multiple services to pour our hearts out to our Creator in worship.
We use music, imagery and the spoken word to express our love for God and to be inspired as we learn from scripture
how to live lives that are centered in Christ.
The Renovate project includes funding for upgrades to systems in our Worship Center that will allow us greater creative
flexibility in crafting our worship experiences and will provide the resources needed as we strive for excellence in
our worship ministry. Additionally, the project will provide us with the ability to expand our worship services outside
the walls of the Worship Center for overflow or additional worship spaces.
Imagine a place where the physical environment matches the warmth of our people. Imagine a place where you can have
a meaningful conversation with someone disconnected from church. Imagine a place where community is fostered and
conversations are embraced.
One of the projects that Renovate will fund is the gathering area and the Café. We believe this is a priority project
that will guide people to connection to Brookwood and ultimately to Christ. We are committed to providing relevant
space that will help us fulfill our mission.
This space will:
- provide seating for approximately 100
- house our new Welcome Center
- showcase the new Café
Please Note: These drawings are conceptual only. No decisions have been made as to color or upholstery.
The Renovate project consists of several upgrade areas that will allow us to better utilize our facility:
- Renovations to Room 321 to include a dynamic worship space for kids and parents
- Renovations to “The Zone” to allow for conference-type space
- Upgrades to the Preschool playground to include shading and a water fountain
- Renovations to the “Gathering Area” and creation of a fellowship/café space
- Installation of a vibrant messaging sign along the I-49 property line
- Installation of an on-site storage building
- Installation of a screening fence at the dumpster
- Upgrades to Worship Center Audio, Video and Lighting Systems to enhance our worship experience
How many people will the new Family Worship space hold?
We expect the space to hold some 350 people. The seating shown in the rendering represents 320 chairs. There will most likely be fewer chairs and a larger area at the front for the kids to gather.
How many kids will the space accommodate for small groups?
Based on the typical rule-of-thumb of approximately 25 square feet per child, the space will accommodate 120 kids at one time for small groups.
How large is the new area compared to "The Zone"?
There is approximately 5800 square feet in the new Family Worship area. With the proposed renovations there will be approximately 3000 square feet open for Family Worship and Kids' small groups. The Zone currently has approximately 1200 square feet of open, usable, worship area. The remainder of the space in The Zone is comprised of individual classrooms and restrooms.
How many kids are currently in "The Zone", ie - is there room for growth?
We currently average 130 kids on the weekends. The breakdown for each hour is as follows:
Sat. 45-50; Sun. 9:15 25-30; Sun. 10:45 55-60
As the space will accommodate 120 kids at a time in small groups, we have plenty of room for growth at every hour.
Do the kids not need separate rooms for small groups?
Experience is showing that the most effective means of connecting with the kids is for everyone to be sitting on the floor, eye-to-eye. We currently have multiple small groups meeting in the same space. As longer range plans for future kids space are studied, separate small group rooms will be taken into account if needed at that time.
How will Family Worship fit with our other services?
The exact details will be worked out, but it is anticipated that the 9:15 service may move up 15 minutes to start at 9:00 and the 10:45 service may move back 15 minutes to start at 11:00. The Family Worship service would come between the two from approximately 10:15 to 10:45 on Sunday morning.
Will there be a Family Worship time on Saturday night?
Family Worship would start out on Sunday morning only. Although, we would eventually like for there to be a Family Worship service on Saturday night as well.
Will there be adequate parking at the north end of the campus?
We anticipate that there will be a shift in the current parking patterns. Families with children and preschoolers will most likely gravitate to the north parking areas. Observations of current parking on Sunday mornings indicate that overall sufficient parking places are available. Should a parking problem develop, it will be addressed at that time.
What will happen with what is currently "The Zone"?
Zone will have minor modifications as needed to accommodate adult use. Plans are to repaint and add doors from four of the rooms for direct access from the hallway. Depending on costs, carpet may be replaced. We are studying the feasibility of remodeling to add access to the existing restrooms from the hallway as well. The space will be used for group meetings like DiscoverPoints, Celebrate Recovery, mid-week prayer services and the relocation of existing on-campus LifeGroups.
Won't the Café cause additional congestion in the front lobby?
believe the Café will help alleviate some of the congestion in the front lobby area by giving people an out-of-the-way space to move into. However, it should be recognized that there will always be congestion in the hallway when worship services are being let out.
When will the Café be open?
Since we will not begin any construction until after the completion of our fund raising efforts, we cannot say at this time.
What will happen with the LifeGroups that are currently meeting in the area that will become the Café?
They will be relocated to other rooms. Some will move to rooms that are currently in "The Zone."
Where will the messaging sign be placed?
Exact placement has not been determined. Our intention is to have the sign large enough and placed in a location to maximize it's visibility.
Where will the storage building be located?
Exact placement has not been determined.
Why do we need to move the Welcome Center?
The current Welcome and Information booths are not readily accessible for multiple people and can create confusion for someone new to the facility in determining which location is most appropriate for their questions. The new location of the Welcome Center will be in a central location, directly visible from all of the primary entry doors and should aide in presenting our facility as one that is inviting, easily understandable and non-intimidating.
What will be located at the new "information kiosks" once the Welcome Center is moved?
The existing welcome and information booths will be turned in to "information kiosks" with computers for event sign-up, check-in, and other general information resources.
What will happen with the worship center audio or video equipment and components that are replaced?
We are in the process of finalizing exactly what will be replaced and have not yet determined if the replaced components will be traded-in, utilized in other locations of our campus, or sold.
Why do we need to replace sound and video equipment that is barely five years old?
Due to deep cuts to our original sound and video budget at the time of our original construction, we were not able to install a system of the quality we would have preferred. The system has some very definite limitations in its ability to deliver a full and consistent sound to all locations in the worship center with sound quality issues including a lack of warmth and distortion at high volume levels. These limitations are most noticeable in the contemporary services. There is also little to no room for expansion of the system or flexibility for in-house mixing, campus-wide distribution or service recording. The originally supplied video equipment was limited to the screens and projectors currently in-place. These video components will remain. Other video control, switching and camera components have been piece-mealed together over the past five years and are of moderate-to-low quality.
Shouldn't we use a local contractor for the work and why is the work not being bid?
The church has had two very good experiences with Lincoln Builders, the initial construction for moving to this location as well as the subsequent addition and renovation project. In both cases, the project was brought in within budget and schedule. Remodel projects can be some of the most problematic, often due to on-going usage of the facility during construction. Having prior experience and knowledge with a contractor can be most beneficial. Based in Ruston, for all practical purposes, Lincoln Builders is a "local contractor". Lincoln Builders will be serving as Construction Manager at Risk, on a cost plus with guaranteed maximum basis. The sub-contractor work will be bid out by Lincoln. Exact costs will be available to the Building Committee for review at any time. Lincoln Builder's fee for services is in line with the current market.
Shouldn't sub-contractors that are members of our church be allowed to do the work?
We will not mandate that Lincoln Builders use any particular sub-contractor. However, if a sub-contractor that is a member of the church would like to have an opportunity to provide a bid on their portion of the work, the Building Committee will see that Lincoln has that information. Any sub-contractor wishing to do so should contact the chairman of the Building Committee.
Will we ever build a large worship center and go back to having one service?
Our experience with a successful Saturday night contemporary service and separate, distinct blended and contemporary services on Sunday morning provide evidence of a mandate to continue along this line of programming for the corporate worship experience. In short, we are reaching quite a number of people with multiple style and multiple time worship services.
How does all of this fit with our original "masterplan"?
The original overall site development plans have always been a changing and flexible look at the future based on assumptions made at the time of development--almost ten years ago. Since the beginning, the church has only been asked to approve that portion of the work which was being presented for construction at that time. Growth patterns and programming have changed significantly from that which was originally assumed. The most significant changes to date as well as that anticipated for the future are the relocation of the children's area to be adjacent to preschool; the anticipated addition of worship space in lieu of one large worship center; the movement of LifeGroups off-campus; and the location of staff office areas within the program space with subsequent remodel of existing administrative space for those remaining.
How much will all of this cost?
We are budgeting for a total cost of $1,900,000.
How much of our cash on hand will we use?
Approximately $1,290,000
How much are we trying to raise?
Since we are not accumulating anymore debt, we need to raise the difference between what we have and what we believe the total cost will be. Our goal is $600,000.
Where did we get the money we have on hand?
The bulk of the funds are from the oil and gas lease we signed in 2008 and from the small piece of land we sold in 2007.
Shouldn't we hold some money back for a "rainy day?"
We have $200,000 held back to use in case of emergencies. We also have approximately $300,000 in cash on hand in other various accounts.
How much debt do we currently have?
We still owe $3,920,000 from our relocation project.
Shouldn't we use the bulk of the cash to pay down our debt and then raise the money we need?
We remain on track to repay our existing debt according to the plan we have had in place for several years. We pay $200,000 each year to reduce the principal of the debt. We also have a debt swap in place that has protected us in the past when interest rates increased. With interest rates so low, we would have to pay a cash penalty to the holder of the swap if we paid the debt off now. The swap will protect us again if (when) interest rates increase. We believe the better use of the money on hand is to permit us to complete the Renovate improvements quickly without incurring any further debt.
How can I afford to contribute with the economy in such bad shape?
Special projects like Renovate are usually funded through sacrificial generous gifts over and above our tithe. We are instructed in God's word to give our tithes. To do less is being disobedient. However, God's instructions to us also include giving of what we have to help others. We believe the Renovate changes will help us in our efforts to introduce our community to Christ and to guide everyone we meet to a life centered in Christ. A sacrificial gift is one that by definition causes us to give up something—otherwise, there is no sacrifice. Each person must earnestly pray to seek guidance from God as to the extent of their sacrifice. God knows our economic circumstances much better than we do. We must trust Him to lead us to determine what each of us will give. Also, we have specifically planned a very short term commitment. Each giver can much more easily predict their financial status for a three month term.
I can only give a small amount. Will it really help?
Absolutely. Brookwood is not a wealthy church. We do not have trust funds or endowments. Our membership is not comprised of a large number of wealthy families. Our past financial successes have been due to the accumulation of small generous gifts given by a very large percentage of our members. We are counting on that happening again. Generous giving is about giving beyond yourself, not the amount of the gift. Your generous gift matters greatly to Brookwood. But, it will matter even more to you. First, God will recognize and bless your sacrificial gift. Second, your giving puts you alongside all of the members past and present of Brookwood that have given, just like you, to make Brookwood all that it is and can be.
Money is so tight right now, how can I possibly give?
Our plan is for only a short time—three months. We are hopeful that even those who are struggling financially can see the benefit of giving to this project and reap the blessings of participation. There are many ways to find the money to give. You can give up eating out once or twice a week; or a more apparent sacrifice, you can give up a single meal a week and contribute that money. Your LifeGroup can all get together for a Pay Per View movie and all contribute what you would have paid if you had gone to Tinseltown. There are many ways to honor God with your sacrifice and your giving.
How do I make a pledge?
We will be collecting pledges March 28/29. If you are unable to pledge at that time, you can still do so using our Renovate envelopes. The pledge amounts will be what we use to determine how much of the project is funded.
What happens if we don't raise enough money?
We will not sign any contracts for construction until we have our pledges in hand for the giving. Based on the past experiences of Brookwood in raising funds for projects like this, we do not expect to be underfunded, but will be able to revise the plans if that is the case.
What happens if we raise more money than we need?
First, of all we will celebrate a great victory. Second, the church has already voted that the additional funds will be held in a fund for future building or renovations.
What happens if I pledge a certain amount and then can't give it; or I want to give more?
The pledges we ask for do not constitute a contract to give. They are only an indication of what you intend to do. There will be someone that adds up all of the amounts of all of the pledges, but outside of that, no one will know what you have pledged except you. If you find yourself unable to give as you planned, you can work to give that amount later—when you find you are able to. If you find that you believe God is asking you to give more, then by all means, do so.
Who all will know what I have pledged to give or what I actually give?
We work very hard to maintain the confidentiality of all pledges and gifts. The only people that will know about the actual giving are those people that have to know to keep the financial records of the church and to give you a record of your giving for tax purposes.
When and how will I actually give my offerings?
We will take offerings on the last weekend in March, April and May. You will be given details of each offering. You can give anytime by May 31 by using the special Renovate envelopes or using your regular envelope and indicating the amount you are giving to the "Buliding Fund".
