Category Archives: New Building

Groundbreaking Event Announced!

December 21, 2010 By in New Building Tags: , , 2 Comments

Some building committee updates take on more significance than others.

Last Sunday our chairman, Ross, stood in the pulpit to give his monthly update on our campaign to get into our own facility. He kept things short and sweet. In fact, he mentioned only one thing. In light of our recent congregational meeting and by unanimous agreement of our leadership team, Orlando Grace will move ahead with the construction of our building at 872 Maitland Avenue.

Normally I would delegate the task of changing the lettering on our sign at the property, but not this time. I can hardly explain the sheer delight I took in removing the old version – “Breaking Ground this Fall” – and replacing it with “Breaking Ground, Feb. 6, 4 PM!”

If you haven’t already done so, mark your calendars for this very important date in the life of our congregation. And please pray that we will use this opportunity wisely to reach out the the surrounding community.

OGC, buckle your seat belts and keep your arms and hand inside the vehicle at all times. We’re in for the ride of our lives. Let the adventure begin!

The Virtue of Hard Work in the Lord

December 13, 2010 By in New Building Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

As I reflected today on last night’s congregational meeting, I gave thanks, among other things, for the gift of serving along side so many fellow workers in the Lord at Orlando Grace. From the building committee members, to the deacons, to the elders, we saw a display of devotion to the kingdom cause that makes this pastor flush with gratitude.

This blessing made me think of the apostle Paul where he sends greetings to the church in Romans 16:3-16. He mentions several people in the fellowship by name, citing reasons for his praise to God for them. Frequently, the virtue of working hard in the Lord and for His church goes down in the biblical record.

Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus (v. 3).

Greet Mary, who worked hard in the Lord for you (v. 6).

Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ (v. 9).

Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord (v. 12).

What lessons can we take away from a who’s who like this at the church in Rome? At least two come to mind.

First, it takes numerous servants to do the work of the ministry. Paul calls these saints fellow workers. Even the great apostle Paul acknowledged that he could not do the work by himself. It takes teamwork and cooperation among all the saints to build up Christ’s church. Don’t miss, by the way, that women who worked hard in the Lord made Paul’s list just like men. Hard work in gospel ministry applies to both genders. In fact, the term for hard work Paul uses only for women in the context!

Second, it doesn’t come easy. Paul often describes the ministry efforts expended as hard work. The Greek has only one word translated by these two English words. It comes from a root that means to beat or hit or smite something. It means to toil, strive, or struggle to the point of wearied exhaustion.

Spurgeon preached from this text with this exhortation to his people:

It is an honor to labor for Christ, it is a still greater honor to labor much. If then, any, in joining the Christian
Church, desire place or position, honor or respect, the way to it is this—labor, and labor much! Persis had probably been a slave and was of a strange race from the far-off land of Persia. But she was so excellent in disposition that she is called, “the beloved Persis,” and for her indefatigable industry she receives signal mention. Among believers the rewards of affectionate respect are distributed according to the self-denying service which is rendered to Christ and to His cause. May all of us be helped to labor much, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

So much hard work went into making last night possible. Many thanks to you all!

We would not find ourselves poised on the brink of so grand an adventure as constructing our new building apart from the faithfulness of God in raising up so many hard working servants with a heart for the gospel and the glory of Christ’s name on display in and through His church.

May we continue to prize hard work in the Lord for the virtue it truly is and may we indeed by helped to labor much, by the power of the Holy Spirit, as we move into 2011 and start construction on our facility.

Second Capital Campaign Effort

November 10, 2010 By in New Building Tags: , Leave a comment

This week our office sent out 95 appeals to people who used to attend OGC to consider contributing toward our capital campaign for our new building.

David Sims, one of our original founders and elders, graciously agreed to write this letter on our behalf.

In each letter we included one of our campaign brochures, a commitment card, and a return envelope for the convenience of the recipient.

A lot of folks have passed through OGC’s doors over the years. Many have fond memories of their time here and hold the ministry in high regard.

Will you pray with me that God works through this effort? Our leadership team would feel even more comfortable about moving ahead with the project if this effort would yield at least another $100K toward the project to keep our debt-to-loan ratio as low as possible.

May Eph. 3:20-21 be the standard upon which we pray as we continue to wait upon God for His provision in our faith efforts.

Building Program Update

October 2, 2010 By in New Building Tags: , , 1 Comment


The image above is a picture of a Lutheran church – the fourth tallest architectural structure in Iceland. It took incredibly long to build it (38 years)! Construction work began in 1945 and ended in 1986.

Sometimes our project feels that long to me, but a story like that puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?

Our leadership team spent considerable time last Thursday night discussing our progress toward breaking ground for our facility this fall.

We draw closer by the day. Certain factors toward making  a responsible and timely decision bear mentioning:

  1. The building committee meets this Monday evening, Oct. 4, with Dave Eddy, our contractor, to finalize details of the floor plan so that we can sign a contract with him and he can begin construction drawings. Pray for that meeting – for oneness of mind on the many details requiring decisions.
  2. We have acquired all the easements we desired for the property resulting in substantial savings for the project.  And we have received some enormous gifts like the sound board mentioned last Sunday. Thanks be to God!
  3. The site plan continues to pass back and forth between the committee and the city as officials make and require various changes. We have enjoyed enormous favor with Altamonte Springs. For that we are most grateful. Please pray this continues and that details get finalized so that permits can be pulled.
  4. Six different banks/lending institutions have received information packets from us for application for a mortgage for funding the balance of the project. We have already started to meet with some representatives from those entities. Pray for favor and wisdom in determining the right connection(s).
  5. David Sims, one of our founding members and long-term, well-known advocate of OGC, graciously agreed to draft a personal letter on our behalf to friends of OGC over the years for a second-tier capital campaign effort. We hope to send out that correspondence  to a host of recipients as soon as possible.

As you can see, certain ducks still need to get into row before we can target a timetable for breaking ground and starting site work on the property. Our leadership team expects to have a much better read on things by our next meeting at the end of this month. We will keep the body posted on our next steps, particularly as our anniversary comes on Nov. 7 and we near the end of the fall quarter.

We also gave attention to the general fund giving trend of late noting the typical summer slump from which we have yet to emerge. We noted that the financial figures in the bulletin and enews relate to the target budget for the year, not actual expenses. However, we very much would like to see the Lord work in such a way that we get back above the break even line in that regard just the same. Please pray with us that He helps us to do just that. We would also like to remind the members of the body that while faithfully giving toward your pledge for the capital campaign, please do not neglect your regular giving to the operational expenses of the church.

This remains an exciting time in the life of our assembly. We expect faith-building challenges along the way. He is able! Let us press on believing that where God guides, He provides and that a facility will enhance our mission to engage peoples everywhere for pursuing ultimate satisfaction in Jesus.

Encouraging Words for Strategic Leaders in Kingdom Work

May 23, 2010 By in New Building, Sunday Morning Tags: , , Leave a comment

Our five week capital fund campaign for our building has come to an end.

The image above was taken by one of our folks on the property this morning as we gathered for a prayer service at 9:30 AM. What a sweet time we had in the relative cool of the morning!

Tonight we meet at the SDA for a celebratory meal and report of what God has done. Whatever the outcome, He is good, all the time.

The closing message from Haggai 2:20-23 is now on the web. You can listen to it here.

Here is how I summarized the sermon and made application to our church:

So clearly this prophecy to Zerubbabel had unique application and fulfillment to him and through him to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. It was designed for his encouragement from two angles: God’s intention most thoroughly to abase the nations of the world through a cosmic and historical shaking of events soon to come and His intention most assuredly on that day of visitation to exalt the Leader (I made it capital on purpose as pointing to Jesus, the Messiah) of His people. So whatever comes church, however much we raise in these commitments, whenever we get a building and subsequent phases if God blesses, wherever we seek to engage peoples everywhere for pursuing ultimate fulfillment in Jesus, let us leader and follower alike take courage, be strong, keep working, go on believing that God will most certainly do whatever it takes to accomplish His kingdom purposes. Jesus will build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18). The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (Rev. 11:15).

If per chance you were not able to attend the service today and would still like to give your campaign pledge/gift, you may send it to our offices at any time.

Another huge step toward making a permanent home for OGC now lies behind us. May God give us continued grace to run the race set before us and not grow weary. He most certainly will do whatever it takes to accomplish His kingdom purposes.

To Pledge or Not to Pledge?

May 18, 2010 By in New Building Tags: , , Leave a comment

That is the question. It is the question of the year, maybe the decade, for OGC as we conclude our first-ever capital campaign on Sunday, May 23.

One factor affecting our decision may come with determining exactly what we mean by the term “pledge.”

Is it a vow that locks us into a covenant from which we can never be loosed?

Is it a guestimate of what we might be able to contribute if things work out OK over the next three years?

Is it what some used to call years ago a “faith promise” – what I will give if the Lord does something miraculous in terms of adding to our incomes in an unexpected way?

Good questions all, to which I would say none of the above.

Well, than, what is a pledge?  We can turn two places for help. They happen to harmonize quite nicely.

First, the dictionary. Webster’s sixth definition reads: “something promised, especially money to be contributed in regular payments.”

Second, the Scriptures. Consider 2 Cor. 9:1-5:

Now it is superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry for the saints, 2 for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year. And your zeal has stirred up most of them. 3 But I am sending  the brothers so that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this matter, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be. 4 Otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—for being so confident. 5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the gift  you have promised, so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as an exaction (emphasis added).

A pledge is a gift promised based upon what’s known as opposed to unknown. You look at your income stream at present, determine where you will sacrifice, calculate what you can give on a monthly basis and promise to put that in the plate faithfully, as God continues to give you grace to do so. It is not presuming on God to do something unusual that you hope He will do (faith promise). It is not a vow or covenant from which you could never be released if circumstances somehow changed beyond your control and prevented you from following through. It’s a promise to follow through with a plan for giving, just as you would do with a missionary or charitable organization you support based upon counting the cost and doing what God purposes in your heart (2 Cor. 9:7).

One commentary put this spin on Paul’s purpose in v. 6: He places the burden on the Corinthians and is fully assured that they will complete what they had promised. He reminds them of a proverbial truth: “A promise made is a debt unpaid.”

May we pray together throughout the remainder of this week that the Lord guides each of our member family units in knowing what kind of one-time gift and/or monthly pledge He requires of us AND may He give us grace to make good on what we promise so the apostle Paul doesn’t have to breathe down our necks, if he could, and remind us to follow through on our pledges.

Lessons from a Capital Campaign from the Past

May 17, 2010 By in New Building Tags: , Leave a comment

Our five week capital fund campaign for OGC’s first ever building draws quickly to a close.

Next Sunday, May 23, the day we bring our pledge commitments to the Lord, fast approaches.

This week I want to utilize the blog to draw some lessons from similar campaigns from the past in the history of God’s people. I want them to be an encouragement and help as we prepare for this most significant day in the history of our church.

The building of the tabernacle in Israel’s history gives us the first historical occurrence of this kind from which we may make application.

In Exodus 35:4-9 we read:

4 Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “This is the thing that the Lord has commanded. 5 Take from among you a contribution to the Lord. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the Lord’s contribution: gold, silver, and bronze; 6 blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; goats’ hair, 7 tanned rams’ skins, and goatskins; acacia wood, 8 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 9 and onyx stones and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece.

In Exodus 35:20-29 we learn of the response of God’s people to Moses’ exhortation:

20 Then all the congregation of the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21 And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the Lord’s contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments. 22 So they came, both men and women. All who were of a willing heart brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and armlets, all sorts of gold objects, every man dedicating an offering of gold to the Lord. 23 And every one who possessed blue or purple or scarlet yarns or fine linen or goats’ hair or tanned rams’ skins or goatskins brought them. 24 Everyone who could make a contribution of silver or bronze brought it as the Lord’s contribution. And every one who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work brought it. 25 And every skillful woman spun with her hands, and they all brought what they had spun in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. 26 All the women whose hearts stirred them to use their skill spun the goats’ hair. 27 And the leaders brought onyx stones and stones to be set, for the ephod and for the breastpiece, 28 and spices and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense. 29 All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord.

Matthew Henry, the Puritan commentator made these five excellent insights about the above verses:

  1. It is intimated that they brought their offerings immediately; they departed to their tents immediately to fetch their offering, and did not desire time to consider of it, lest their zeal should be cooled by delays. What duty God convinces us of, and calls us to, we should set about speedily. No season will be more convenient than the present season.
  2. It is said that their spirits made them willing (v. 21), and their hearts, v. 29. What they did they did cheerfully, and from a good principle. They were willing, and it was not any external inducement that made them so, but their spirits. It was from a principle of love to God and his service, a desire of his presence with them in his ordinances, gratitude for the great things he had done for them, faith in his promise of what he would further do (or, at least, from the present consideration of these things), that they were willing to offer. What we give and do for God is then acceptable when it comes from a good principle in the heart and spirit.
  3. When it is said that as many as were willing-hearted brought their offerings (v. 22), it should seem as if there were some who were not, who loved their gold better than their God, and would not part with it, no, not for the service of the tabernacle. Such there are, who will be called Israelites, and yet will not be moved by the equity of the thing, God’s expectations from them, and the good examples of those about them, to part with any thing for the interests of God’s kingdom: they are for the true religion, provided it be cheap and will cost them nothing.
  4. The offerings were of divers kinds, according as they had; those that had gold and precious stones brought them, not thinking any thing too good and too rich to part with for the honour of God. Those that had not precious stones to bring brought goats’ hair, and rams’ skins. If we cannot do as much as others for God, we must not therefore sit still and do nothing: if the meaner offerings which are according to our ability gain us not such a reputation among men, yet they shall not fail of acceptance with God, who requires according to what a man hath, and not according to what he hath not, 2 Co. 8:12; 2 Ki. 5:23. Two mites from a pauper were more pleasing than so many talents from a Dives. God has an eye to the heart of the giver more than to the value of the gift.
  5. Many of the things they offered were their ornaments, bracelets and rings, and tablets or lockets (v. 22); and even the women parted with these. Can a maid forget her ornaments? Thus far they forgot them that they preferred the beautifying of the sanctuary before their own adorning. Let this teach us, in general, to part with that for God, when he calls for it, which is very dear to us, which we value, and value ourselves by; and particularly to lay aside our ornaments, and deny ourselves in them, when either they occasion offence to others or feed our own pride.

Where does the Lord speak to you from this capital campaign from the past in preparation for your response to OGC’s capital campaign in the present?

The Truth About Ministry Fundraising

April 26, 2010 By in New Building Tags: , 2 Comments

For some reason this subject is on my mind these days.

I ran across a helpful article to guide us through the maze of seemingly endless appeals that come in letter form day after day.

Here is a sample of what the author says:

But I am suggesting we become informed givers. Don’t be a ministry zombie and give on impulse – for any reason. Give because you’ve researched a ministry, believe in what it’s doing in the world, have confirmed its integrity and track record, and then prayed about the gift.

Whether you are considering giving to OGC’s capital campaign on May 23 or some other ministry, this article has some helpful insights to guide you along the way. I commend it to you.

You can read the piece here.

The Queen Grace

April 24, 2010 By in New Building Tags: , , Leave a comment

Tomorrow we embark on a five-week journey the likes of which OGC has never experienced before – a capital fund raising campaign for our first ever facility.

I will preach from Haggai 1:1-11, A Serious Call to Consider Our Ways. Why not take some time this evening to meditate upon the passage to prepare for the message?

Whatever happens in this process of believing God for a significant amount of money to help fund our building project, we must not fail to approach these weeks without what Octavius Winslow called “the queen grace.”

Truly is faith the crowning grace of all, and a most costly and precious fruit of the renewed mind. From it springs every other grace of a gracious soul. It has been designated the ‘queen’ grace, because a royal train ever attends it. Faith comes not alone, nor dwells alone, nor works alone. Where faith in Jesus is, there also are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, patience, godly sorrow, and every kindred perfection of the Christian character, all blending in the sweetest harmony, all uniting to celebrate the glory of God’s grace, and to crown Jesus Lord of all.

Among other reasons, faith is the queen grace because of what Heb. 11:6 teaches: without faith it is impossible to please Him.

We simply will fall flat on our faces and fail to please God if we don’t approach this campaign with eyes and hearts of faith.

May the queen grace descend upon us as we navigate these next several weeks, examining our hearts as to the nature of our priorities, seeking to hear from Him as to what He would have us do in the way of sacrificial giving, and believing that He is and is a rewarder of those who seek Him.


Speak, O Lord

April 13, 2010 By in New Building Tags: , 6 Comments

We sang this tune by Getty and Townend today in one of our worship sessions at T4G.

I wrote in my notebook these words: BUILDING FUND CAPITAL CAMPAIGN THEME SONG.

Later in the afternoon I emailed Greg and asked him to help me make it happen. My desire is that we would sing this as a congregation each of the five weeks of the campaign.

Check it out. It expresses everything in our hearts as leaders about how and why we hope God will work in the five weeks beginning April 25.