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Come Together FAQ
Q. What is the purpose of the Come Together campaign?
A. This Come Together effort is our church-family’s clear commitment to intentionally reach beyond our walls into our communities and our world to make Jesus Christ known. Your Come Together giving has enabled us to move into our new Lenexa facility, launch and sustain our Overland Park & Speedway Campuses, and fund relief missions efforts worldwide.
Come Together is designed to help us:
To step out in faith and stretch ourselves spiritually
To raise funds to propel our local, regional, and worldwide outreach efforts
To strengthen our unity and clarify our mission as a church-family
Q. What is the money invested in?
A. We have focused our Come Together vision in these areas:
Eighty percent of our Come Together gifts go to pay for our beautiful new Lenexa Campus (now about 22-months old). Come Together giving provides funds for our mortgage payments and paying down debt principal. As a result our congregation has had room to grow has reached many new families (with many more new families coming every week!), and now our kids ministry has filled our new larger space to capacity (with over 500 new children attending weekly since 2 years ago.)
Twenty percent of our gifts are invested in our Regional Campuses, and in our Global Missions efforts. Our two campuses—Overland Park and Speedway—launched in the past one to two years have now grown to reach over 1000 people weekly! And our P.E.A.C.E. missions projects reach people in Kansas City, India, South Africa, Mexico, and Thailand.
Q. How does our Come Together strategy reach people for Christ?
A. Jesus taught that His church would be a church that is Spirit-empowered and on a mission to be witnesses of His good news:
“You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even the remotest part of the earth.” Acts 1:8
Come together is modeled after Acts 1:8 to reach our community, region, city, and world.. As we are faithful to our biblical mandate to “go and make disciples,” together we reach out to…
…our Community (our Jerusalem)
We will reach an ever increasing number of the 15,000 families that live within a five-mile radius of our Lenexa campus
We will equip believers to grow in relationship with God, grow in Christlike character, and grow in participating in the mission of God.
…our Region (our Judea)
We will extend Westside’s impact for Jesus by launching and sustaining regional campuses in the Kansas City metro area.
…our City (our Samaria)
We will expand our mission efforts to the poor and disadvantaged in our city.
…our World (our World)
We will invest our lives and our resources to impact people of other nations for Jesus Christ.
Q. How has Come Together made a difference so far?
A. In so many ways! Through Come Together, you have…
Made it possible to pay for part of our 22-month old Lenexa Campus that has made room for our kids – We’ve grown from reaching 850 kids weekly two years ago to currently reaching to over 1500 on our three campuses!
Grown worship space so attendance could grow to over 5100 people attending weekly on our three campuses.
Helped to launch our Speedway and Overland Park campuses now connecting over 1000 people. Many have come to Christ on these campuses!
Provided financial support and hundreds of volunteers to relief to people through Kansas City Rescue Mission, Cross Lines, Micah Ministry, Feed the People, and Advice and Aid.
Provided care and ministry to Native American families through our support of New Life Ranch Community Services
Provided $10,000 to rebuild a community center for the people of Greensburg, KS
Q. What are we doing for others around the world?
A. Through Come Together giving you have…
India:
Launched our New Life Orphanage that houses and educates 164 children in India.
Trained 1500 pastors at retreats in India
Loved and served 100 lepers, and 150 women with HIV/AIDS
Provided 600 orphans in India a chance to hear the Gospel at Vacation bible Schools
Led hundreds to Christ at crusade events
Supported “Wells for Life” to supply fresh water to hundreds of villagers
South Africa:
Trained and provide salaries for four community care workers who care for people dying of AIDS
Taught HIV/AIDS Education and Abstinence to 2000 school-age children
Established six Soup Kitchens that feed 300 orphans
Provided meals and education sponsorships to 259 children through One Life
Thailand:
Fully supported our sister church, Pua Baptist Church with monthly contributions
Opens and financially supported Grace House, housing 18 girls from poor regions.
Funded the opening of New Life Annex, a home to rescue young girls from prostitution
Taught English, shared the gospel, and hosted camps for young people
Mexico:
Opened the Agua Viva Drug Rehab Center for addicted youth
Build homes for impoverished families
Provided monthly financial support to Agua Viva Church, in Croc, Mexico
Q. Come Together giving is to be in addition to our regular giving
or tithe (meaning one tenth). What does this mean?
A. All believers are responsible to manage the money that God has provided them. (1 Chronicles 29:14) The New Testament instructs Christ followers to give: regularly, proportionally (a percentage, traditionally 10%), sacrificially, and joyfully. We are instructed in scripture to give generously like this all the time.
Your regular giving supports our church-family’s general budget supporting the ongoing ministries of Westside—ministry to families, children, students, worship, discipleship, etc. Your Come Together offering provides for ministry expansion around the world, and for capital growth and ministry expansion.
This is why Come Together giving is to be in addition to this normal giving in order to fund Westside’s specific outreach efforts—new facilities and facility expansion, satellite campus expansion, and ministry expansion. Westside’s Lenexa campus mortgage expense and debt-reduction payments are funded by Come Together. Our Overland Park campus is also supported by Come Together giving, as well as a significant portion of our local and world missions outreach.
Q. If I am already tithing why should I give more? What does scripture say about this?
A. If you are tithing, thank you! You are truly blessed. (Malachi 3:10-12) If every member of Westside tithed (gave 10% of their income), our annual general income would exceed $15M – providing more than enough to retire our debt, and amply fund additional ministry expansion. We ask everyone to prayerfully consider giving to the Come Together ministry work—God is blessing these ministry initiatives made possible by your Come Together gifts! No one should give under compulsion, cut instead give only as you feel led by the Holy Spirit with a cheerful heart.
7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 2 Corinthians 9:7 & 8 10-12 (NIV)
Q. What is the financial health of Westside?
A. Westside is healthy, and has applied several levels of stewardship accountability, including the utilization of a line-item budget, separation of accounting function provided by a Certified Public Accounting firm, as well as annual external financial audits. We work hard to carefully steward all ministry expenditures to maximize ministry impact. Our annual budget is carefully reviewed, approved, and monitored by the PAT Finance Team, and ratified by the congregation in a Family Forum.
Q. What is the current debt, and what will it be when this Come Together effort concludes in February 2009?
Westside has approximately $19M in assets, with current debt of approximately $9M. The cost of our Lenexa campus is $18M. At this end of this Come Together Phase, our estimated debt will be reduced to around $8M. This is on track, and the more that is given in this season of Come Together, the more we will be able to reduce this debt.
Q. What is our plan for additional regional campuses?
A. It is Westside leadership’s intention to continue to launch additional regional campuses in the years ahead in order to increase the impact on our region for Christ. We have seen great fruit from our two regional launches, with many people coming to know Jesus through these efforts. We will be analyzing the wisest options for expansion of our regional campuses and the Lenexa campus throughout this year, with these results determined in early 2009.
Q. Can we give “one-time” gifts?
A. Yes, we are encouraging folks to provide a one-time gift or donation, either all or a portion of their pledge. This will help to provide needed cash-flow for our ongoing ministry costs for our Come Together expansion projects.
Q. Is there a plan for Westside’s development after Come Together?
A. During the summer and fall of 2008 our leadership will be evaluating our ministry opportunities and planning for our growth. We will engage internal and external experts in this process. By the conclusion of Come Together in February of 2009, we will have developed a plan to maximize Westside’s impact in our community, region, city, and world for the next season of our church.
Q. What can I do to be part of Come Together?
A. If you have already pledged, thank you! You have helped to make this happen! If God has blessed you financially in the mean time, you might consider increasing your commitment.
If you’re interested in participating in Come Together, we invite you to prayerfully consider a sacrificial gift that will fuel our mission. Just fill out a commitment card, and turn it during one of our weekend services.
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