CONTINUING THE VISION

EMMANUEL CHURCH EXISTS TO GIVE EVERYONE THE BEST OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME FULLY-DEVELOPING FOLLOWERS OF JESUS.

Our mission is clear as we seek to fulfill the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19–20. God is calling us to deepen the sense of community within the church family, and to reach out to the community around us. Our new Family Life Center will become the cornerstone of these objectives.

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Emmanuel’s history is rich and textured, and our future is promising. The Family Life Center will be the next ministry tool to help fulfill the mission of giving everyone the best opportunity to become fully-developing followers of Jesus for generations to come. It will strengthen our efforts to deepen our sense of community within the church and reach out to the community around us. Our mission is clear and your partnership is needed. Ever mindful that we are better together, together we will Continue the Vision!

OUR CHALLENGES

God has blessed, provided for, and grown our church. Before the pandemic hit us so hard and changed life as we know it, our Sunday worship attendance had grown from about 350 in 2015 to nearly 550 at the end of 2019. Our yearly budget of about $1.2 million has been steadily growing. Our Envision Kids children’s ministry often had more than 100 children in attendance before the pandemic. Just about every Sunday, commitments are made to Christ by profession of faith at Emmanuel, many by people changing churches in our local area.

A visit to Emmanuel Church on any given Sunday will reveal that classrooms for children are filled to capacity. Hallways are crowded with people. There is no room to offer to Connection Groups to meet on Sunday mornings. The aging student ministry trailers do not have functioning restrooms due to structural concerns brought about by erosion. Weekdays are in constant flux as there is a juggle for space for MOPS, Celebrate Recovery, SAILS senior adult ministry, missions, and outreach. Office space for staff is at its limit. Building a gym and additional classrooms within the Family Life Center will accommodate our present needs, as well as allow for future growth.

A building should never be an end in itself, but a building can help facilitate the ministry of the church. At Emmanuel Church our building is put to good use on a daily basis. On just about every day of the week the building is being used to enable various ministries to function. Many community groups would like to utilize our space on a regular basis. However, we cannot currently support the community and use it as an opportunity to evangelize.

Our current building never sits idle. With the FLC we will be able to support our existing needs as well as expand outreach to our community.

OUR SOLUTION

The Family Life Center will provide opportunities for our students and classrooms needed for meetings, Connection Groups, and other ministries (like Celebrate Recovery and MOPS). The gymnasium will be a facility that we can use to expand our outreach to the community.

The vision is exciting; however, a vision is nothing more than an exciting concept until a strategy is implemented to fund the plan.

Our Continuing the Vision campaign uses proven, organized capital-raising methods that help churches like ours raise the necessary funds to start construction and bring it to completion. Continuing the Vision is designed so that each member, attendee, and friend of Emmanuel Church can participate. God has placed this program in our hands to supply the financial needs for this expansion.

The vision of having a Family Life Center by next summer can only be accomplished by each of us giving generously, consistent with our resources. God has been very good to us at Emmanuel Church. My fellow elders and I look forward to this continuing with this campaign.

In a little over 18 months we will have a beautiful new facility, and those old trailers used by the students will be gone. There are many needs in this county, country, and world—all places Christ commanded us to reach. This campaign will directly contribute to our ability to reach out to Calvert County and beyond.

THE FAMILY LIFE CENTER

Ground Floor will have:

Classrooms
Restrooms
Gymnasium
Office
Warm-up Kitchen
Outdoor Patio

Top Floor will have:

Group meeting rooms
Restrooms
Office

ACCEPTING THE CHALLENGE

Being a part of this campaign is a privilege as we stand in the footsteps of the group of individuals that funded and built the first sanctuary (our current Welcome Center) and the second group of individuals that built the current sanctuary. Now is our opportune time to continue the needed expansion of Emmanuel Church.

Talk With God

Ask the Lord to guide and direct you and for His will to be done in your life as you prayerfully consider your participation in the Continuing the Vision campaign. Always remember it is our heart that matters most to God and that it is not about the size of the gift, but the nature of the sacrifice. Look to the poor widow’s example in Mark 12:41–44.

Remember that your gift, while serving to help us construct our new Family Life Center, is first and foremost about extending our reach so that we are able to connect more people with Jesus, help them to grow to be more like Jesus, and teach them to share their hope in Jesus.

Sacrifice So That You Can Invest

Prayerfully consider ways you can reprioritize your spending to better invest in reaching our community. Perhaps God will lead you to hold off on the purchase of a new car, adjust your vacation plans, eat out less for a season, or drink home-brewed coffee instead of those calorie-rich coffees at vendors; maybe you can give out of an abundance of wealth.

Schedule A Giving Plan

Prayerfully develop a plan of giving that is over and above what you already give to the church through your regular tithes and offerings. Consider committing your tax refund or bonus income.

Did you know that the tax laws allow you to contribute stock to the church? The church gets the full value of the stock and any capital gains, and you get a tax deduction equal to the stock’s value. You also avoid paying the capital gains tax.

How It Works

A Commitment Card will be prepared for each family group or individual. The Commitment Card will guide you in documenting your giving over a three-year period. We ask that Emmanuel receive your first monthly commitment or lump sum contribution no later than June 30, 2021. This corresponds with when we hope to commence construction of the new facility. These Commitment Cards will be available at the campaign banquet that we are planning for Saturday, May 22.

Your Commitment Card will be between you and God. The only person at the church that will see it is the treasurer. Commitment cards will be collected over the two-week period after the banquet. All contributions will be held in a separate account and used only for Family Life Center funding purposes.

The Goal

The below goals were developed from projections of giving in 2020. Any of these goals can be met. We will need to reach our middle Moving Forward goal in order to do all that we are hoping for. If we only meet the first Baseline goal, we will have to consider other options—for example, not completing the second floor of the Family Life Center at this time, or even overhauling the student trailers instead of having a fantastic new facility to grow in. Achieving the Generous goal will allow us to complete the Family Life Center and then accelerate the timeline of future expansions. Although we have some existing debt, we have available funds to retire the majority of that debt. Going forward, we are not willing to live with excessive debt and would prefer to avoid sacrificing an existing ministry.

Baseline: $1,400,000

Moving Forward: $1,700,000

Generous: $2,800,000

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What time are worship services?

Worship services are at 8:00, 9:00, and 10:45am. Programs for children birth through 5th grade will be available during the 9:00 and 10:45 services.
Where are your worship services located?

Our address is 3800 Old Town Road, Huntingtown, MD 20639. You are also welcome to join us for our online watch party right here on our website or on our Facebook page.
What about my kids?

For kids ages birth through 5th grade, we will have a special Easter program during the 9:00 and 10:45am services! The Children’s Ministry Venue is located in the back of the main building. Attendance and security check-in is required at the Envision Kids front desk. Our greeters are happy to escort you to the Children's Ministry Venue so that you feel comfortable about your child’s environment. A check-in team member will safely register your child for the morning activities. Find out more about our children's ministry here. And kids are always welcome in our worship services!
Where do I park?

When you arrive on campus, you will be greeted by our friendly Parking Team volunteers. If you are a first-time guest, a senior, a family with young children, or a family with special needs, you will be encouraged to park on the upper paved lot closest to the building. There is plenty of parking all around the entire building. We encourage our staff, volunteers, members and attenders to park in the gravel lot away from the building to make room for you and your family. Our Parking Team members will direct you. You may notice construction at the back of the building. We are constructing a new facility to help us serve our community and our church family better. For your safety, please make sure that you and your children do not enter the construction area and do not touch the equipment. Thank you for helping us keep everyone safe!
Will there be coffee/refreshments?

Yes! Stop by the Welcome Center between and after services for coffee, water, lemonade, and snacks.
What do I wear?

Wear whatever you are comfortable with. You will see most people dressed in casual clothing such as jeans or khakis and shirts or sweaters.
What will the service be like?

During the worship service, you will hear upbeat music from our praise and worship band that can be heard on local contemporary radio stations such as 91.9, 95.1, or 107.3. You can sing along with the words provided on the screens if you like, or simply listen to the band. Everyone who attends will be asked to complete a Connect Card with your name and contact information. That is the best way we can communicate with you about future Emmanuel opportunities. We do not share this information with other organizations. Pastor Rick will give an Easter message for about 20 minutes. As you leave the worship center, you will be asked to drop your Connect Card off in a basket. You will not be expected to give money. That is the responsibility of the church family. We are just glad you came! Don’t forget to stop by the Welcome Center after the service for free coffee, cold beverages, and snack items. One more thing: You are invited to come back again next week. Emmanuel Church would love to be your church family. We look forward to seeing you soon!
What is all that construction in the back of the building?

We are in the process of building a new facility, the Emmanuel Life Center! This building will include classrooms, offices, and a gym, and will be used by many of our ministries and community events. We hope to have it completed by the end of the year. For your safety, please make sure that you and your children do not enter the construction area or touch any of the equipment. Thank you!