Many Churches of Mexico

Dear Friends and co-laborers for Christ,

We wanted to write to each of you and give you some information regarding the latest update on acquiring property for Family of God Christian Fellowship in Rocky Point.

We recently made an offer on a parcel of property in the southeast part of Puerto Peñasco.  Actually, this property is very close to our current location.  It is located just north of where the Railroad tracks cross the main artery on the east side of town which is called Josefa de Dominguez Ave (commonly referred to simply as ‘Josefa’).  The parcel consists of 14 lots – a full city block – with an abandoned building and paved parking area situated on the most eastern four lots.  The building was originally constructed to be an Ice plant and then more recently housed a concrete block plant.  The property has not been used for the past several years.

Please read the following description of the property as well as the vision which our leadership team feels God would want us to use such a property.  Such an undertaking will only be worthwhile if God is glorified and His name is declared boldly with the use of such a facility.

The main building consists of :

• One large room (approximately 30’ x 65’) which we believe would be ideal for an auditorium/sanctuary/all purpose room.  Not only do we believe this would allow us to have ample and more conducive space for our Sunday Worship Services, we also believe this is a space which could be utilized to host meetings for Vida Joven (known as Young Life in the States) and other outreach rallies of sorts.   This meeting space is ground level and is accessed by a large entry doorway to be more easily accessed by people of all ages with any possible disabilities (this has been an issue with our current second story location).
• Additionally, there is another large room of similar dimensions that we believe could be divided up into classroom space for Sunday School and other weekly Bible Studies as well as space for a computer lab for which we already have received 25 computers) and classroom space for a potential Seminary and other Pastoral Training for local Pastors as well as vocational and language classes for local nationals.
• The front of the building has two additional large rooms:

o   One which seems ideal for office and counseling space, and

o   One which we dream could possibly be transformed into a kitchen.

• There is a large patio space outside this latter room where we can envision having an area for Church gatherings but also where many needy people could be served by an ongoing Soup Kitchen of sorts.

The lots where the building is located has a surface parking lot in place – concrete and in very good condition – with light posts.

On the other end of the parcel of property, there are some unfinished structures which in time could be transformed into buildings which we believe could be used to house:

• A permanent Medical Clinic to be used to store our medical team’s supplies and medicines and house the monthly clinics which we currently hold in different locations around the city.
• A Community Thrift Store where clothing, housewares, etc. could be obtained by vouchers/gift certificates.  These vouchers/gift certificates would be earned by volunteering to assist in community programs, Mission programs, Church projects, etc.  The idea behind such is to build up the self-worth of individuals in our community.  We believe that simply giving items can and has produced a sense of worthlessness to many in this community.  We want to come alongside people – meet them where they are in their situation – and encourage and help them to know and understand their value in the eyes of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
• An additional Food Bank to compliment the current existing one which we sponsor along with our sister Church, Unidad Familiar.
• Also, a city park exists across Josefa from the Building where we envision Children’s programs – both after school and on Saturdays.  Hopefully, an additional Saturday Mission site will be planted here as well with dreams of bringing nationals in our neighborhood who are not attending any local Christian Church to become a part of our local body.

At this time, as many of you know, many men and women and families are being deported from the United States.  Many more are voluntarily moving back to Mexico from the United States.  Even in this depressing economic era, we are finding that our city is growing in numbers.  The need is great as few jobs are available in contrast to the growing population.  Additionally, many of those deported are trying to get home to a destination that lies further south from us.  One of our dreams for a suitable facility would also be to have a temporary refuge of some sort.  Please read a brief synopsis of one our Elder’s vision for such a ministry:

“The economic situation in the Arizona is producing a repatriation of Mexicans. Many of these people are crossing the borders without money or food and attempting to walk or ride the “rails” south into central Mexico. There is a steady flow of these men going through Puerto Peñasco already. Family of God Church will be located alongside these “rails” that they will be riding. We could place a sign on our site announcing FOG Church as a “Safe Refuge” for these weary travelers. In many ways these people are refugees even though they are returning to their native country. We could give them a warm meal or two, some fresh clothing,  a Bible to read along the way, some encouragement & advice if possible, and then send them back on the road home.”

Our Mission here at Family of God is to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.  We state in our Mission Statement that we believe this is possible by:

• Growing in our Knowledge of Him,
• Expressing our Love for Him,
• Sharing Him with others, and
• Serving Him by serving others.

Everything that we do as a Church will always be centered around this Mission Statement.  We only want to have a building with facilities which will help us be more productive in accomplishing this mission. Will you first and foremost pray for this end?  We do not want to progress one step forward if this is not God’s will for us as a body of believers.

I know this email is long and for that we apologize but let us give you some of the pertinent details.  As mentioned at the onset of this email, we stated that we had recently made an offer for this property.

After many counter offers, we eventually arrived with a letter of intent being accepted by the seller whereby we offered a sales price of $300,000.00. Our Real Estate Agent, John Witt, has donated his 5% sales commission to be credited towards the Sales Price bringing the price to $285,000.00 with terms as follows:

• $60,000 Down Payment
• 25 year amortization at 6.5% with 5 Year Balloon Payment with no pre-payment penalty
• Additional $40K down payment after 2 years at which time monthly payment would be adjusted accordingly.

The seller also mentioned that he would accept a cash price of $260,000 which would translate to a sales price of $247,000 after applying the John Witt’s sales commission.

Our letter of intent was delivered with an earnest deposit of $5000.00 (which becomes non-refundable in a few weeks) with the remainder of the down payment due at closing, which if we proceed, would be on December 24 of this year.  We are in the midst of a ‘due diligence’ period for inspection and time to determine all liens or issues with this property. This time frame also gives us time to seek your prayers and your comments and thoughts as you pray for this step in the life of our Church.  Also, this time allows for us to continue raising funds for the Building fund.  We have approximately $75,000 currently raised which we believe would also be the amount needed for renovation with volunteer labor included from local organizations and our Church attendees as well as visiting Mission and Church Groups from the U.S. (who have already volunteered their services).  However, our current funds would be required if we proceed for the down payment as well which would leave us with no funds for renovation if we were to proceed right now.

We do not wish to be and will not be a Church that is consumed with finances. Our Pastor and our leadership feel confident that we exist only to glorify our glorious God and Savior and be faithful to fulfill our role in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19, 20) by making disciples as we baptize and teach and preach His Word.  Yes, we need facilities of some sort to accomplish this as a Church - but not if that facility consumes our time and resources to simply exist. However, we also believe that we serve a Mighty God who “owns the cattle on a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10).  He has all the resources and we also know that He has given many of His children the spiritual gift of giving just as he has given others the gift of mercy as well as those who have the gift of teaching or that of Pastor or evangelist (c.f. Romans 12).  He will provide if this is His plan.

Would you please pray for God’s wisdom for us as a Church and for us to know if we are to move forward with this endeavor?  Would you please also pray what part God would you have you play in raising the funds needed?

We will pray for God to give us the full cash price in funds by the necessary time frame.  We have applied for a grant from a Church Foundation in Phoenix but as of yet do not know if and/or when we might hear something.  Perhaps you know of other resources for such grants or gifts. We do not want our monthly needs to limit our current ministry and also realize that a larger facility will also bring more expenses.  Therefore we believe that we need to either raise the entire purchase price or receive pledges for the next 5 years to meet the purchase price with terms.  We believe this amount needs to be given in addition to any amount that you or others might be currently giving to our regular budget.

We have attached a pledge sheet for your use should you feel led by God to participate in this effort.  Some of you are already faithfully giving on a monthly basis to our Building Fund.  We ask you as well to complete the pledge sheet with your current commitment or a new commitment so that we as a Building Committee will be able to ascertain what we feel we can legitimately plan on receiving for this proposed project.

Again, we apologize for such a lengthy email but we feel this is of the utmost importance and want to make sure that we are completely in the will of God in further pursuing the purchase of this property.

We are grateful for your faithful and fervent prayers for Family of God Christian Fellowship.   We feel blessed to serve alongside you as we seek to bring Jesus to our little city of Puerto Peñasco.

For His Glory,

Building Committee, Family of God Christian Fellowship

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