Renew Campaign Update: March 2022
Dear Third Church friends,
We wanted to get in touch and give you an update on where we are with the campaign and renovation. It's been several months since we shared about the status, and we are excited to report some updates and to invite your prayers and support in specific ways.
We currently have $12.4MM committed to the Renew Campaign, and over half of that money has already been received. Considering that our campaign goal was $12.5MM and that we endured the bumps of a pandemic the last 2 years, this is a truly wonderful sign of God’s provision. So many of you increased your pledge and have given sacrificially. Thank God for this grace!
As communicated to you in November, our Construction Manager Mike Laing along with the chair of our Facilities Planning Team, Matt Maio, now estimate the total cost of the renovation project at $13.56MM. Despite increased inflation since that time, thankfully that projection has remained the same but could increase in the days to come. Please pray that costs remain stable.
To make up for the $1.1MM delta, we will continue to appeal to people to give toward the Renew project in the next 18-24 months. In the meantime, we are working on securing the total financing for the project that will enable us to hire a general contractor. More details on that will follow. Pray that people continue to give and that our total needs for the project are met.
The design development drawings (from our architect) are complete and are being bidded out to several contractors. The decision about the contractor should be made by mid-April. Pray for wisdom and guidance for the Facilities Planning Team and the Session in choosing the right contractor.
The project is still on track to begin October 1, 2022. In addition to hiring a contractor, we will need to get our building and site work plans approved by Henrico County. Our construction drawings and documents are currently in development and will hopefully be sent to the county by the end of April. Please pray that God keeps the process running smoothly.
We have a Transition Team that has worked hard to provide options for where our congregation will worship and do ministry during the 18-24 months of construction. They have completed thorough analyses and offered recommendations on these available options for Session to discern and weigh. Session will meet next week to begin this discernment process. Please pray that God gives wisdom to Session to make this decision, and pray for the Transition Team as they now pivot to plan for our departure from the building.
We are excited that after so many years of planning and praying, this project is finally coming together! We will continue to update you as we make progress. We anticipate the ways God will not only manifest the vision of Renew but also use this time of transition to do his work in us. Thanks be to God for his faithfulness and love.
If you have any questions, please email renew@thirdrva.org.
Yours in Christ,
Corey Widmer
Ed Satterfield
Lauren Luck, Session Member and Elder Representative on Facilities Planning Team