Groundbreaking Family Meeting
March 17, 2024

Reclaimed: Resetting the Table

Week Three - Groundbreaking Family Meeting
Luke 19:1-27
Bottom line: It’s time to build a building and we need money to do it.


Series landing point:

  • Jesus launched his public ministry, traveling from village to village announcing his message that the kingdom of God was near. And as he went, he also enacted this message in two specific ways: healing and table-fellowship; i.e. Jesus ate with people
  • And when he sent the disciples out, he told them to do the same things: announce the kingdom, heal people, stay in their homes and gather around their tables.
    It was personal, relational, and conversational. It was transformative.
  • Real life happens around tables.

And today we’re going to talk about another dinner party Jesus attended, but we’re also going to sit around our family table for a family meeting.


Groundbreaking date - April 21st 10am at 4:00pm!

The last time we announced a groundbreaking, our loan fell apart, interest rates went through the roof, and we had to go back to the drawing board.
This time, we have closed on our loan, we have the land disturbance permits in hand, and the builder is ready to mobilize on our land in April.

is our time.

Project timeline - about 3 months of land prep and getting our building pad done, and then we move into vertical construction which should take anywhere from 8-12 months.


Which brings us to today’s dinner party with Jesus at the home of Zacchaeus…
Summary of party: Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and very wealthy because of it. He heard Jesus was coming to town and he wanted to see what the excitement was all about so he climbs the tree to see because he’s short. Jesus sees him and says, “I’m coming to your house for dinner.” Zac says, “great,” and the crowd heads that way. In the midst of their time together, transformation happens. Zac announces he is giving away half his possessions to the poor and paying back everyone he cheated FOUR TIMES what he took from them.

While everyone is lining up to get their money back, Jesus tells another story. And He says it’s because people think the kingdom of God is just going to appear at once. Turns out there is work to do -

11 While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. 12 He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’
14 “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’
15 “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.
16 “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’
17 “ ‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’
18 “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’
19 “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’
20 “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’
22 “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’
24 “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
25 “ ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
26 “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 27 But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’ ” —Luke 19:11-27


Jesus told some uncomfortable stories.
This one had a clear point - Jesus showed up and made his intentions clear. And now, we have a part to play.
We can get to work, or we can sit around and hold on to what we have because things aren’t happening the way we thought they would, or the way we want.

That has been the story of this building project for sure - more twists and turns that anyone thought imaginable:
-Global pandemic
-Changing pieces of land
-Skyrocketing building prices

AND YET, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something and be part of something bigger than ourselves and our lifetimes.

Loan structure - much smaller loan than we hoped ($3.2million with a $500,000 supplemental line of credit); each payment during construction will be 64% loan, 36% us

Good news/Bad News:

  • Good news - great interest rate at 5.6%, the loan is so small that we will be able to absorb the mortgage payments in our operating budget once we get through the construction phase

  • Bad news - we need to pay for this project as we go, specifically meaning we need to give and raise $2.5 million, and hopefully more, while we build.

Bottom line: We need to give it everything we’ve got in the next 18 months


Action Items -

  1. We’re asking everyone to give an initial gift to the building between now and our groundbreaking on April 21st. Cash in your credit card reward points, your airline miles, the money sitting in your venmo account that you forgot about, money you’ve been holding onto waiting for this project to start, stocks you’d like to transfer to our investment account, etc.

  2. Pray and plan for how you can give generously and sacrificially over the next 18 months and let us know your intentions by filling out a commitment card

You have questions, we want to answer. Email us, talk to our Board, staff, building team, etc.

Remember:
God wants to use us where we actually are, to love our actual neighbors, and reach and serve and love our actual community.

It matters that we exist as a church.

God put us here now.

is our time. are our neighbors.


Get your Table Group Guide with tips and menus: https://ashleyridgechurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Table-Groups.pdf