Over the years, a consistent passion of SCN has been to SERVE CHRIST NOW by meeting practical needs in our community AND offering a welcoming space for worship, fellowship, discipleship, and compassionate care. In recent years, the Lord has grown our church family to such a capacity that, for us to be able to continue to offer that kind of space, we need to expand to a larger space that offers greater flexibility and ministry expansion, as well as a comfortable space for us to invite our community into.

Starting this project now allows us to address some of our most immediate and pressing needs but also allows us to build what is the best fit for our mission and vision. It also allows us to build ahead—to plan for future generations and the continuation of the mission God has given.

This project includes many more subtle benefits, but the three main areas are:

• Expanded Sanctuary, which doubles as a full athletic court – Not only will this significantly expand our seat capacity for worship services, but it also opens our church campus up to meet a whole new layer of need in our community! Our church has already tapped into reaching families through sports programs, and this will allow us to grow that dream even more!
• Children’s and Youth Ministry – We are blessed to have a booming children’s and youth ministry at our church, ministering to over 150 children and youth weekly! The new building will include a restricted children’s space and provide the youth with access to a larger central space for worship and recreation. This expansion will also create the first steps to a future phase, adding a new dedicated youth space and a secondary worship space where children and youth could have their own dedicated worship services!
• Fellowship – If you have ever been in our fellowship space between services, you know how full and busy it gets! If you have never been, then you know it is not conveniently located at the front of the building. By renovating our current sanctuary into our new foyer, we will combine the welcoming atmosphere of our church family with the physical space for fellowship and to top it off, a dedicated children’s ministry entrance equipped with a slide!

Our vision, IMAGINE: A Church in Action, drives our mission to Serve Christ Now. We encourage each person to take personal responsibility for the mission God has entrusted to us. A powerful way to do this is by focusing on ONE—someone who needs a friend to reflect Christ's love in their life. As we commit to this ONE, we channel our energy into meeting the spiritual, relational, emotional, and physical needs of others. This commitment will not only strengthen our ministry but will also increase the demand for more space to serve effectively. Expanding our ministry space is essential to continue reaching and serving those God brings to us.

Our long-term vision is to continue growing as a vibrant faith community, expanding our ministries, and reaching more “ones” with the love of Christ. The new facilities are just one step toward fulfilling that vision.

The total cost of the new building is now approximately $9 million, which is a lot more than we initially thought. When we started down this road, we knew the Lord was leading us toward expansion, and we were given a rough estimate of what the cost would be. Now, a year later, through continued prayer and a lot more research and conversation, we know that this was always going to be the approximate amount. The significant benefit of the new design is that it gives us an option to take a phased approach—building out the full shell of the building and leaving a significant space in the lower level unfinished—so that we can continue to best steward the financial resources the Lord has given.

Some have said, “We can’t afford not to build.”

This is a huge step of faith for our church, but we believe God has led us to this vision, and if we all work together, we can meet this goal and even exceed it. Currently, we have about $2 million invested in CDs, accruing approximately 4.5% interest. Our goal is to add at least another $1 million before we request permission from our Philadelphia district to take out a mortgage for the remaining amount needed.

We are asking our church family to make a financial sacrifice toward the future vision of our church that will help us reach our goal over the next two years. We are also continuing to evaluate our annual operating budget to ensure there is no wasteful spending and that all money received is regularly deposited into investment accounts to earn interest over the next couple of years. Alongside regular giving, there may be additional one-time assets that you hold that you may be able to bless the church with. (Examples include real estate, investment surplus, stocks, in-kind donations that can be sold, targeted year-end giving, etc.) We will also be looking into possible grant opportunities.

Building in phases will allow us to increase our ministry space while keeping finances managed well.

• Baseline (Large Box): Worship Center/Large Lobby/Space to be developed later. This will allow us to experience the benefit of more ministry space as soon as possible and give us a road map for the future development of our space.
• Future Phase Option #1: Large second phase, completing development and renovation of all additional spaces.
• Future Phase Option #2: Annual small phases over multiple years that will address the greatest needs first.

There are several ways to contribute, including one-time gifts, recurring donations, pledges over a set period, and participation in special fundraising events. Contributions can be made via cash, check, online giving, or asset donations such as stocks or property.

We ask you to consider the following opportunities:

• A sacrificial increase donation above your current level of giving to the general ministry of SCN. Will you pray about a sacrificial increase to your current giving level?
• Sacrificial recurring donation above your current level of giving to the Imagine vision. You can set up a recurring donation at scn.church. Checks are also accepted.
• Periodic larger one-time donations or targeted year-end giving.
• Outside-the-box donations, such as real estate, investment surplus, stocks, in-kind donations to be sold, etc.
• For those who own a business, consider making a tax-free donation or setting up matching grant opportunities.

As a registered nonprofit organization, all donations to the church for this project are tax-deductible. Donors will receive a giving statement for tax purposes.

Communication is one of the most essential priorities we have in this project. We have made great efforts to develop plans to communicate our vision and will work to carry that effort forward throughout the progression of our Vision and campaign. Some of the communication efforts include:

• All staff are regularly available for questions and conversations and will answer any question you have or will work to find the answer for you.
• IN the KNOW as we Grow – A bi-monthly newsletter that addresses ministry progress as well as updates for the campaign.
• The church website (scn.church) has a dedicated page for our Capital Vision, and we will regularly update it with news and changes.
• We will hold church chats once a quarter to update anyone who is looking to learn more about our plans.
• Every Sunday, there is a slide that has the most up-to-date Progress report of our vision campaign and commitments.
• Building Vision will be discussed at all Connection lunches, LifeTrack classes, etc.

As of the launch of the Refresh of our IMAGINE Vision, our goal is to begin construction in two years. The actual construction will take about one year to complete. There is the possibility that we will need to add a year to this timeline, but that is contingent on raising the necessary funds while sticking with our top three priorities: Ministry Development, Staff Development, and Building Development.

Absolutely! We welcome volunteers for various tasks, including fundraising efforts, administrative support, and even skilled labor contributions, depending on the needs of the project.

Absolutely, and our ministry development will continue as well. From the beginning, we have not wanted to become so building-focused that we become distracted from the mission God has for us. We have developed a three-tier approach to this season:

• Continued ministry development
• Continued staff development
• Building development

This approach will keep us loving our community and worshiping the Lord while we press into IMAGINING infinitely more!

Temporary changes to the parking lot may be necessary but the new design does not impact the current parking lot. For now, our parking lot is adequate for our needs, but we do have plans to add an additional 100 spaces in a future phase when we are ready.

Pray for wisdom for leadership, the embrace of each One, and congregational unity. Pray for safety of construction workers, provision of funds and that this project glorifies God.

Through your prayers, generosity, and service, God has positioned us for even greater impact. Let’s continue this incredible journey — expanding our reach, deepening our faith, and transforming lives for Christ.

Food is probably the largest expense we have each month. Using food coupons can save $30-$40 per week. Donating $30 each week over 2 years equals a $3,120 contribution.

For example, giving up a $6 coffee 3 days each week for 2 years could equal a $1,872 contribution.

• (Netflix/Hulu/Disney+/Spotify) from Premium to Standard. Your savings of $8-$15 each month could mean a $192-$360 contribution over 2 years.

If you will be paying off some form of debt in the next year, commit to continue to “pay the bill” by redirecting the money to the project after the bill is paid off. An $80 bill that is paid off and redirected for 1.5 years could equal a $1,440 contribution.

For one or both of the 2 years, do something close and inexpensive like a day trip. Or take a 3-day vacation instead of a week and save on airfare and hotel costs. This can easily save between $1,000-$2,000.

On week 1, contribute $1. On week 2, contribute $2. By the end of 1 year, you will have contributed $1,378. Doing this challenge 2 years in a row could equal a $2,756 contribution.

You may have treasures sitting in your home, such as coins, stamps, baseball cards, art, or other collections of worth. Consider parting with these items by getting them appraised, selling them, and donating the revenue toward the cost of the project.

Selling land or real estate of which you are not using may generate tens of thousands of dollars or more. Donate other assets of worth. Do you have jewelry, or an extra boat, car, or motorcycle? Prayerfully consider donating them to pay towards the cost of the project.

This will avoid paying capital gains taxes and provide you with a tax-deductible contribution.