RECOMMITMENT WEEKEND RECAP
MARCH 16/17
Weekend Teaching
Project Update
BTL Testimony
One year ago, we launched Built to Last, an exciting four-year, $10 million generosity journey with two, two-year phases, each with a $5 million goal.
This God-sized goal is for our entire church family, and we have asked for 100% participation.
We invited everyone who calls BVG home to:
BE PRAYERFUL. Pray that God would supply the resources to bring this God-sized goal to fruition, and pray about how God might have you participate.
BE PRESENT. Attend weekend gatherings to learn more about Built to Last.
BE GENEROUS. Every gift matters. Be willing to contribute financial resources, as God leads you.
On March 16-17, Recommitment Weekend, we brought our completed commitments cards and either recommitted or committed for the first time to Built to Last.
DOWNLOADABLE PACKET CONTENTS
Built to Last packets were made available during our Built to Last weekend series, but you can also download digital versions of the most recent packet’s contents here!
MID-POINT CELEBRATION
RECAP
Content from the Weekend of March 2/3, 2024
Weekend Teaching
Project Update
BTL Testimony
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Built to Last is a multi-year generosity initiative which will replace aged portable buildings on the Modesto Campus with 18,000 sq. ft. of new ministry space and fund global missions projects! Our desire is to influence kids and students for the sake of the gospel, to provide a place where they can hear truth and discover hope unknown by our modern culture, and to equip them to accomplish the vision of our church!
MEDIA
Check back here for all media throughout the series!
2023 BTL TEACHING SERIES
BUILT TO LAST MEDIA
UPDATES
APPLYING FINANCIAL PRINCIPLES
TESTIMONIES & OTHER MEDIA
CHURCH & PROJECT HISTORY
1964-1968: Greenwood Grace Brethren Church purchased five acres and constructed a worship building at 605 Stanford Avenue
1974: A school was launched, beginning with a preschool. Grades 1-8 were added over the next ten years, providing the ministry of Christ-centered education
1977: Church name was changed to Big Valley Grace Community Church, casting the vision to reach out entire Central Valley
1985-1988: BVGCC became nondenominational; Purchased 20 acres and constructed the Worship Center at 4040 Tully Road
1989-1992: Completed East and West educational buildings and Youth Activity Center (now, The Venue)
1995-1998: West Wing educational building and church mortgage paid off; Remodeled Worship Center; Acquired 38.4 acres adjacent to our property, mostly through a generous gift!
1999: First time over half-million dollars committed to missions–$575,000 budget
2002: ARC sprung structure installed
2004: Big Valley Christian High School & Junior High buildings constructed
2006: Good Sam, Branch Library, & Facilities buildings constructed
2008: Miracle Weekend! $1.5 million was committed by the congregation, enabling our purchase of the LifeWind building, debt free!
2008-2009: Ohana Island Children’s wing remodeled
2015: BVGCC launched a 3-phase campaign to replace 17,000 sq. ft. of portable buildings with a new ministry space for children and students
2017-2020: Phase 1 completed; Ceres Campus launched; Online Campus launched; building campaign paused
2021: BVCS mortgage paid off; Big Valley Grace Community Church and BVCS are debt free!
In 2008 we began the process of creating excellent ministry space for children and youth on the Big Valley Grace Modesto campus, with the purchase of the LifeWind building for $1.5 million. That purchase allowed us to relocate our church offices and repurpose prime areas within the Worship Center building. We were then able to remodel the northern and southern portions of the Worship Center building into inviting and well-equipped environments for children aged from birth through preschool.
In 2016 we continued in our commitment to provide the best possible facilities for children and youth with the site developments necessary for expansion on the Modesto campus. This included expensive CFD fees to the City of Modesto, underground utilities infrastructure to support future development, a roadway to connect the entire campus, and underground site work in preparation for the future building. As a church family, we have already invested over $5 million since 2016, to develop the existing property and supply for the need of an excellent ministry space for kids, students and our entire church family.
The aged portable buildings on the Modesto campus need to be replaced with a permanent building solution. We have been able to steward the existing portables for almost double the time of their use expectancy, but the cost to maintain and repair them is increasing. We have chosen not to replace the current portables with new units, as the structures do not appropriately support the facility needs to accomplish our ministry plan for kids and students.
GIVING PRINCIPLES
Generosity initiatives like Built to Last rely on God’s people making gifts which expand and accelerate their current level of giving. The best path to increased giving is the spiritual path, where we set our hearts on things above. Financial priorities then take shape from spiritual priorities.
One way of defining this is “Lifestyle Stewardship.” The challenge of Lifestyle Stewardship is to find ways, boldly and prayerfully, to let our giving touch our living.
King David declared, “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” (2 Samuel 24:24, NIV). David understood that the gift which would touch the heart of God must first touch the heart of the giver. Lifestyle Stewardship means that if it is for my God, my gift must have value and meaning to me.
Often, Lifestyle Stewardship means giving up something in one area so that we can give more of ourselves in another. Three keys to this are:
• Reassess lifestyle
• Rearrange priorities
• Reallocate resources
Many believers have been amazed at their ability to give more generously to their church than they ever imagined. The following steps may help you do this.
Many people will choose to rearrange their priorities and give up something in their current budget in order to give more to a campaign. Priority budgeting may mean postponing a planned expenditure such as a new car, vacation, home remodel, or other major purchase.
Often people have significant short-term expenditures for special needs (college, tuition, loan payments, etc.). Consider directing those resources generously after the short-term need is resolved.
Some people receive periodic increases in salary or bonuses from their employers. Instead of increasing lifestyle expenses, consider committing to including those salary increases in your giving.
Consider whether God is calling you to give from your designated savings, instead of purchasing a new house addition, a new car, or an expensive vacation.
Often, people pray for God to show them a way they can give beyond what they can presently see or afford. Sometimes the answers come unexpectedly.
Some family members have extra time they would be willing to use in a part-time job to be able to give more to the church. This is particularly true for families whose children are grown and away from home and for semi-retired or retired couples.
Many people own stocks that are worth significantly more than the original purchase price. That is good news. The bad news is that if these stocks are sold, a significant portion of the gain will be lost to taxation. Gifts of appreciated assets (often investment securities or real estate) can be very advantageous to both the giver and the church. By transferring ownership of the asset to the church, the donor avoids capital gains taxes on the sale of the asset. In addition, the donor receives an income tax charitable deduction for the full market value of the asset. That, in effect, makes these gifts less costly to make.
Giving does not have to be in equal increments over the two-year period of the campaign. Many people are able to give more in the second year than in the first. When thinking about a financial commitment to the campaign, think not just of your potential to give right now, but also of your potential to give in the future. It might be that you can make a two-year commitment in which 35-40% is given in the first year, and 60-65% is given in the second year.
Thank you for your prayerful consideration of what the Lord is calling you to as a partner in this initiative. No matter how you choose to give, we are excited to see how the Lord will use it in the life of Big Valley Grace, the Central Valley, and the story of His redemption of the world.
FAQS
Our current portable buildings are failing and in need of constant repair. They are also not built to serve the type of ministry we lead with kids and student ministry. This is why we are not choosing to replace the existing portables buildings with new portable buildings.
Also, the permanent buildings that already exist on our campus are used constantly. To eliminate the current ministry from any existing facility on our Modesto campus would be damaging and counterproductive to accomplishing the vision for our church family. Once the new building is complete, more options will exist for other ministry to take place in the times and locations currently reserved for BVG Kids and Student Ministries.
In 2008 we began the process of creating excellent ministry space for children and students on the Big Valley Grace Modesto campus. In 2020 we paused this effort, due to the uncertain impact of the events in our world. We are now reengaging this process to complete the 18,000 square foot building in preparation for the near future need of a completed ministry facility, as we observe our church family continuing to grow again.
We are projecting an increase every year in total cost for this project, due to the rising costs of construction. We observe now as a window of opportunity to match the current projected building costs of this ministry space with the readiness of our church family to engage in sacrificial generosity over and above our regular giving to the Gospel Ministry Budget for the next four years.
We will not start the process of construction on the building until there is a reasonable level of certainty from our guiding professionals that we will successfully raise the funds needed to complete the building project.
No. Our church became debt-free in 2022, and our leadership has made a commitment to remain debt-free during this season.
Yes. Inflation has impacted every family in our church, and that includes the families that provide leadership to this initiative. We are aware of the difficulties presented to family budgets during this season of high inflation.
We believe that if God truly wants us to complete the construction of this building, He will provide through the total participation of our church family, even in a season of high inflation, and the glory will belong to God alone.
Yes. If the Venue were turned back into a full-time Youth Activity Center, it would displace a significant amount of ministry that currently takes place in that facility each day of the week, and it would not provide the dedicated ministry space that is needed for each age group in BVG Kids and Student Ministries.
If you have questions that haven’t been answered in the FAQ section, please complete the Contact Us form below so we can follow up with you.
CHURCH & PROJECT HISTORY
1964-1968: Greenwood Grace Brethren Church purchased five acres and constructed a worship building at 605 Stanford Avenue
1974: A school was launched, beginning with a preschool. Grades 1-8 were added over the next ten years, providing the ministry of Christ-centered education
1977: Church name was changed to Big Valley Grace Community Church, casting the vision to reach out entire Central Valley
1985-1988: BVGCC became nondenominational; Purchased 20 acres and constructed the Worship Center at 4040 Tully Road
1989-1992: Completed East and West educational buildings and Youth Activity Center (now, The Venue)
1995-1998: West Wing educational building and church mortgage paid off; Remodeled Worship Center; Acquired 38.4 acres adjacent to our property, mostly through a generous gift!
1999: First time over half-million dollars committed to missions–$575,000 budget
2002: ARC sprung structure installed
2004: Big Valley Christian High School & Junior High buildings constructed
2006: Good Sam, Branch Library, & Facilities buildings constructed
2008: Miracle Weekend! $1.5 million was committed by the congregation, enabling our purchase of the LifeWind building, debt free!
2008-2009: Ohana Island Children’s wing remodeled
2015: BVGCC launched a 3-phase campaign to replace 17,000 sq. ft. of portable buildings with a new ministry space for children and students
2017-2020: Phase 1 completed; Ceres Campus launched; Online Campus launched; building campaign paused
2021: BVCS mortgage paid off; Big Valley Grace Community Church and BVCS are debt free!
In 2008 we began the process of creating excellent ministry space for children and youth on the Big Valley Grace Modesto campus, with the purchase of the LifeWind building for $1.5 million. That purchase allowed us to relocate our church offices and repurpose prime areas within the Worship Center building. We were then able to remodel the northern and southern portions of the Worship Center building into inviting and well-equipped environments for children aged from birth through preschool.
In 2016 we continued in our commitment to provide the best possible facilities for children and youth with the site developments necessary for expansion on the Modesto campus. This included expensive CFD fees to the City of Modesto, underground utilities infrastructure to support future development, a roadway to connect the entire campus, and underground site work in preparation for the future building. As a church family, we have already invested over $5 million since 2016, to develop the existing property and supply for the need of an excellent ministry space for kids, students and our entire church family.
The aged portable buildings on the Modesto campus need to be replaced with a permanent building solution. We have been able to steward the existing portables for almost double the time of their use expectancy, but the cost to maintain and repair them is increasing. We have chosen not to replace the current portables with new units, as the structures do not appropriately support the facility needs to accomplish our ministry plan for kids and students.
GIVING PRINCIPLES
Generosity initiatives like Built to Last rely on God’s people making gifts which expand and accelerate their current level of giving. The best path to increased giving is the spiritual path, where we set our hearts on things above. Financial priorities then take shape from spiritual priorities.
One way of defining this is “Lifestyle Stewardship.” The challenge of Lifestyle Stewardship is to find ways, boldly and prayerfully, to let our giving touch our living.
King David declared, “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” (2 Samuel 24:24, NIV). David understood that the gift which would touch the heart of God must first touch the heart of the giver. Lifestyle Stewardship means that if it is for my God, my gift must have value and meaning to me.
Often, Lifestyle Stewardship means giving up something in one area so that we can give more of ourselves in another. Three keys to this are:
• Reassess lifestyle
• Rearrange priorities
• Reallocate resources
Many believers have been amazed at their ability to give more generously to their church than they ever imagined. The following steps may help you do this.
Many people will choose to rearrange their priorities and give up something in their current budget in order to give more to a campaign. Priority budgeting may mean postponing a planned expenditure such as a new car, vacation, home remodel, or other major purchase.
Often people have significant short-term expenditures for special needs (college, tuition, loan payments, etc.). Consider directing those resources generously after the short-term need is resolved.
Some people receive periodic increases in salary or bonuses from their employers. Instead of increasing lifestyle expenses, consider committing to including those salary increases in your giving.
Consider whether God is calling you to give from your designated savings, instead of purchasing a new house addition, a new car, or an expensive vacation.
Often, people pray for God to show them a way they can give beyond what they can presently see or afford. Sometimes the answers come unexpectedly.
Some family members have extra time they would be willing to use in a part-time job to be able to give more to the church. This is particularly true for families whose children are grown and away from home and for semi-retired or retired couples.
Many people own stocks that are worth significantly more than the original purchase price. That is good news. The bad news is that if these stocks are sold, a significant portion of the gain will be lost to taxation. Gifts of appreciated assets (often investment securities or real estate) can be very advantageous to both the giver and the church. By transferring ownership of the asset to the church, the donor avoids capital gains taxes on the sale of the asset. In addition, the donor receives an income tax charitable deduction for the full market value of the asset. That, in effect, makes these gifts less costly to make.
Giving does not have to be in equal increments over the two-year period of the campaign. Many people are able to give more in the second year than in the first. When thinking about a financial commitment to the campaign, think not just of your potential to give right now, but also of your potential to give in the future. It might be that you can make a two-year commitment in which 35-40% is given in the first year, and 60-65% is given in the second year.
Thank you for your prayerful consideration of what the Lord is calling you to as a partner in this initiative. No matter how you choose to give, we are excited to see how the Lord will use it in the life of Big Valley Grace, the Central Valley, and the story of His redemption of the world.
FAQS
Our current portable buildings are failing and in need of constant repair. They are also not built to serve the type of ministry we lead with kids and student ministry. This is why we are not choosing to replace the existing portables buildings with new portable buildings.
Also, the permanent buildings that already exist on our campus are used constantly. To eliminate the current ministry from any existing facility on our Modesto campus would be damaging and counterproductive to accomplishing the vision for our church family. Once the new building is complete, more options will exist for other ministry to take place in the times and locations currently reserved for BVG Kids and Student Ministries.
In 2008 we began the process of creating excellent ministry space for children and students on the Big Valley Grace Modesto campus. In 2020 we paused this effort, due to the uncertain impact of the events in our world. We are now reengaging this process to complete the 18,000 square foot building in preparation for the near future need of a completed ministry facility, as we observe our church family continuing to grow again.
We are projecting an increase every year in total cost for this project, due to the rising costs of construction. We observe now as a window of opportunity to match the current projected building costs of this ministry space with the readiness of our church family to engage in sacrificial generosity over and above our regular giving to the Gospel Ministry Budget for the next four years.
We will not start the process of construction on the building until there is a reasonable level of certainty from our guiding professionals that we will successfully raise the funds needed to complete the building project.
No. Our church became debt-free in 2022, and our leadership has made a commitment to remain debt-free during this season.
Yes. Inflation has impacted every family in our church, and that includes the families that provide leadership to this initiative. We are aware of the difficulties presented to family budgets during this season of high inflation.
We believe that if God truly wants us to complete the construction of this building, He will provide through the total participation of our church family, even in a season of high inflation, and the glory will belong to God alone.
Yes. If the Venue were turned back into a full-time Youth Activity Center, it would displace a significant amount of ministry that currently takes place in that facility each day of the week, and it would not provide the dedicated ministry space that is needed for each age group in BVG Kids and Student Ministries.
If you have questions that haven’t been answered in the FAQ section, please complete the Contact Us form below so we can follow up with you.
“…so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
Ephesians 4:14-16 ESV
Big Valley Grace
- 4040 Tully Rd. Modesto
- 209-577-1604
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