Open Doors | Osage Hills Christian Church

The Next Step – Open Doors

We are currently in the second year of our three-year vision of double-kingdom impact. God has been working in our church and community as we have actively engaged in his mission to reach the ONE. Here are some of the ways God has blessed us and things we’ve been able to do:

5 baptisms
Weekly attendance growth
Moved our offices
Started a special needs ministry and sensory room
Painted the exterior
Improved live streaming services
Playground turf
Tech upgrades
Improved coffee room
New Dutch doors for children’s ministry (safety improvement)
Hired a full-time NextGen Pastor
Hired a part-time Administrative Assistant

Now, we are headed into a new phase in the vision of connecting Christ to where we live, and we need your help! We are excited to announce the Open Doors Campaign! We are beginning the process of making a clear front entrance to our building and remodeling the area to create lobby space. Why are we doing this? I’m glad you asked.

Why we need this:

We want the ONE to know they are welcome here (and how to enter).

We are aware that the ONE might have difficulty finding the front door. Whether this is the ONE in your life or our community, everyONE has a place to belong. A clear, Open Door helps connect Christ to where we live.

(Luke 15:3-7)

We are creating space to develop life-changing relationships.

Christ’s mission is a collective movement. By creating space, we cultivate opportunities to grow in our love for God and others.

(Col. 3:14, Heb. 10:23-25)

We are thinking about the next person who comes.

We want to make it easy for people to see where to enter and how they can take the next step in their relationship with God.

(Mt. 18:10, Rom. 12:1-2, Eph. 4:11-16)

We want to transform the community.

God placed us here for a specific purpose, and we want to partner with him by being a light in the community. A welcoming environment breaks barriers and sets the stage for God’s transformative work.

(Eph. 5:1-2, Acts 2:42-47)

What we are going to do:

As we move forward, we hope to accomplish several projects. We have divided the list into two phases due to costs. This does not mean that anything in phase two is of less priority. All the items are important to the “WHY” and doing what God has called us to do. But this is the best way to divide the projects feasibly.

Phase 1

New Entrance
New Lobby
New Portico
New Restrooms
New Sensory Room

Phase 2

Improved Kids Check-In System
New Signage
New Paint on MPB Roof
Updated Worship Center Technology

All of these items are incredibly important to improving the church building, church environment, and church experience. We are going to inform you of the details for each as the campaign progresses.

If you have a house, you want friends/family that come over to feel at home, comfortable, clean, and that it looks nice. That does not mean you need it to be fancy, but you want it to be functional and welcoming. As a church, we want to foster an environment that communicates the same thing when people walk through our Open Doors. If our church is going to be a bright light in this area, we want to be a place where people want to be both now and in the future. We believe that accomplishing these lists is critical to answering the “Why” in connecting Christ to where we live.

Why now?

These plans and processes started about four to five years ago. The need was there then, and it is still here now. As church leaders, we believe this is where God is leading us next. Construction only keeps getting more and more expensive each year. We have the teams in place. We have been working with lending groups to explore our financing options. We have bid out the cost of the renovations and have received multiple replies. We plan to use the same contractor that worked with us on the sanctuary renovation. Their bid was much more affordable and fair. Plus, it is nice to work with a familiar organization that understands our values and vision.

What you can do…

As we begin, we ask that you do two things for us: Pray and Commit.

What to Pray About

Church Unity: Many decisions will be made during the process that could cause division. Let’s pray for unity around the focus and vision of reaching the ONE.
The Campaign: We do not want to lose sight of the “Why” as we raise capital to accomplish what God is guiding us to do. Let’s pray that God opens the doors!
Generosity: Pray that God stirs up a spirit of generosity among his people as we move forward in the next step of connecting Christ to where we live.
A Burder for the ONE: Each of us has people who are close to us but far from God, and God has put us in their lives to share the love of Jesus with them. Let’s pray that God’s passion for the ONE becomes our passion.

Commit to the Vision

Reach Your ONE: God has put you in a unique place to share his love with those around you. God is passionate about saving the ONE. Take steps to demonstrate the love of Jesus to your ONE. Invite them to the weekend experience. Take them to lunch. Reach out!
Give Above and Beyond: There are many needs the church has, and your generosity to the church goes a long way. Consider sacrificing excess regular expenditures like eat-out lunches or coffee and give to the Open Doors Campaign.
Share with Friends and Family: Many people seek a cause to be generous toward. Share how God is moving at Osage Hills and ask them to join the cause to connect Christ to where we live. Invite them to Open Doors with us!

Capital Campaign

What’s next?

All of these improvements are wonderful, and if they were free, all of us would be 100% on board. But they do cost money. The church has made many improvements over the years out of its regular operating budget, as mentioned above. We have done what we can do. However, the scope of these projects is more than the regular operating budget is able to handle. WE NEED YOUR HELP!!

We have launched the Open Doors Capital Campaign. This is obviously a massive endeavor for Osage Hills. We want you to feel like this is your project. We want you to have all the information, answer any questions, and understand the “Why” and “How” before we ask anyone to commit to anything. So, over the next several weeks, we want you to pray for the things we listed above. We want you to ask questions. We want everyone to be committed to the direction we believe God is leading us. Here are two important dates to mark on your calendars:

April 27 – Q & A

During service on April 27 at 10:30 am, we will go into detail about the projects, the timeline, and the financing. We will also allow time for you to ask questions. Of course, you can ask questions anytime as well. Reach out to Nate, Mark, Andy, or an elder.

May 4 – Pledge Day

On May 4, we will have Pledge Day, asking you to step out in faith and pledge what you can commit to these projects. We want to offer as many potential ways for people to give as possible. It could be a one-time gift, and that is great, but we really need people to commit to giving to this project over a longer period of time. Maybe that means a bit more each week, each month, twice a year, once a year, or whatever that looks like for you. This initial pledge will be critical to getting these projects completed.

This is big, exciting, and a bit scary. But we know God is ultimately in control, and we are praying only that his will be done and that all these things glorify him.

I hope you will ask questions, pray, and consider prayerfully what you can pledge as we Open Doors together.

Start Giving

It’s never too early to start giving. Follow the link below to give online through our giving platform. Select “Captial Campaign” in the dropdown menu to designate funds to Open Doors.

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