End of Year Giving
A little over a year ago, we stepped out in faith and embarked on something completely new for Providence Road. Renovating an old building in downtown Norman and raising the funds to do so felt like a massive undertaking for us, but we couldn’t shake the dream of having a hub for ministry right in the middle of Norman. After much prayer and many conversations with our Covenant Members and other local church leaders, we jumped in with both feet and did it. And oh what a year it has been!
Fast forward to today… So many people have sacrificed a great deal for us to be able to make this move. When we began, we received pledges for nearly $300,000, which came out to almost 60% of our total expenses to move into the building. As of now, we have a little over $320,000 remaining on our line of credit. Next December, that line of credit converts to a more traditional 8-year loan. Therefore, we have some incentive to do all we can to take that loan principle down as low as we can before it’s converted. We do have pledges committed in 2019, but would also love to take down even more principle so that we aren’t left with large monthly payments beginning in 2020.
So, what do we do now? Our goal is to take that $320K in principle and get it to (or below!) $100K by next December. A smaller goal we have set is to raise $50K by the end of this year. To help us reach that goal, we were notified by a family within our church that they have decided to give a matching gift of up to $20,000. What an amazing gift!
We’re now asking you to help us reach that goal by the end of December. Thankfully, many of you are already giving as much as you are able and have pledged out everything you can do. We by no means want to guilt you into giving more than you can. This request is more for anyone who may have received an unexpected bonus or a raise. Perhaps you began attending Prov Road after our move into the building. Or maybe you have family that might be willing to give to help us reach this goal. However possible, we are humbly asking that you work with us to try and match this generous gift.
If you do decide to give, make sure to designate your gift toward “Missional Move” in the memo of a check or any online gift. We have always sought to be completely transparent in terms of the church’s finances and that is still the case. If you have any questions or would like further clarification, don’t hesitate to shoot us an email (info@provroad.org) or call our church office (405-928-3350). Please consider helping us erase this debt, so we can continue to serve the city from the heart of the city, for now and many years to come.
Last year, we put together a list of ways to save or restructure your budget to help you give. To help you think creatively, here is that list:
Give up a habit. For example, a gourmet coffee each day for two years can cost over $2,000.
Cut back on one restaurant visit a week. Forgoing a $25 dinner a week means you could give $100-$125 more per month.
Drink only water at restaurants. Depending on how often you eat out, one person could save $5 a week or more. That’s a minimum of $520 just for drinking water!
Wait for a movie to come out on video. One trip to the movie theater can cost $30-$40 with popcorn and candy for two people. If you cut out two movies per month, that’s $1,500 or more over two years.
Scale back to basic cable. Or cut the cord altogether. Basic cable can cost as little as $20/month compared to $60+ for premium cable. Cutting out premium movie channels can save another $10-$30 per month.
Cut down or put off discretionary purchases. Intentionally limit what you spend on non-essential items such as sporting goods, video games, clothing, new furniture, etc. Redirect that money to our Missional Move.
Donate collectibles and other assets of worth. You may have items of value at home or in storage such as collections of coins, stamps, baseball cards, or items such as art, jewelry, or an unused boat or motorcycle. Consider parting with these items, having them appraised and sold, and donating the revenue to our Missional Move.
There are multiple ways to reach our overall goal of $500,000:
50 Students x $50 Monthly x 2 years = $60,000
50 Young Professionals x $100 Monthly x 2 years = $120,000
50 Families x $300 Monthly x 2 years = $360,000
We could reach $500,000 over 2 years if:
50 people gave $417 monthly or $5,000 annually
100 people gave $209 monthly or $2,500 annually
150 people gave $139 monthly or $1,666 annually
