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December 2003
To the
PARTNERS of the
“MOUNTAIN VIEW” Church of the Nazarene,
“In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and people
will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, “come, let us go up to
the mountain of the Lord, to the house of God of Jacob.”
Micah 4:1-2
THE FAITH
ADVENTURE
We have embarked
upon a great faith adventure with our God. I know how the Israelites must
have felt when leaving Egypt for the long trek to the Promised Land with
insufficient physical resources for the journey. The task is truly God’s
and He has demonstrated thus far that He is more than able to build a new
church building. Praise His Name! However, I did want to bring you an
update on what has been completed and what the next phase will entail.
November 1994-Our monthly morning worship averages were
exceeding the 100 mark (existing seating capacity 158). The church board and
I agreed we needed to investigate the possibilities of enlarging our
existing sanctuary and the purchasing of the properties west of the church.
The home that was for sale would be used for the teens and office complex.
Bill Schroltz, a licensed contractor was invited in to evaluate expansion
possibilities and the cost. It was determined that the increased seating
capacity would not be sufficient in light of our present growth.
It was shortly after this that our District
Superintendant Rev. Ron Kratzer planted the seed of building a new Church.
As a Church we began to pray for wisdom, leadership and finances. The Lord
blessed with all three. The attendance continued to grow and many of the
new attendees brought building skills and capabilities. The Lord continued
to expand our vision and faith during the next few years.
December 7, 1996 (D-Day)-It was at this time that God
gave me the idea of setting up a series of tours to different churches
throughout our region to gain ideas on the type of structure we would like
to build. It was open to anyone that had interest and would like to travel
to various Churches on the next few Saturdays. We visited four Nazarene
Churches, (Kimberly, Bethel, Canyon Hill and LaGrande) and The Brethren
Church in Nampa. Following each visit we would share our likes and dislikes
over lunch. These were great and exciting times as God began to build His
Church in our minds.
Sunday evenings for several months were used for
developing the plans. Small groups were formed. There were groups
representing each area of the church from the sanctuary to the bathrooms.
This allowed for everyone in the church to give input where their interest
and expertise existed. This also gave each individual ownership and aided
greatly in the raising of monies.
October 1, 1997- We wrote up a contract with Birdie
McDanald for the purchase of 8.8 acres. The purchase was contingent upon the
approval of the Canyon County P&Z and the Intermountain District Church of
the Nazarene.
May 7, 1998-The public hearing was held with the P&Z
and we received a conditional use permit.
September 24, 2000-We held a prayer and
sign raising service on our new
properties. The sign had a beautiful picture of our new church facility and
read “The Future Home of the Homedale Church of the Nazarene”. There was a
bon-fire and hot dog roast following the service. It was a great time in
the Lord for everyone who attended. (You can view the
pictures still on our web site)
May 31, 2001 we received approval from the
Intermountain District property board to build the future church building
according to the plans and cost submitted.
June 2001- We began to shape the property.
January 2, 2002- The foundation for our new Church was
poured. It was a major step in realizing the dream God laid on our hearts.
It was really happening. Many of us had to pinch ourselves.
February 16, 2003- With much prayer and perseverance we
held our first service in our new 18,600 square foot building. The service
was exciting!!! We had 354 in attendance on our first service. We had the
Day Break Trio here to help us celebrate God’s blessing to us. I preached
out of Joshua 3: 14-4:1-7. The title of my sermon was “Get Your Feet Wet”.
This type of active- faith was required of the priest of the Old Testament
prior to God parting the waters of the Jordon. This “active –faith” is the
method that God called us to use in building our new Church facility. God is
Faithful!!!. Our last Sunday in the previous church building was February
9, 2003. We sold our previous building on February 19, 2003, just three
days after our first Sunday in the new building. God’s timing is perfect!!!
The remaining areas that need to be completed are as
follows:
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The paving of
the parking lot.
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Media
Technology in the Sanctuary.
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Completion of
the Kitchens in the fellowship hall and the teen center.
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Parking lot
lighting.
Let us continue to stand firm in this “Faith Journey”
with God. Keeping in mind:
“If God be for us who can be against us.”
God also states, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the
proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Galatians 6:9
I want to personally thank all those who have given their time,
talents and resources towards the building program. I believe your kingdom
investment will produce blessing for generations to come.
If you have not had an opportunity to become involved in this “Faith
Journey,” it is a great time to begin. Please invest in the building of the
Kingdom of God by using your time, talents and resources. Thanks!
God’s Servant at this point in time,
in the history of the Homedale Mt. View Church of the Nazarene,
Pastor Chuck Ryan
Contact the church office at
337-3151. Or use the online form here.
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