On the Move
From our modest beginnings as a gathering of families meeting at the Friends’ School over 50 years ago to a large, diverse church making a gospel impact in our community today, we have witnessed God’s hand faithfully carry us over five decades of fruitful gospel ministry in the Brandywine Valley. In order to accelerate our gospel impact into the next decade and beyond, we must be a church ON THE MOVE.
Initiatives
Our three initiatives are:
- Building Our Faith. We are building resilient disciples of Jesus in an increasingly post-Christian culture.
- Reaching Our Community. We are mobilizing our church to demonstrate and declare the gospel of Jesus Christ.
- Shaping Our Future. We are redesigning key areas of our church building to align with our ministry needs and introduce the generations to Jesus.
Letter from Pastor Nate
From our modest beginnings as a gathering of families meeting at the Friends School in 1970 to our growing church today, a singular vision has been at our core: “To introduce people to Jesus Christ and help them follow Him.” We believe the Holy Spirit is ON THE MOVE in our church family, calling us to take courageous steps in pursuing our vision. Like the faithful servants in Matthew 25 who took risks to invest the master’s money, our Master is calling us to invest in reaching our community with the life-transforming Gospel message of Jesus and transforming 30,000 square feet of our building into vital ministry spaces for generations to come.
Our ON THE MOVE Campaign includes three initiatives that call us to catch the vision and courageously make a spiritual, missional and financial investment.
- Building Our Faith
- Reaching Our Community
- Shaping Our Future
May we invest our lives for our Master’s kingdom so that we hear those same words: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” -Jesus, Matthew 25:21
Pastor Nate Keeler
Primary Goal: 100% church participation
Secondary Goal: Raise $5.5 Million for renovations
“Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” -Jesus
Matthew 25:21
Small Group Discussion Guide
This fall, we embark on a pivotal journey with the ON THE MOVE campaign—a season of vision casting and active participation. Our church is setting a bold, three-year course focused on three key initiatives: Building Our Faith, Reaching Our Community and Shaping Our Future.
Over the next five weeks, we’ll explore five of Jesus’ parables, revealing why investing in the ON THE MOVE vision isn’t a risk or sacrifice but an opportunity to step deeper into God’s kingdom. As we navigate each session, we will keep this question in mind: What makes us willing to take such bold steps and embrace sacrifices for this vision?
Each session will dive into key takeaways from the weekly sermon. We’ll also watch brief interviews with Pastor Nate and Pastor Terry, who will reflect on the messages and share practical ways to bring the ON THE MOVE principles to life.
Advanced Commitment Night
Leaders and anyone who’s ready to lead out financially are invited to Advanced Commitment Night on November 3, 5:00-6:15pm at Wilmington Friends School in the Auditorium. Get directions. This is going to be a special evening to worship together, be inspired, and make our commitments together.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the goal of this initiative?
Our spiritual goal is to grow disciples and reach our community with the Gospel message. Our financial goal is to raise $5.5 million over the next 36 months. Raising this amount of money will require 100% participation from those who call Brandywine home. This is a big goal, but we serve a big God!
How do we know the cost is not too much or too little?
Our leadership has worked through this plan for the last year. We are renovating approximately 30,000 square feet of our 70,000 square foot building. The cost per square foot is within the average cost for renovation projects. We’ve also looked at our current data and trends and forecasted our future space needs based on our current growth. We selected an architecture firm early in the process, and we are working with them every step along the way to make sure that we have a good idea of costs.
When will this initiative begin and end?
The ON THE MOVE Initiative launches in December 2024 and goes through December 2027.
Why are we doing this now?
By God’s grace we have no financial debt and we are in a strong position of financial stability and numeric growth. With inflation, construction costs will continue to rise each year, so it is cheaper to renovate now than in the future. The areas of renovation are overdue for much needed upgrades and now is the time to invest in the generations for the sake of the Gospel.
Are my gifts “over and above” my normal giving to the general fund and other regular giving?
Yes! They must be! Our normal operating expenses must continue to be met by your faithful support through regular giving. These over and above gifts will allow us to accomplish these goals to be a church ON THE MOVE.
Can my gift involve stocks or other assets in addition to cash?
Absolutely! If this is the case, please contact Len Armstrong via email len.armstrong@brandywine.church or phone 302-478-4255 for assistance.
When will we be asked to make our commitment?
We encourage everyone to pray and ask God what to give and then make a commitment upon receiving your answer. We will invite you to make commitments on Commitment Sunday, November 17, 2024.
What will take place on Commitment Sunday, November 17?
On Commitment Sunday we will worship, pray and thank God for everything He has done and will do at Brandywine. We will ask our entire church — 100% — to participate by committing to give financially to the ON THE MOVE initiative. We will ask that everyone submit a commitment card at the end of the service.
Can commitments be changed if necessary?
Absolutely. We understand that life circumstances can shift our ability to give generously in negative and positive ways. If you need to change your commitment, please contact Len Armstrong via email len.armstrong@brandywine.church or phone 302-478-4255 for assistance.
Will financial commitments be made public?
No, personal financial commitments will not be made public. However, we will share the total raised for the campaign. We take confidentiality very seriously. Only administrators and financial stewards who need to know will have access to this information.
Do we intend to do the project all at once or in phases?
We have the flexibility to phase our renovations. It would be significantly more cost-effective and ministry-effective to proceed with the entire project at once. However, we will need to take into careful consideration our fiscal stewardship to ensure we have sufficient funding for our projects.
When do you anticipate starting construction?
We are currently in the design and development phase of our project. Ideally, we would like to begin construction in the spring/summer of 2025.
Will the building project interrupt church on Sundays or other ministry throughout the week?
No. Our plans have taken into consideration keeping ministries fully operational during the course of our construction. However, we may need to create new entrances and exits as well as relocate ministries to other parts of the building during construction.
Will the building project expand our church building?
The only new additional space we intend to add are the ministry porches on the parking lot side of our building. The building renovations will significantly increase our ministry effectiveness and reprioritize our spaces according to our current and future ministry needs.