Media Ministry Additions for the Journey

We continue to see the ministry of Walnut Hills impacted by The Journey of Reaching Beyond Ourselves. The Deacon Ministry of Walnut Hills went on retreat to Eastover January 24-25. The retreat included orientation for the eight new deacons beginning service and discussing regarding Deacon Ministry Events for 2008.

Dale Johnson, Chair of Deacons, led the event utilizing our new video projector and portable screen. These simple tools allowed Dale to keep everyone's focus while introducing new materials. This same equipment was utilized on Sunday morning, January 20, when the William & Mary Mission Team shared slides of their winter break work project in Slidell, LA.

A video projector and screen are simple tools that great impact. The more we utilize our senses, the more we retain of the information shared. The task of equipping ourselves for ministry will empower us to reach beyond ourselves in the name of Christ.

Mid January update

Good News Walnut Hills. The Williamsburg Planning Commission gave a unanimous endorsement to our proposal to enlarge the Fellowship Hall. The public hearing went very smoothly without any opposition and the only question asked by the Commission was whether additional parking was required. The answer was no and everyone voted in favor of the project. Following the vote, the Chair of the Commission spoke kind words regarding the need for every community to have strong and growing churches.

The next step is to repeat this process in February before the City Council. With Council's endorsement, we can then move forward with obtaining detailed drawings on the building from our architectural firm, Huff-Morris.

Other news on The Journey progress report includes the new addition of a Konica-Minolta Biz Hub for the Church Office. The new copier is a part of our office network and will serve as the primary print station for all office computers and will easily handle a larger volume of printing. It is also an excellent color copier (reminder - color copies come with an additional cost). Hopefully in the near future we will generate a full color newsletter to highlight the capabilities of this fine machine.

The Journey Update

The Crier deadline prevented an accurate update regarding some of the recent work around Walnut Hills. In December, the Building & Grounds Committee coordinated a cleaning and waxing of the slate in the santuary foyer. It looks great!!

The water line and meter to the church have now been replaced. We should see an increase in water pressure which will enhance our ministry efforts as we can flush more toilets. It will also be a great improvement when we enlarge our Fellowship Hall and new kitchen. In the office area, we have added some new receptacles which will create greater safety (less extension cords) and allow for adding a new color copier in January.

Stewardship and The Journey Update

1. The New Year will continue to require our best efforts with regards to stewardship. We have adopted a Ministry Budget of $650,000 for the coming year. We have also pledged over the next three years nearly $750,000 towards our renovation efforts, The Journey: Reaching Beyond Ourselves. Thank you for your commitment to steward God’s resources in such a purposeful manner. New offering envelopes are available that enable you to clearly identify how you want your financial gifts to be distributed. You can write one check and mark the appropriate amounts for Budget Offering and the Building Program. Thank you for your faithful support of the Kingdom’s work.

2. First Fruit Offerings received in December are almost $100,000. Thank you for these early gifts that reduce the amount of funds financed to accomplish our work.

3. We have received a few donations of stock toward the building program. Stock is a wonderful gift and offers benefits to the donor. TowneBank is the broker receiving these donations and in most cases, the only information received is the name of the stock and number of shares. The donor’s name is not included as the transaction is handled broker to broker. If you have made or are planning to make a stock donation, please contact the Church Office or Linda Mulligan our Financial Secretary so we can respond appropriately.

4. The proposed Fellowship Hall expansion has received positive recommendations from the Zoning Administrator’s Office and Architectural Review Board. The next step will be Williamsburg Planning Commission’s Public Hearing on January 16, 2008 at 3:30 P.M. Interested citizens are invited to attend the hearing and present comments

Welcome

Welcome to the new blog for Walnut Hills Baptist Church.