The Building Belonging Campaign

Building Belonging: Nativity’s 3-Year Capital Campaign

No matter where someone is on their spiritual journey, our warm welcome and heartfelt care embrace all who enter Nativity. You have built a community that loves courageously within and beyond our church walls, extending God’s love through exceptional hospitality. People grow spiritually when they experience the transforming love of God in community, and your unwavering commitment makes this possible every day.

In 2023, Nativity showed growth in every area: worship participation, giving, service, education, and outreach. Every week, new visitors of all ages, including families with young children, experience God’s love as they walk through the church doors. In May of 2024, thirty individuals from several households felt your welcoming love and became members. Their ages ranged from 2 to 91 years old! Nativity’s welcome inspires people of all ages. As a community, we continue to foster belonging through exceptional hospitality and loving inclusion of all our members and guests.

Responding to Our Community’s Needs

As Nativity grows, the needs of our community are evolving. The limitations of our facilities compromise the full experience of belonging we hope to build together. As a community, we’re called to care for our church, acting as good stewards of the building we share and creating an accommodating space for all who enter Nativity.

After 67 years, our building needs critical repairs and essential upgrades. Because we want Nativity to continue as a beacon of hope and belonging for future generations, we need to make a significant investment in our facilities.

We answer our community’s needs with a plan that will enhance our hospitality facilities, improve the accessibility of our physical space, maintain our building’s structural integrity, and comply with updated state regulations.

We will host after-worship forums on November 9th and 10th to answer questions and hear your feedback about our capital appeal and 2025 ministry priorities. Over the next couple of weeks, you will hear more about the appeal priorities. Your involvement matters. We invite you to learn more about the campaign below and to make your best gift to do our best work together.

Plan for Giving Forms:

Plan for Giving: 2025 Ministry (Annual Giving) Online Form
Plan for Giving: 3-Year Building Belonging Campaign Online Form

Building Belonging Campaign Priorities

Accessibility

Accessible Seating
As many of our seniors and others have accessibility challenges, our sanctuary seating needs to be reconfigured to create space for more wheelchairs and walkers.
Elevator Updates
By state law, the controller on our elevator must be replaced in the next few years.
Worship Technology Upgrades
Lighting and sound improvements in the sanctuary would make it easier for some to more fully participate in worship

Hospitality

Flexible Family Spaces
To be more welcoming of families with young children, a reconfiguration of the sanctuary can also provide more flexible space for active children.
Heating and Cooling
Major HVAC systems need a full replacement. After 40 years of maintenance, repairs have become increasingly costly.
Upstairs Kitchen Improvements
A remodel of our heavily used upstairs kitchen could enhance our fellowship experience and improve the use of the space for volunteers providing hospitality.

Sustainability

Roof Replacement
A roof replacement is essential for our building’s integrity. Having buckets in the Commons to catch leaks doesn’t convey a warm welcome. The roof replacement is a prudent time to enhance our building’s environmental sustainability by adding solar panels to reduce Nativity’s energy costs.

Security

Safety Investments
Outdoor lighting and a more secure envelope are needed, particularly for the onsite
childcare, Nativity Child & Family Center.

The Call to Care for Our Church

The Building Belonging Campaign is Nativity’s way of responding to the needs of our community | $2 Million Goal

The cost to address these collective concerns is estimated at nearly $2M. The most costly are the flat roof replacement ($400,000-$700,000), elevator repairs ($135,000-$150,000), heating and cooling upgrades ($200,000-$390,000), and solar panel additions ($120,000-$240,000). Security features, sanctuary windows, accessible seating, sound, lighting, video, and upgrades to the upstairs kitchen are expected to cost between $500,000-$650,000.

Caring for Our Church, Caring for Our Greater Community

Given Nativity’s tradition of donating a portion of campaign funds, up to 10% will support our commitment to children, youth, and families in need. The organization(s) selected will align with our mission and values, and the amount disbursed will be based on the needs identified.

Ensuring Nativity’s Future Together

Together we can enhance our hospitality, improve accessibility, provide a safer environment, and maintain our building’s structural integrity. We have been blessed. We want to be a blessing far into the future. Together, let’s prayerfully reflect on the love that we’ve experienced here and the love that we can give to others far into the future to create a sense of belonging for all people.

Next Steps…

We invite you to prayerfully consider the following:

A one-year commitment to Nativity’s 2025 ministry general operating expenses;
A three-year commitment to the Building Belonging campaign (above and beyond your regular giving to the 2025 ministry).

Resources for Making Your Best Gift:

We’re grateful for your financial support of Nativity Church. Nativity provides several ways for you to give. All donations and offerings made to Nativity Church are tax-deductible as allowed by law. If you have questions related to your giving, please reach out to Beth Schuman: Beth@NativityChurch.org or 612-781-2766 ext. 1006.