Our world needs hope right now. We are living in challenging times. It feels like all we know is changing.
The church was always intended to be a light in the darkness; a beacon drawing people to a brighter future.
Heart For Our House helps us to shine that light a little brighter.
Year on year, our Heart for Our House offering has helped to propel our church forward toward our vision. Whether investing in the momentous or the seemingly mundane, it has enabled us to reach people for Jesus, equipped us to influence culture, empowered us as we build future. This year, we again have the opportunity to give generously, to play our part in something bigger than ourselves.
Circumstances may be challenging, but that need not dampen our hope. The cost of living may be rising, but that need not limit our generosity. We may be facing uncertainty, but we can still rise up to meet the present moment with faith and expectation. - not only for ourselves, but for the people in our world.
*Assuming donations received allow for the funding of all projects
The money raised through Heart For Our House is used to fund projects beyond the financial capacity of our regular tithes and offerings. It’s the vehicle that enables us to go further and travel faster toward our vision.
Each of the projects we hope to fund flows into one or more of the aspects of our mission; to reach people, influence culture and build future.
10% of our total will be put into our building fund. We believe in setting the foundations for the future. We want to begin putting money away for us to purchase our own bespoke building by investing in property in the coming years. Norwich and Ipswich are strategic centres for a large and significant church to reach out to our community and reach the lives of others. We’re asking you to buy into our dream for our own building.
Accessibility matters. We want to remove the barriers that prevent people from coming to Church and having an encounter with Jesus. One of those barriers is transport. Whether it’s for a family needing transport from the city center or students coming from the universities, we want to provide an easy and comfortable journey for those who would otherwise be unable to come to church. By having our own vehicle, we can give an impactful first impression before they even get to the front doors.
We are passionate about reaching people for Jesus not only in Norwich and Ipswich but across the world. We are particularly passionate about reaching the nations in South East Asia. Here at Proclaimers, we are blessed to have someone like Pastor Tom in our church. He is uniquely gifted and positioned to be able to reach these nations due to his experience, his understanding of the local cultures and his language skills. Recently, doors have opened for Pastor Tom to minister in several countries in the region and we are excited at the opportunity to send him on behalf of Proclaimers.
Through our work at The Space, our social enterprise, we have impacted numerous business, charities and organisations from across Norfolk. We want to continue to be a significant voice that influences culture in this city and beyond. This year we want to invest in the equipment and infrastructure that our incredible team use to create the bespoke atmosphere we've become known for. This will include purchasing new furniture and upgrading common areas in the building.
Worship is a fundamental part of what we believe. We want to teach the next generation what it means to worship God in spirit and in truth. Creating an atmosphere in which we can help our kids experience worship is vital for their spiritual growth. Our hope is to invest in equipment and infrastructure that will help us do just that. We’re not talking about production value, we’re talking about the investing into the next generation.
Coming along to a church service can be a daunting experience. As a church, we want to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere for everyone who comes through our doors. We believe that when it's easy and obvious for new people to know where to go and who they can ask for assistance, they will instantly feel more comfortable. This year, we want to purchase custom apparel for our Welcome Team, our Kids Team and our Production Team.
In January 2011, Proclaimers moved to the building we now know as The Space! Over the years, the generosity and dedication of our church has helped us build not only a fantastic church venue but a brilliant conferencing centre as well. We want to make sure that our venue continues to serve our church and our city with excellence. A particular area we know needs an upgrade is our bathrooms. An upgrade of our bathrooms will upgrade our venue as a whole.
Our Christmas Concert and our Easter Productions have always been phenomenal invitational opportunities. We know that even those who would never consider coming to church might be tempted during the holidays. Year on year, we've produced some incredible services and seen many people receive Jesus and connect into church as a result. However, our productions often cost more than our regular tithes and offerings can support. This year, we want to put money aside to fund the operational budgets of our Christmas and Easter events so that we can reach even more people for Jesus.
We know that people often don't care about what you know until they know you care. We believe that we are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our communities. As part of our Heart For Our House initiative, this year we want to put money aside to fund community events. These might include opportunities that arise through our annual Do Good Friday events, through Kid's work and Holiday Clubs and through other avenues. Your generosity will help us to share the love of Jesus directly to our local communities.
First impressions matter. In fact, most people have formed a first impression within seven seconds! Situated at the end of an industrial estate, we know that we've got some work to do! We want to upgrade our building's exterior so that the first glimpse of our building generates excitement. Over the coming months, we'll be exploring various options including painting the external walls, installing cladding and creating signage and art installations.
