I Love My Church Booklet




GRACEPOINT

© 2015 GRACEPOINT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WITH GOD’S POWER

WORKING IN US

HE CAN DO MUCH

MUCH MORE

THAN ANYTHING

WE CAN ASK OR

THINK OF

EPHESIANS 3:20

IT ALL STARTED ON

A NAPKIN IN PANERA BREAD

In January of 2009, the dream that is GracePoint was sketched out with a sharpie on a napkin.
We could never have imagined what God would do with this dream of ours.

ACTUAL COPY OF

“THE NAPKIN”

OUR VISION

TO CREATE A CHURCH THAT UNCHURCHED PEOPLE LOVE TO ATTEND

OUR MISSION

TO LEAD PEOPLE INTO A GROWING RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST

I LOVE MY CHURCH

This is the most exciting time in the history of our church! We are seeing so
many new people coming through our doors - and as a result, they are being
introduced to Jesus. For the last six years, we have been consistently growing at
an astounding rate. We know that you love your church - and we believe that
God is calling us to do whatever it takes to help others experience what you
have experienced. We are going to call this next season of our church’s life: I
LOVE MY CHURCH. God is already using GracePoint to reach a lot of people for
Christ, but we believe He is calling us to make an even greater impact on our
city, region, and world.

Whether you’re brand new to our movement or you’ve been with us all along, I
want to invite you to dive in to this amazing story God is writing in a new and
exciting way! We have a lot of exciting work ahead of us, and I want to invite you
to get involved at GracePoint on a deeper level! Let’s dream about what God will
do through us in this next chapter of our church. In the coming years, we’re
doing more than constructing a building – we’re building a movement, and our
plan is to continue to reinvent the way Church is done in the 21st century.

VISIT OUR CAMPAIGN WEBSITE

WWW.ILOVEGP.ME

H
 ISTORY OF 2013 ATTENDANCE GROWS TO AN
AVERAGE OF 791 PEOPLE
GRACEPOINT BETWEEN TWO SERVICES

2009 2011
2010
2012 2014

THE CHURCH IS LAUNCHED GROWTH DOUBLES 600 PEOPLE 2015
WITH 24 PEOPLE IN SIZE 323 PEOPLE ARE COMING
EVERY WEEK
EACH WEEK DUE TO THE
GROWTH OF
ATTENDANCE BOOMS TO THE CHURCH, 500 PEOPLE
156 PEOPLE EACH WEEK WE MOVE TO BAPTIZED
WASHINGTON IN 5 YEARS
TOWNSHIP
SCHOOL

THE CHALLENGE AVERAGE

Washington Township Elementary School has been an amazing place for us to meet on ATTENDANCE
Sunday mornings. But the reality is, we don't even "exist" to thousands of people in our
city because we don't have a permanent home-in other words, we aren't visible to the PER YEAR
public eye six days out of every week. Meeting in a school has helped us to get where we
are now--but how will we get where we are going? Right now, every Sunday, we are MORE SPACE. MORE PEOPLE. MORE LIVES CHANGED.
maxing out our space, which makes every new person feel less and less comfortable.
For the first time in our history, our numbers aren't climbing - and that's because we 791
have reached the maximum capacity for our temporary home. 752

EASTER ATTENDANCE 598
447
2009 - 33
2010 - 273 323
2011 - 530 156
2012 - 759
2013 - 891 24 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
2014 - 1,303
2015 - 1,391 2009

CHRISTMAS ATTENDANCE

2009 - 270
2010 - 659
2011 - 1,044
2012 - 1,379
2013 - 1,552
2014 - 1,869

THANK YOU

FOR CREATING A CHURCH THAT

UNCHURCHED PEOPLE

LOVE TO ATTEND

A VISION ISSUE NOT A SPACE ISSUE WE NEED EVERYONE

We do indeed have a space issue. We don’t have enough room for new GracePoint is our home. It belongs to the people who walk through the door for
people to come and hear about Jesus. However, at the core, this is not a the first time each week and to the people who are there from start to finish every
space issue. It’s a vision issue. week. People like you are our family - and in the face of great challenges, families
band together. Just as our original launch team took a crazy leap of faith of their
There are an average of 146,000 people in Porter County who don’t go to time and finances to help start the church, it’s now our time to take this
church anywhere. Our ultimate goal is not simply to increase our space for movement of God to the next level. Can you imagine what it will look like when
our growing church; it is to reach friends and neighbors for Christ! That is GracePoint is able to reach not hundreds, but thousands of people for Christ?
why we believe we must take GracePoint to the next level. This is why we And we are asking each of you to be a foundational part of making that happen,
must take this next leap of faith. By taking these next steps toward moving so that 10 years from now, multitudes of people in our city and beyond are able to
into a new space, we are going to be able to reach hundreds more people meet Jesus Christ because of your sacrifice.
for Christ, and potentially even thousands. Can you imagine the impact?
Wow! This is why we believe now is the time to pursue a building. WHAT CAN I DO?

It's easy to dream of what we could do with a new space. But we can't PRAY
accomplish our vision with dreams alone! Our time at Washington Township
is running out - and we need people like you to step in to make this vision a The most important thing that you can do is pray. Pray about how God wants to
reality. Our goal is to raise a total of $1,200,000 in commitments over the use you to be a part of this historic time in the life of our church.
next two years. This would enable us to take a huge leap into making this
dream a reality. READ

Take time to read through the rest of this brochure thoroughly and carefully. Use
the guide on the following pages to help you through the decision-making
process. Take advantage of this guide and the practical tips it offers.

GIVE

Through listening to God, others, and intentionally thinking it through, come to a
conclusion on how exactly you will make a financial impact on what God is doing
through the people of GracePoint.

CORE VALUE #14 NOT HAVING ACCESS TO

WE WILL LEAD THE WAY WITH IRRATIONAL GENEROSITY. CLEAN WATER
WE TRULY BELIEVE IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE.
IS THE REALITY OF
OVER 320 MILLION

POGREVAOECPRELPE$OII6NN,T0AR0FAR0IISCTEAOD.

HELP DIG WELLS.

OVER THE YEARS, WE’VE BEEN ABLE WHY
TO GIVE AWAY 24,000 LBS OF FOOD
WE HAVE TO DO THIS
TO LOCAL FAMILIES.

WHEN HURRICANE SANDY HIT IN 2012,
WE SENT $5,900 WORTH OF SUPPLIES
TO HELP PEOPLE IN THE AFTERMATH.

IN 2013, GRACEPOINT SUPPORTED A
UGANDAN VILLAGE WITH SOLAR LIGHTING

AND TEXTBOOKS FOR CHILDREN.

THIS SUMMER, WE HELPED OVER
400 FAMILIES AND 4 DIFFERENT SCHOOLS WITH
NECESSITIES. IN ADDITION, $2,000 WAS GIVEN TO

KEEP ASSISTING FAMILIES IN NEED.

...AND WE'RE NOT DONE YET.

THERE ARE 168,000 PEOPLE 87%

IN PORTER COUNTY AND OF FAMILIES AND
INCDUOINVMICDMHUUUANRLISCTHYINEADRO.EUR
146,000
THIS IS NOT OKAY. WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING.
PEOPLE DON’T GO TO
CHURCH ANYWHERE.

WHY IS IT CRITICAL 3 The 80% rule. When a church facility is 80% full, it feels 100% full.
THAT WE DO THIS? Data shows that when a church is approximately 80% full, the
potential for growth is minimal. It becomes a serious growth-
1 The first answer is people. One of the main reasons that we limiting factor. People stop inviting others to come because they’re
started the church was to reach people that are far from God. afraid there won’t be enough seats, or that the guest will feel
Because of this focus, we have grown very rapidly as church and uncomfortable. Our current situation will inevitably stop our
our effectiveness is maxed out at our current location. Our new growth.
facility will give us the opportunity to reach more people for Christ
and position us to establish a great legacy in this city and region. 4 We have no place to meet past Spring 2016. It is clear that the
door is closing at our current location. Washington Township
2 We are losing opportunities to reach people every week. We School has been gracious to let us stay this long. They have given
estimate that there are at least 500 more people who would be us a firm deadline of this coming Spring. We have exhaustively
coming and giving faithfully to GracePoint if we had a building that searched for other venues, but due to our size, there is nothing in
was adequate to the needs of their families. We regularly receive the area that will be able to accommodate this many people.
feedback from families who watch our messages online, attend our
Christmas services, yet have moved on to attend other churches 5 All of the money we are spending to be mobile could be going
solely because of the expanded family and programs that non- towards a building we own, rather than a place we rent. It
portable churches have the space to offer. We know that once we might be a surprise to you that being mobile is not cheap. It costs
have the space to adequately expand our programming, it will us over $300,000 each year. Although we make portability look easy
significantly alter both our resources and impact. and cheap, it has a lot of hidden costs and large risks to juggle. In
addition, the wear and tear of our current equipment is substantial
to maintain.

THIS IS THE PERFECT LOCATION A CURRENT STUDY OF

In 2012, we hired an independent consulting company to determine where HIGHWAY 30
we should build in the future - based on city expansion as well as growth
trends. The results found that finding a spot heading west on Highway CONCLUDED THAT
30 would put us in the best possible position for years to come. Our
initial search during the last three years found nothing fitting that criteria. AN AVERAGE OF
But, then God showed up. He was faithful, as He always is, and opened up
the ONE building that is available in the PERFECT spot that the 25,431 CARS
consultants told us to get. The location at 2590 W. Morthland is exactly in
the prime spot. PASS BY THIS

But the news gets better. The city of Valparaiso has approved a $22 Million BUILDING EVERY DAY

Dollar beautification project to enhance Highway 30. And guess where
the project begins? You guessed it. The exact intersection where our

building is. The city will add landscaping from Hayes Leonard Road to
Horseprairie Avenue beginning in the Spring of 2016, the exact time of our
grand opening. The entire stretch will have better signals, decorative lights
and ornate crosswalks, plus new directional and welcome signs. It
couldn’t be more perfect timing. God is good.

I NEVER THOUGHT

I WOULD FIND A CHURCH

WHERE I WOULD BE

ACCEPTED

UNTIL I CAME

TO GRACEPOINT

MORE CHAIRS

ALLOW MORE LIVES

TO BE CHANGED.

A chair on Sunday may not seem like much. Somewhere to
put your coat or purse.  A little more elbow room. Some extra
space. But an empty seat is much more than that. An empty

seat is a serious matter. Buying more chairs mean that
someone gets to hear how much God loves them.  It means
they get to hear that God wants a relationship with them.  It

means that someone has the opportunity to find hope.

WE ARE BUYING MORE CHAIRS
TO REACH MORE PEOPLE.

CHAIRS EQUAL PEOPLE AND
PEOPLE MATTER TO GOD.

WE WILL BE ABLE VISUALIZE THE IMPACT OF
THIS PROJECT…
TO REACH AT LEAST
• A campus that will meet today’s needs and be a legacy for our
1,800 PEOPLE IN PHASE ONE. children and grandchildren.

The general rule in church growth is this: Whatever • A welcoming environment where you will be excited to gather with
the number you reach on Christmas and Easter in friends throughout the week.
your old facility is what your attendance will grow to
in your new facility. This is how we estimate we’ll be • A church that reaches more teens, young adults, and families.

able to reach 1,800 more of your friends, • A captivating place for children to learn more about Jesus and
coworkers, and neighbors. introduce their friends to Him.

• A place where more people will be transformed as they experience
the hope of Christ and discover a new life in Him.

• A church that will prepare us for the future and God’s plans for
years to come.

WHAT

IT WILL BE LIKE

STYLE OF THE

MAIN ENTRY & LOBBY

WHAT THE BUILDING LOOKS LIKE NOW

*ACTUAL PICTURE INSIDE THE CURRENT BUILDING

SAMPLE LOOK UPON COMPLETION

A NEW AUDITORIUM A WELCOMING LOBBY

Our goal isn’t simply to build a bigger building. It’s reaching those who are Our heartbeat is reaching as many people as possible with a message of
far from God. That’s why we’re willing to do whatever it takes to make room hope. We focus everything we do on those who aren’t here yet so that when
for those we are trying to reach. Constructing our new auditorium will guests arrive, they have an engaging and exciting experience that keeps
increase our seating capacity from 330 to 530 per service. The added space them coming back for more. These new environments will add space and
also means we’ll need to invest in new technology that will enhance our functionality to our facilities, and they’ll increase the quality of our guests’
Sunday service experiences. Simply put, creating more space will allow experience. From the drive in to the first view as you walk through the doors,
more of your friends, coworkers, and family members to hear the life-giving these spaces will be incredibly functional, exciting, and helpful in our efforts
message of Jesus. to reach those far from God.

CHILDREN

ARE NOT

THE CHURCH OF

TOMORROW

THEY ARE THE

CHURCH

OF TODAY

DYNAMIC CHILDREN’S ENVIRONMENTS

WE WILL BE ABLE TO BETTER SERVE OUR KIDS IN A NEW SPACE. THE EQUIPMENT WE HAVE IS TORN AND WORN DOWN. WE CAN ONLY USE WHAT
FITS IN A CART. AT THE NEW FACILITY, WE WILL HAVE TOP-NOTCH FURNISHINGS AND EQUIPMENT TO BETTER SERVE YOUR CHILDREN.

BEFORE AND AFTER WE VALUE OUR KIDS ENOUGH TO GIVE THEM THE BEST ENVIRONMENT! WE WANT IT TO BE AN
IRRESISTIBLE ENVIRONMENT SO THAT KIDS BEG THEIR PARENTS TO BRING THEM BACK TO CHURCH!

DID YOU HOW
KNOW? WE CAN DO THIS

A NEW CHURCH BUILDING
THAT IS 20,000 SQ. FT. COSTS
AN AVERAGE OF $11,972,656.

YET WE ARE GOING TO BE ABLE
TO ACCOMPLISH THIS FOR
A FRACTION OF THE COST
- A TOTAL OF $4,200,000.

THE IMPACT OF YOUR GIVING OVER 2 YEARS

THE WHITE AREA EQUALS YOUR INCREASE IN WEEKLY GIVING

This is where we get real with you. Making this building a reality is going to take
more than what we have right now-but not more than what our church family is
capable of.

We are asking everyone to commit to an amount for this vision that is above and
beyond your normal gifts. The chart to the right shows how a small increase weekly
can add up to so much more during the course of your two year pledge. Giving up
your Starbucks two days a week can add up to over $1,000 towards a permanent
home for GracePoint - how amazing it THAT?

After prayerfully considering the amount you can give, your pledge will begin on
November 1st, 2015. These gifts can be given weekly, monthly, annually, or any way
that works best for you!

PER WEEK

TOTAL OVER 2 YEARS

$875,000BUILDING PURCHASE COST MINIMUM GIFTS NEEDED
REN$OV3A.T3IONM& ICLONLSTIORUNCTION
TO BEGIN PHASE ONE
TO BEGIN THE FIRST PHASE OF
NUMBER OF PEOPLE GIFT AMOUNT
CONS$TR3U0CT0IO,N0W0E0NEED
$T4OT.A2L PMROIJLECLTICOOSNT 1 $200,000
2 $50,000
5 $25,000
10 $10,000
12 $8,000
15 $6,000
25 $4,000
30 $1,000

COMMAND THEM

TO DO GOOD

TO BE RICH

IN GOOD WORKS

TO BE GENEROUS

AND READY TO SHARE

WITH OTHERS

1 TIMOTHY 6:18

SUGGESTED STEPS FOR 4 At your family meeting, read one or more of the following
DETERMINING YOUR Bible promises and instructions and make a list of what
GIVING DECISION: you learn:


1 Begin to talk it over with God. We want to all seek His will READ FROM THE BIBLEThe commitment card helps you set a goal. It helps you plan your
and direction during this important time in our church. Ask
God what number He would have you give. PROVERBS 3:9-10
MATTHEW 6:19-20
The commitment card helps you set a goal. It helps you plan your 1 CORINTHIANS 16:1-2
2 CORINTHIANS 9:6-12
2 gqGiuviavinregteyroilnyu, rawsnehnlauftaetlivlmye)r.eI.fwDaaolysonwoloetrtrskustshhebeycsohtuurrfcodhrepcylioasunionf(ow.reYtehokeuly',flul tmfuinroedntahnlyd, PROVERBS 11:24-25
rtehgaistttehrewlhoantgyeoru ypolaungtoenguivien.eItlyispnroatylefogralGlyobdin'sdilnegaadnindgif, ythoue need LUKE 6:38
tmo cohraenHgeeiwt yiolluaccatnuadollysoshbyowconytoauc.tinItgcoouurlfdolmloweaunp gdiirveinctgorms.ore 2 CORINTHIANS 8:1-12
than you think is possible because God opens a door for you
to do so!


3 If you’re married, begin to talk it over with your spouse.
AThfteercoemacmhitomfeynotucharadveheplprasyyeoduasbeot uatgitoaaln. dIt thaellkpesdytoouGpoladnayboouur t
Cirqgte,iuovgsaniinhrssgttaeiedrrrieelnywr,wahtwahnahkantaiutyntanoegluvuleytm)hpr.lebaIwfnehaariltygsoyhoowgeuliorevfrtenesk.uestIlmht lebiibsekcesenhtrouGitrffooclihdret’gsipayslnolalluoyentabf(tdoiwhnriendeteighnskegaylyom,fauuntemudt.oroeinfgtaiyhvnoleyud,.
need to change it you can do so by contacting our follow up
directors.

5 ASK YOURSELF 6 PRAY

REGARDING YOUR INITIAL GIFT “Father, this is a big step for us. We’re asking you to
strengthen our faith and help us grow spiritually
How much could we give by Nov. 1st if we all worked together? through giving. We thank you for all you have given us.

We know we wouldn’t have anything if it weren’t for
Is there anything we could sell or give up to support this vision? you. We want to be cheerful givers. We’re claiming the
promises you’ve said in your Word that you’ll take care
Do we have any tangible gift we could give? of our needs if we trust you. Thank you for this
opportunity to grow. Thank you for our church. Help us
REGARDING OUR 24 MONTH COMMITMENT: to reach our goal in the I LOVE MY CHURCH Campaign.
In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
Are there ways we could decrease our expenses in order to
make a larger commitment? 7 MAKE A FINAL DECISION.


Are there ways we could increase our income in order to Make a final decision on what you want to give over a
make a larger commitment? two-year period. This is in addition to your regular
giving to GracePoint. And remember, the idea isn’t to
The commitment card helps you set a goal. It helps you plan your figure out a mathematical formula, it’s about giving
giving in whatever way works best for you (weekly, monthly, quarterly, Jesus access to your heart and letting Him lead you in
financial decisions.

TWO APPROACHES IN DECIDING CREATIVE WAYS TO

WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO USE THE SECOND OF THESE TWO APPROACHES. IMPACT YOUR GIVING

NUMBER ONE Maybe you are excited to give to the new building, but you aren’t
quite sure how you could possibly give right now, or, perhaps you
BASED ON REASON: In this approach, we determine what is are looking for some creative ways to maximize your giving; here
reasonable to give based on what we have. Reason asks, “What can are several different ways you can make a huge impact.
I afford?” rather than “What does God want me to do?” Giving
based on this reason doesn’t require any faith on our part. THINGS I CAN DELAY

NUMBER TWO Wait on a remodeling project. Take one less vacation over the
next few years. Put off buying a new car.
BASED ON REVELATION: This approach requires reason as well,
but also requires us to ask in faith, “God, what do you want to do THINGS I CAN DONATE
through me? What is your will, God?”
Annual or quarterly bonus. Your raise for the coming year.
What your typical tax rebate is. Savings. Stock. Property.

WAYS I CAN DO MORE

Comparison shop. Consider doing my own cleaning, yard
work, or repairs. Sell my boat, motorcycle, ATV, etc. Pay off a
bill, then keep giving that money to the building campaign.

WITH GOD’S POWER

WORKING IN US

HE CAN DO MUCH

MUCH MORE

THAN ANYTHING

WE CAGNODA’SSWKOORRD IS ALIVE AND WORKING

THINK OF HEBREWS 4:12

EPHESIANS 3:20

HOW DO FAQ

I GIVE?
THE OFFERING BASKETS
Simply put your cash or checks in our envelopes. These are located
at our giving kiosk. Make sure to write “BUILDING” on it.

ONLINE

You can setup recurring giving through our building website at
ILOVEGP.ME



AUTOMATIC WITHDRAWAL

Perhaps the easiest way to give to the I LOVE MY CHURCH
campaign is by automatic withdrawal. Simply download our
PushPay app on your phone or go online to our website to set it up.
If you need help doing this, email [email protected]
contributions will then be automatically withdrawn from your
account at the frequency of your choosing.