January 2019
“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:3
This verse was our theme verse for 2018. Our desire was and is to work together in the unity of the Spirit not losing sight of the purpose for it all; Jesus Christ and the good news of the gospel. Jesus is our peace. He is the bond that holds us all together. Praise God!!
As you can see from the pictures below, 2018 was a busy and productive year. We praise God that we were able to obtain a partial occupancy for the main floor and had our first service in the building on December 23rd. What a relief!!! The project is on going with some items being finished on the main floor and on going progress on the second floor.
We hope to complete the project in the spring, at which time we will also be putting on a grand opening ceremony. Stay tuned for a date being announced for that.
We will be continuing to fund raise to help pay for the on-going work of the project. A huge thank you to all the generous donors, supporters and volunteers that have made this project possible!! Without you, this building wouldn’t be standing here!! Please continue to pray for us, especially that we would be able to transition into ministry mode and understand who we are and what we are called to!!
Blessings!!
February 2018
“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.” Psalm 127:1
The 127th Psalm is all about remembering God’s provisions and blessings. Whatever mankind finds to do, whether building a house, guarding a city, looking for a good nights rest, or raising children, without seeking God in those things and putting our trust in His direction, blessings and provisions; they will be in vain.
At Straffordville Evangelical Mennonite Church, we long for God’s blessings and provisions in everything we do! Especially with something as time consuming, and resource draining as a building project! Please pray for us that we would be obedient in doing our part in giving, sacrificing, volunteering and simply being good stewards of what God has entrusted us with, remembering that this project is not about building a “church”, but rather about being obedient to our calling to further God’s kingdom through His Church -that is, the body of Christ!
As you can see in the pictures below, we have been busy this year. Insulation is complete, a concrete over-pour on the second level is complete, much of the interior framing and strapping is complete, and exterior windows and doors have been installed. Most of this with volunteers! Praise God!
In the beginning of March the trades such as electricians, plumbers and heating people are slated to begin their work. It will be exciting and refreshing to see some professionals do what they do best.
We are currently at around 55% complete. This is ALL debt free so far!! Praise God!!
We are pretty close to staying on track with our budget of $1 300 000 for this project. We are have spent approx $700 000, with approximately $600 000 to go for completion. Our goal is to raise another $200 000 so that we are left with only a $400 000 debt load. Although we would be happy to not have any debt.
Would you consider making a contribution toward our current goal of $200 000?
Online donations can be made through:
-Canadahelps. Just type in our church name to find us.
-e-transfers @ straffordville.emc.ca@gmail.com
Checks can be made out to “Straffordville EMC” and mailed to 55748 Third St, PO Box 369 Straffordville ON,
N0J 1Y0.
Another way to contribute is by purchasing gift cards through our Building committee. We earn 4% on all cards purchased. (% varies depending on type of card purchased)
We also look forward to another concert fundraiser in the spring. Details to come.
Our current building committee chairman Abe Wall, would be happy to answer any questions you may have. You may contact him at wallabe07@gmail.com, or at 519-580-4368. You can also email questions or comments to semchurch@amtelecom.net.
November 2017
“Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted; His splendor is above the earth and the heavens.” Psalm 148:13
We continue to marvel at the goodness of God and His provisions! Our thanksgiving offering this year was a record offering of over $47000!! On top of that, another church sent us a check for $5000. Praise God!!! These funds have allowed us to put in underground plumbing, electrical conduits, insulation, in-floor heat, the concrete floor, order all our windows and truck in almost another 100 loads of sand for our parking lot! We are excited about the on-going progress!
It’s amazing how fast funds are used up in a project this size. These steps have depleted our funds again, so we continue to trust, wait, give and sacrifice so the next steps can be taken.
The next steps are:
-install windows upon arrival
-purchase exterior doors
-purchase interior framing materials so we can frame up all the inside walls and ceilings.
Current needs:
-donations to accomplish the above steps.
-volunteers to frame up the interior walls and ceilings sometime in the next few months.
If you have skills in any of the above mentioned work and are able to donate some time to help out, please let us know! Dave Blatz is chair of our building committee and can be reached at 229-678-8725. You can also email questions to semchurch@amtelecom.net.
Don’t forget about our on going PC grocery card fundraiser for this project. You get dollar for dollar pc cards, and we get 4% toward our building fund. Consider buying cards from us today!
Also, don’t forget about our quick and easy way to donate online through the following link:
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/straffordville-evangelical-mennonite-church/#donate_now
-September 2017
Psalm 66:5 is SEMC’s theme verse for 2017. It says “Come and see what God has done, His awesome deeds for mankind!” The year is not over yet. Looking at what has all been accomplished this year so far in the building of Christ’s church both physically and spiritually, I can with confidence say, Come and see what GOD has done!!
As the pictures below demonstrate, it has been a busy summer with lots accomplished. We praise God for all the various provisions, gifts, and volunteers! As far as we’ve come, we still have a long way to go! We trust that God will continue to send the right people for the right needs.
The next stage in this project is as follows:
Before winter:
-underground plumbing, electrical etc
-insulate ground and install in-floor heat
-pour concrete main floor
-purchase & install windows and doors
During winter months:
-frame all interior walls, ceilings etc
-rough in hvac, electrical and plumbing
-insulate
-drywall
This next whole phase will cost approximately $300 000. That’s a BIG number. BUT, we serve a MIGHTY God! Here are ways to help over the next several months:
-Donate money
-Donate time
If you have skills in any of the above mentioned work and are able to donate some time to help out, please let us know! Dave Blatz is chair of our building committee and can be reached at 229-678-8725. You can also email questions to semchurch@amtelecom.net or call 519-866-5460.
Don’t forget about our on going PC grocery card fundraiser for this project. You get dollar for dollar pc cards, and we get 4% toward our building fund. Consider buying cards from us today!
Also, don’t forget about our quick and easy way to donate online through the following link:
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/straffordville-evangelical-mennonite-church/#donate_now
March 2017
As you can see from the picture below, the last few months have been very productive. Praise God!!
The project is now ready for the pre-manufactured core slab second floor to be installed. This is scheduled to arrive in late March. Following that the roof structure will be framed in.
Our current needs are skilled commercial building workers and exterior cladding sheet metal workers to help erect roof structure and install exterior cladding in late March and April. If you are interested in volunteering, please let us know. Dave Blatz is chair of our building committee and can be reached at 229-678-8725.
Before proceeding beyond this phase, we will need to raise more funds. Come out on April 1st at 7pm for a Fundraising concert at our current meeting location the Straffordville public school. The concert will showcase a talented men’s quartet, a ladies quintet, and one of our church music/worship teams. You will not be disappointed!! Ask God today how you can contribute to this project!
Also, don’t forget about our link for easy online donations:
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/straffordville-evangelical-mennonite-church/#donate_now
December 2016
“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.”
-Deuteronomy 7:9.
Our Heavenly Father is the one and only true God! He alone is faithful! May we, His children, walk in obedience to His commands and allow His love to flow through us!
We at SEMC, are praising God for His faithfulness in our building project as well! Although things have not happened at the pace that we hoped, things are still moving forward, and God is providing day by day for our needs.
The manufacturer is scheduled to deliver the building components around mid February. Since this is different than we had initially planned for, we will now be erecting the building ourselves with the help of a few knowledgeable and experienced volunteers from our church. Here again we see God’s faithfulness. Although the timeline is different than initially thought, we will now have available volunteers from within who have flexible schedules during the winter months. Also, we will have a significant cost savings as well!
We have committed to take each stage of the project in segments as there is funding. Our current need is to raise $250 000 by mid March 2017 to continue with the next phase in the spring. Would you consider giving toward this project?
Here are is an estimated time line and some ways that you can contribute to our project:
-Prayer! We should never underestimate the power of prayer! We need prayer for wisdom in each step, for good stewardship, and for provisions of volunteers and funding.
-We hope to begin erecting the structure mid-end February. We would welcome a few knowledgeable volunteers to help erect the steel structure.
-Preaching. Our pastor is experienced in construction and will be helping as much as possible with the erecting of the structure. We would welcome a retired, semi-retired or another qualified pastor who would like to serve a short term as interim pastor in our church to help accommodate the project.
-In April – May we would welcome volunteers to help with interior work.
-Purchasing PC cards from us. We are doing a PC gift/grocery card fundraiser which will be on going. You receive dollar for dollar, so it doesn’t cost you anything, but we receive 5% back from PC toward our building project. This does NOT affect your points if you collect PC points. You can pay for your purchases with these gift cards, and still swipe your point’s card to receive your PC points. Many in our church are using these cards for all their monthly groceries and fuel. An average family uses $800/month toward groceries and fuel. If we had 100 families purchasing $800 a month in PC cards from us, that would amount to $4000 a month toward our building project. That’s HUGE!! Consider purchasing PC cards from us today! These cards can be bought at Aylmer Propane -375 Talbot St East Aylmer during regular business hours.
-Funding. Please consider SEMC for a financial contribution so that we can moved forward in a steady pace to the completion of this building project to the glory of God!!
To donate directly and easily, follow this link:
https://www.canadahelps.org/…/straffordville-evangelical-…/…
For any question or inquiries, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
Church office: 519-866-5460
Building committee chairman: 519-639-3738
email: semchurch@amtelecom.net
