This essential infrastructure renewal ensures our building can reliably serve God's mission in McPherson for decades to come. The new system will last 20+ years, reduce energy costs significantly, and free resources for ministry while demonstrating our commitment to creation care and faithful stewardship.
Every household in our congregation is invited to join this journey of gratitude, prayer, and faith. Every gift matters, every prayer counts, and every act of participation helps prepare our church home for the ministry God has planned.
Tomorrow First is our capital campaign to replace our church's 50+ year old heating and cooling system. By investing in tomorrow's ministry today, we're ensuring our building can reliably serve our congregation and community for decades to come.
Our system from the late 1960s is well beyond its 15-20 year design life. We currently face limited temperature control, week-long seasonal changeovers, obsolete controllers that randomly reset, and risk of catastrophic failure that could shut down our building for 4-6 months. Proactive replacement ensures uninterrupted ministry.
This comprehensive investment (±10% at current design phase) includes complete engineering, commercial-grade equipment with 20+ year life expectancy, modern multi-zone controls, structural modifications, professional installation, and third-party commissioning. This turnkey solution will serve us reliably for the next 20-30 years.
P1 Service was selected after thorough evaluation. They bring extensive church and institutional project experience, have service personnel in McPherson daily, and provided the most comprehensive proposal including all engineering, equipment, and installation.
Worship services will continue as scheduled. During system switchover, we'll be without climate control for approximately two weeks (including two Sundays), scheduled between seasons for comfort. Some areas may rotate temporary closures, with alternative spaces identified for affected programs.
Our financing combines existing funds (estate bequest and designated HVAC funds), Tomorrow First campaign commitments ($1.75 million goal), strategic use of investment funds, and potential construction financing. This approach allows us to complete the project while campaign pledges are fulfilled over three years.
Separate from the capital campaign, we're implementing a sustainable ministry funding approach through adjusted investment fund usage, growing congregational giving, and aligning expenses. This ensures stable ministry operations for years to come.
The Leadership Board requires 90% design completion before final decisions. The congregation will vote at our November 23 All Church Conference. This allows us to make an informed decision before the December 1 P1 contract deadline based on actual campaign commitments.
Three-year commitments allow larger gifts spread across four tax years (2025-2028), provide giving flexibility, and follow capital campaign best practices. Research shows this approach raises significantly more than single-year campaigns.
Yes! Consider tax advantages of giving appreciated stocks, real estate, or IRA charitable distributions (age 70½+). We've partnered with the Kansas Methodist Foundation to make stock transfers simple - learn more about donating stock here. For other non-cash gifts or to discuss options confidentially, contact Pastor Andrew or Sandy Hunter.
Our building hosts vital ministries weekly: worship services, food cupboard serving 13 families, STEPMC programs, youth activities, and community groups. Tomorrow First ensures these ministries continue uninterrupted while positioning us to expand our impact as a servant church experiencing and sharing God's grace.