As we begin our building expansion, I have really good news.

First, some background.

We will use funds borrowed from First NBC Bank, the general budget of the church, and free will funds (the Rise Up! Campaign) given by the congregation to complete the expansion of our campus. The expansion will double the amount of space we now have.

We have looked forward to this time since we began the process of expanding our campus in 1997 when we voted to move from our 2 acre campus in downtown Covington to our 43 acre current location. We moved to this location in 2001 with the hope and plan to begin the new Worship Center in a few years. We are thankful that time has now come to fruition.

My good news concerns finances.

This is where we stand at the end of the year.

First, our giving to the Rise Up! Capital Campaign is on schedule. At this point, we are 66.6% of the way through the campaign. At the end of the year, we have received 67.4% of the funds.

I have never seen that level of participation. People who do capital fund raising assume that 85% of the funds committed will actually be given. After all, people die or move or experience financial difficulty.  We are extremely pleased to see this level of giving happening at this point.

Second, our giving for ongoing ministries was very strong in 2015. We gave significantly more than our budget called for. The result of this is an additional contribution to our mission partners as well as putting excess funds in the building expansion. This has encouraged us immensely about the prospects of our expansion.

I want to thank the Finance Ministry Team and the Pastoral Team for such good stewardship of our contributions. We should give thanks for God’s faithfulness and the faithfulness of His people.

“We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. As we talk to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and your continual anticipation for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3).