We have compiled a list of 36 commonly asked questions!
We're always working to make sure that traffic flow, safety and efficient use of the property remain important to our planning. As we grow, it will take not only planning, but additional volunteers to make sure that we can continue to care for the folks that attend Journey.
We will continue to meet in the space we currently have at the times that we normally meet until the construction will no longer allow that to be the case. As we get closer to those times, we'll make as many accommodations as possible before interrupting the "norm" for services at Journey.
Much of the timeline is dependent on factors like income, interest rates and lender capacity, but the current plan is to work toward beginning contruction in the early parts of 2027 with completion around 18-20 months after we begin.
We get it! As churches grow, they can become very impersonal and that would be wholly detrimental to who we are as a family! One of the main advantages of expanding our facility is that we will be able to house people in two identical services at optimal times. Although those will be larger services in attendance, it allows for more space without the feeling of being rushed off to make room. The expanded lobby will aide in our ability to stick around and talk with people much more effectively than we are currently able to accomplish.
We're planning to continue to use a portable baptistry to allow maximum flexibility for uses in other settings (lobby, student ministry, etc.) the screens in the new Big Room will allow for people in attendance to be able to see those getting baptized on screen!
Yes, we're planning at least one space where kids can utilize a playground although we're still working to determine exactly where that will be located - we just want to make sure it's in the most effective space possible and we haven't yet decided where that would be.
In short, yes! While all of the spaces in our facility have a "primary use" assigned to them (i.e. Journey Kids, 412 Students, etc) all of the spaces will also serve many different kinds of uses at different times. This allows us to rise to the occasion as God makes needs more apparent to us along the way.
While we're not currently planning a daycare facility, we are designing the remodel of the current "sprung building" (i.e. "the tent") to accommodate those needs should we one day want to pursue that path.
Yes! We're hoping to be able to incorporate live presentation of the services into places like the lobby and outdoor gathering areas. Cost may be a limiting factor, but we're planning to design the technical capabilities to allow for that to be the case.
The chairs pictured in the vision workbook are simply representative pictures (limited by the software that we used) - they are NOT the actual chairs. The chairs in the Big Room will be at least AS COMFORTABLE as the ones we have now and they will remain unattached to the floor to allow for maximum flexibility.
It's hard to draw three-dimensional space in rudimentary drawings, but we are planning that the Big Room floor will be flat just like it is now (but with more than twice the seating capacity).
It is always the desire to keep costs as low as possible and using volunteers to accomplish some of the work is one way to do just that. But, there are also time considerations in the mix. The use of volunteers will need to be weighed against the delays that waiting on teams to complete a job versus using contracted help (i.e. servicing the contruction loan, loss of availability of the next trade, etc). When we use volunteers, we want to make sure that their time is actually going to save money. We will do everything that is reasonable to save money and will continually monitor the progress with that idea in mind.
The culture of Journey Church has never been about programs or buildings — it’s about people. For 15 years, God has helped us protect that culture through seasons of change, and we are committed to guarding it as we grow. Growth won’t change who we are — it will give us more opportunities to live out that culture together.
Guest parking is often a thing that people feel would be beneficial to guests and while it's a great "feel" for guests, they actuall often feel like it puts a "target" on their back when what they really want is to sneak in and not be identified. We continually talk to new people to find out what was a good and bad experience for them when they attended the first time or two and will continue to monitor that to make the best guest experience possible.
One of the great benefits of this design is that it maximizes the parking lot for people in different stages of life. While we probably won't designate specific parking spaces as "family parking," people with children in Journey Kids will find it easiest to find a spot near the current main entrance (that will then be an entrance into one of two check-in spaces for kids) and newer folks will find it easiest to find a spot near the new main entrance and be able to find easy passage into the other check-in lobby (off of the main lobby).
Balancing debt and cash-on-hand is always a primary concern. Essentially, we're going to do both save money toward the building expansion and finance part. One of the primary outcomes of the Make Room initiative is to set aside cash reserves and pay down down the current debt to make sure that we're able to maximize the effectiveness of the debt we will carry while also making the most of the time we have to share influnce with our ONEs.
A full kitchen is not currently part of the plan. The costs associated with a full-service, commercial kitchen are cost prohibitive given the fire codes and costs associated with meeting those codes. The "warming kitchen" designed in the building will be able to accomodate much of what we anticipate needing (microwaves, cold storage, coffee prep, etc) without the costs associated with providing a full commercial kitchen (which would be in the neighborhood of $250,000).
A "warming kitchen" can have everything that a full kitchen can contain other than a stove/oven (which would require specific accommodations of fire suppression system specifically for a kitchen like that - the requirements would be the same for us as it would be for a restaurant)
Yes, the coffee service that we plan to offer in the expansion will be the same "Free of charge" coffee that we offer right now. The only change is that we will be providing space for people to grab coffee or water and sit around with friends in the "cafe area" rather than only offering them their seats in the Big Room to talk with friends.
The guarantee associated with the "skin" of the current building is 25 years. The structure of the building itself it almost literally impervious to decay since it is 100% architectural aluminum. We're working with Sprung now to determine the best ways to protect, maintain or replace the current outer skin as a part of this project.
We would love for the facility of Journey Church to be a useful resource to groups and businesses around our community. We're anticipating being able to rent the faciltiy to "for-profit" groups and make it available for free (or very reasonable cost) for non-profit groups, but the primary intended use of the facility will be to help people take their next step toward Jesus. While we're open to other groups using the space, it can never be a distraction from the mission that God has called us to accomplish.
Signage and it's obvious view from the road are an important concern going forward. What we can say for sure is that when we're done it will be impossible to drive by Journey without knowing exactly what the property is used for.
By all means, NO! When we published the Vision Workbook, the anticipation is to give a general idea of what the future might hold without making the facility itself the main thing. The primary vision is to identify and reach our ONE - the building is how we are making room to disciple them in the future. The plan development from this point forward will be completed by professionals who will provide a full set of building plans that can be used to submit for building permits in Madison County.
There is not a specific space indicated for the safety team to monitor video surveillance in the design, but we are working to find a way to accommodate that idea if it's at all feasible.
The value of the current property (according to an appraisal in October 2021) is $3.85M and the current debt on the property (land, building and parking) is $2.2M. A little less than $1M of the Make Room initiative is earmarked to bring that debt down much closer to $1M to clear the way for multiple lenders to be able to accommodate the future loan.
The first $250,000 of the Make Room Initiative will be placed into a strategic reserve fund so that we never have less than 6-months of our future building payment on hand. The next $850,000 is planned to be simultaneously used to complete the building plans and agressively pay down our current debt to make the way clear for multiple lenders to facilitate the next phase of our building. The remaining $900,000 is planned for use as that lender would prefer it used (pay down current debt, cash on hand to build or to purchase things like furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) - each lender has different things that they would like to see us do with those funds)
That's a great question. The $2,000,000 goal of this initiative is centered around getting us from this point to the point where we can occupy the building. As we grow between now and that point, we'll be working to manage resources in a way that allows us to move forward with confidence from that point with the people who attend in the future joining us in the vision!
There are two options in the expansion for checking kids into Journey Kids. For many families, the easiest place to check in will be the existing lobby entrance. That lobby will be a secure space for people to make their way in, check their kids in and drop them off in their respective rooms and make their way to the main lobby. Some will find it easiest to go through the new main entrance (clearly marked) and go through the lobby to the Journey Kids check-in area on the left side of the new lobby.
In one of the pictures, you may notice an additional building drawn that doesn't appear in the other drawings. For now, that building is an "idea" that may ultimately become an indoor play area that can be used on Sunday mornings as well as open to the public certain times during the week. This idea is not currently in the scope of our plans, but may one day be accomplished through volunteer labor and funds later raised.
There are a number of options that we're anticipating for people to be able to view the services without needing to be in the Big Room. The plan is to make technical accommodations in the lobby, the outdoor connecting spaces and some "privacy" areas throughout the facility.
Originally when we planned the current facility, there was anticipation that we were going to be given a second sprung building that we could construct on our property. The church that was planning to gift that to us is still (10 years later) using that building. In the time since construction, we've also learned that many lenders are leary about loaning money for a second sprung building without a "typical" building on the same site.
We'll almost certainly have to have a second septic system to accommodate the expansion (at least until city sewers make their way to Allen Woods Lane). That being said, we were able to pay to bring city water up to our property in the first phase of building (meaning we already have city water).
More people means more supplies and more supplies means more work. Just like in every part of our mission, more volunteers are always needed to make accommodations (coffee, greeters, ushers, Journey Kids, 412 Students, etc). We can't go forward without all of us locking arms behind the mission that God has called us to accomplish. (You can sign up today to be on a team at OurJourney.news)
The drawings that you're seeing in the Vision Workbook are simply floor-plan designs designed and drawn by our staff (including the 3D renderings). The next step is for those to be in the hands of qualified professionals that will ensure accommodation of building and fire codes taking into account necessary egress, use and capacity of the space. Some of the income from the MAKE ROOM initiative will go to finalize those plans to the point of providing a full set of building plans that can then be submitted for building permits and approval.
In short, we've considered the idea and landed (for now) on not pursuing an additional off-site campus. The people of Journey Church are what makes this place special, not the program (preaching, music, etc). Simply put, we can't lose any of us to duplicate us. There's only one of us -- and maybe that's a good thing :)
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Journey Church