“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” - Matthew 17:20 (NIV) 

Highland Crest Baptist Church has a rich history of sacrificial giving. In 1956, HCBC started in the home of Bob Phillips, who was one of ten original church members. By August of 1956, the church body consisted of eleven members, four of whom were wage earners.  The church purchased 8.25 acres of farmland (our current property) with funds from a loan obtained by using the church members’ homes as collateral.

In March, 1962, the church took out a mortgage of $39,000 ($415,000 today) to finish the original building (now known as the Children’s Wing/Old Sanctuary). The loan was paid off six years later in March, 1968.

In May, 1973, the church took out a new mortgage of $81,400 ($590,000 today) to build the classrooms on the building’s west wing. The loan was fully paid off in August, 1982.

In June 1973, another short-term mortgage of $38,000 ($275,000 today) was taken out at 15% to pay off architectural fees which was paid off shortly afterwards.

By 1981, HCBC had grown so much that it had to hold two services each Sunday to accommodate the church body. In 1989/1990, HCBC sold 2 acres of land to Commercial Horizons to fund the building of the current sanctuary. Another 2 acres of land was set aside as an easement for mutual parking. Each call for sacrificial giving in our church’s history has been met with enthusiasm and has given our members the opportunity to participate in the blessing of giving as they contributed their gifts of time and money.

Our fundraising team has been assigned the responsibility of securing resources to support the Ministry Expansion Project. HCBC is in the midst of 120 days to decide either to proceed with the sale of the current property, relocating to a new property and constructing a building there, or to reject the sale. Our goal with this new building is simple: for God to be glorified and for His Kingdom to grow.

THIS NEW PROPERTY WILL ALLOW:

• Our Youth to have their own place where they can grow in their faith without being restricted by space
  • Where they can experience Christian fellowship with their peers
  • Where they can invite their non-Christian friends to Wednesday night/Sunday morning programs and witness to them.
• New church plants begin.
  • maybe a non-English speaking church can grow and flourish in the community and eventually move into their own space.
  • Or our own church plant until they have their own location.
• For us to serve others with food for weddings/funerals/graduation parties.
• For us to explore hosting Christian homeschool activities such as basketball games/practice - a place for these kids to call home and “their gym”.
• For us to provide a place for the community to meet
  • local business meetings
  • basketball practice

Our service to the community will be our witness to the community.

Our aim is for our giving to be a source of blessing to the giver and to the church as a whole, building a legacy now and for future generations—much like how we have all benefited from the generosity of those who funded the construction of our current sanctuary in the early 1990s.
Each of us has the exciting opportunity to say YES to God’s call.  Ask the Lord to reveal to you how He would have you give.  Then step out in obedient faith and watch Him work.

All of these things are not for our benefit, but for God’s glory. This building is just a vessel. God does not need it to be glorified, but we can certainly use it to glorify Him and further His Kingdom.

All of these things are not for our benefit, but for God’s glory. This building is just a vessel. God does not need it to be glorified, but we can certainly use it to glorify Him and further His Kingdom.

With all of this said, through lots of prayer we feel God is leading us to this new property/building, but we still need to keep praying.  We do not know the exact amount we will need to fund at this time, but we know that God is faithful as long as we follow Him.  As Jesus says in Matthew:



As such, we feel it is appropriate to call this fundraising effort “Project Mustard Seed.”  The dollar amount needed for this project might seem daunting, but it’s nothing God can’t handle. Like the tiny mustard seed that can grow into a giant tree, our individual resources, when placed into the Lord’s hands, can grow to accomplish His work. This is an opportunity for spiritual growth; a chance to prove God’s faithfulness. “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” - Malachi 3:10 (NIV)

We are asking you to pray about what God might have you give. Wouldn’t it be something special if at the end of these 120 days, our pledges match the final fundraising number? That is something only God can do.  Our job is to continue to seek God’s will and obey Him.

On the back of the pledge card, the example of the tiered monthly giving starts at $100.  Our goal is to have you give whatever God is instructing you to give, even if that means $0.
 
If everyone walks in faith and follows God, it will be very clear what we are supposed to do with this building.