General Meeting – Sunday, November 22, 2015

Posted on November 23, 2015

Praise the Lord for a wonderful business meeting on Sunday evening, November 22nd. We started off by accepting three people into membership. Then we proceeded to elect the following individuals:

Trudy Patzer – Board member (re-elected for second term)
Carla Litke – Board member (replacing Tony Naim)
Shirley Wynne – Financial Secretary (replacing Susan Bergmann)
Irene Toews – Deacon

Moderator Dave Wynne introduces the November Congregational Meeting

The Board also introduced a new position, Moderator Elect. Our current Moderator has one year left on his second term and then must leave the Board. In order to ensure a smooth transition of both governance and the building process, the Board felt that it would be good to put someone in place for the final year to foster that transition. Azhar Laldin allowed his name to stand for that position and the members confirmed that decision.

 

Dave Barton presents the 2014 Financials and 2015 BudgetDave Barton then led us through an update on our current financial status which has shown steady improvement since the summertime. Following that, he moved into the budget for 2016. The Board had directed that we aim for a zero based budget for 2016 and the Pastoral staff along with the Finance Team did an excellent job of putting together a budget to support our ministry while being cognizant of our building process. Even with the addition of half a year’s salary and benefits for our new Associate Pastor, the budget came in at $767,320 which represented an increase of only $12,820 and the budget was well received and approved.

After the budget, knowing we are in good financial position and being aware of our immediate future financial needs, we saw a video from John Wiltshire, Chair of the Capital Funds Committee, who was out of town but wanted to demonstrate his support for the project and the motion that was being presented.

Then Chris Karam provided us with a detailed look at the building revisions that brought the building size and cost down to our target range of 8 million dollars. Chris walked us through a detailed explanation of the changes and how things will look in both phase one and two of the building project. While there were many questions, he showed that the Building Committee had done their homework and he was able to answer all the questions and move the discussion forward. Chris showed what the exterior of the building would now look like and showed us some conceptual drawings of the completed project. His presentation was both welcome and warmly received.

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Tim Hague leads the congregation in a time of prayer.

 

Having now seen the building presentation and what “we” wanted to see, Tim Hague, Chair of the Prayer Committee, then brought us together and refocused us on what God wanted and how we needed to maintain our service to and honour of Him. He led us through a prayer time, collectively and in small groups, to lift our hearts and minds before God and thank Him for bringing us to this point of discussion and decision.Committing the next steps in the building plans to prayer.

Then came the time to consider the resolution from the Board of Church Governance as follows:

“The Board resolves that WRBC should proceed with any necessary testing and architectural drawings at a cost of up to $350,000.00 as the first step of our building project on the McGillivray property.”

With very few questions or comments, our members voted unanimously to accept the motion. We are moving ahead with our building program.

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Motion Regarding Building Project on McGillivray – Action Requested

Posted on November 18, 2015

The Board of Church Governance met on Tuesday, November 17th and reviewed our position on building based on the latest building plans.  It was a good and fruitful discussion and also required some input from our committees.  At the end, the Board felt we were in a position to start down the road to building, cautiously but optimistically.  We reviewed our current financial position, our budget for 2016, the recommendations coming out of the Feasibility Study and looked at the impact of servicing the potential debt.  While we still have many details to sort out and identify, we felt that it was time to put the question before our people.  Therefore, the Board is putting forward the following motion (resolution) at the business meeting to be held this Sunday, November 22nd at 6:00 PM.   “The Board resolves that WRBC should proceed with any necessary testing and architectural drawings at a cost of up to $350,000.00 as the first step of our building project on the McGillivray property.”   We encourage you to pray about this decision and how you will support it.  If you are able, please attend the business meeting on November 22nd to add your voice to the discussion.  We will also be dealing with issues of membership, elections and the 2016 budget.  If you are not able to attend, you can vote on this resolution by completing and signing the attached mail in ballot and returning to the church office in advance.  However, please note that if the resolution is changed in any way, the mail in ballots become void. View and Print WRBC Mail Ballot Download and Print WRBC Mail Ballot  

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Congregational General Meeting – November 22, 2015 @ 6:00 PM

Posted on November 5, 2015

congregational_meeting_headerWhyte Ridge Baptist will be holding its annual fall meeting to deal with the proposed budget for 2016, membership and elections for terms that are expiring. Along with these normal items of business, there will be a presentation on the revised building plans and the potential for a vote to move ahead with building.

Building Plans

Chris Karam, Chair of the Building Committee, presented the revised plans to the members of Capital Funds Committee, Prayer Committee, the Board and the Pastors and staff at a meeting on November 3rd. The plans were well received and now come close to the target amount that was identified in the Feasibility Study that was conducted this past May.

The Board will be considering a resolution to bring to the church on moving forward with building.

Now is the time to Pray

As we move towards this important time in our church life, we need to ensure that we are all focused on the same thing – our ministry in serving God.

Building a new church is a big deal. There are dangers in committing to the cost which is significant. As we talk about the plans for the building, we will all see things differently and may think that things should be changed. But the building is not the goal, it is the means towards the goal which is to serve God.

If it is at all possible, please come to the meeting. Listen to the presentation on the building plans and join in making those plans possible. But for today, start or continue to pray for the wisdom and discernment to make choices that honor God. Pray for Chris Karam and the Building Team, John Wiltshire and the Capital Funds Team, Tim Hague and the Prayer Team who have been holding all of us up to God over these many months. Pray for Pastor Terry and the pastoral staff and pray for the Board as they now must decide how to move forward.

Who can attend

At WRBC our business meetings are open to everyone including non-members. The only condition within the meeting is that only members can vote on business matters. However, questions and discussion are open to everyone. Come and be a part of a very important and exciting time in the life of our church.

Mail Ballot—The Board has decided on a motion to take forward to the church to start us moving forward in our building plans.  A mail ballot is available for those who cannot make it to the meeting on November 22. WRBC Mail Ballot

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An evening of discussion, questions and exploring

Posted on February 4, 2015

Discussion, Questions and ExploringWhere is the Lord leading our Church in 2015?

With this as the focus, Whyte Ridge Baptist people met February 1, 2015 for a Family Meal and Equipping Seminar. In excess of 50 people gathered to share a meal and hear two brief presentations on our proposed building program. Attendees then participated in a time of discussion, questions and exploring where God is leading Whyte Ridge Baptist in 2015.

Capital Funds

John Wiltshire, Capital Funds Committee Chair, addressed the group first. He outlined the steps or process our church will go through over the next eight months.

Whyte Ridge Baptist has employed the services of a fund raising consultant – the North American Baptist Foundation. The NAB Foundation will help us determine the giving potential of our people for a building campaign. They provide assistance in a number of areas.

Case Statement

First, they assist the church in developing a Case Statement. The Case Statement is the document that identifies what the campaign is all about. The Capital Funds Committee is working to have this completed by the end of February 2015.

Feasibility Study

Next is the Feasibility Study. The Feasibility Study involves conducting 30-minute interviews with a cross-section of our people. The goal of the interviews is to test the interest and capacity of our people to raise the necessary funds. All of the interviews are strictly confidential.

While the Foundation will be provided with the names of people to interview, anyone in our church can be interviewed. If this is something you would like to participate in, please talk to John or any other member of the committee.

Immediately following the interviews, the Foundation will provide a preliminary recommendation to our Board of how much they believe our congregation can raise over-and-above their regular giving. One week later, they submit their final report. The Feasibility Study will be completed by mid to late May 2015.

Sources of Funds

The funds for a building campaign will come from four sources.

  • Giving by Whyte Ridge People.
  • Sale of current building & 2 acres of land the City of Winnipeg will expropriate from the McGillivray property for the expansion of McGillivray Blvd.
  • Funds already raised.
  • Borrowed funds.

With the funds realized from the first three sources, it is hoped the amount borrowed will be as small as possible. Because of the first three sources of funds listed above, we will NOT be borrowing eight or nine million dollars as some have suggested.

In addition, our leadership is committed to move ahead with a building campaign only if it does not starve current and ongoing ministry.

Building Committee

Chris Karam, Building Committee Chair, then gave a brief history of the work their committee has accomplished to date. The most recent activity was a meeting on January 27 to examine the architect’s proposed building plans. Present at the meeting were the Building Committee, the church staff, the church Board, and representatives from the Capital Funds and Prayer Committees.

This meeting resulted in a fairly significant list of requests and suggestions. These ideas were sent back to the architect to incorporate into the drawings. Once the drawings are ready, the same participants will meet again to work on finalizing the plans. These will then be given to the Capital Funds Committee to be used in the Feasibility Study.

Gist of Plan

Chris then verbally shared the gist of the plan. The building will be located on the North East corner of the property. The front of the building will face McGillivray Blvd. Early on the committee asked Architect Ray Wan to design the building to be welcoming for those in our community. As a result, the building will have an “open arms” design as you view it from McGillivray Blvd.

The foyer will be in the front centre of the building. The children’s ministry area will be on the left/West side of the building. The meeting/worship space will be on the right/East side of the building. The fellowship and office/administration areas will be in the rear/North side of the building.

The projected size of the building is approximately 50,000 square feet. To put this into perspective, our current building has 16,000 square feet when both the basement and main floor are included. The foyer in the new building will be the size of our present sanctuary space.

There will be a concerted effort to conserve the natural beauty of the property God has given us.   Walking paths will be constructed in amongst the existing trees. While the property borders on Muir Lake at the FortWhyte Alive Centre, we will, unfortunately, not have a direct view of the lake. The trees, growing bigger with each passing year, on the Muir Lake shoreline will obstruct such a view.

Time Line

With the information from the Feasibility Study and the building plans, the Board and building campaign committees will prepare a recommendation to the church. This recommendation will be presented to the congregation at a meeting in June 2015.

Beginning in the fall, the Capital Funds Committee will approach our people to make a commitment to give to the building campaign. This will be a commitment over three years.

Discussion, Questions and Exploring

Following the presentations by John and Chris, all present engaged in a time of discussion, questions and exploring. The goal: Discern what God might have in store for Whyte Ridge Baptist in 2015. Facilitated by members of the staff or one of the building campaign committees, each table worked through a list of questions.

Notes were taken of the responses and discussion arising from the table questions. These notes will be compiled and distributed to our church leadership—the Board and building campaign committees—for further thought and reflection.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. — Ephesians 3:20-21

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