THE KINGDOM PROJECT The Kingdom Project is the name our new campaign that will call the people of NorthBridge into this effort and also invite members and organizations of our community to partner with us. The focus of this campaign will be to gather needed funds for the advancement of God’s mission for our community and beyond. It is our hope and intention to see this effort reflect the values of the kingdom of God and to advance His kingdom reign and blessing in new ways. The primary focus of this campaign will be the construction of a Phase One facility on our property. 80% of funds will go towards the construction of this tool to support ministry and speak to the greatest needs of the community. Our Facility Concept & Design team is working diligently with an architect to put together plans, and at this point it looks as if the most feasible plan for this facility is for it to be primarily a Youth & Community Center, featuring a gymnasium, kitchen, offices, and meeting rooms. This facility will be a great blessing to our community and to our student ministries, and also be the central gathering point of our congregation outside of Sunday mornings. A secondary emphasis will be church-planting. In an effort to plant a prevailing church and our first strategic partner in launching a church-planting movement, a significant portion of our funds (% not yet determined) will go toward planting a new church in Round Lake Beach under the leadership of Gray & Elizabeth Ricci. Though near to us in distance, this church will likely have a very different look and feel in order to effectively carry the gospel to this unique and diverse community. A third potential focus for this campaign would be compassion ministry. In these trying economic times, it seems imperative to do something to help those who are struggling. Funds raised here could go toward the start of a compassion ministry, possibly student run, to meet one of the significant unmet needs for the under-resourced in our community. The details of this portion are still under discussion. In Matthew 6, after speaking about the worries of this life and anxieties about basic living necessities, Jesus tells us to seek first His kingdom. To put His priorities and his mission ahead of all things. And the promise attached is that if we would do so, all our needs will be taken care of as well. (“All these things will be given to you as well”) This effort is called The Kingdom Project because through this effort, we are seeking to put the values and priorities of the kingdom ahead of all other things. There is a great desire in our congregation to have a place of our own for Sunday worship, but to accomplish this goal, we would have to set aside the other elements of this project. So it is our plan to postpone the deep desire for a Sunday worship facility in order to address the urgent needs of our community and the efforts to which God has clearly called us. Together we are choosing to put the kingdom of God ahead of our own wants by prioritizing the sharing of the gospel, the development of young leaders, the sending out of new workers, and practical ministry for those in need. And as we do, the Lord promised to give us all we need as well. Also, when Jesus spoke of the kingdom, he often spoke in parables. One of those parables was about the mustard seed, the smallest of seeds that grows to the largest of plants. In The Kingdom Project, we hope to plant new seeds. Seeds of outreach to students and young adults, seeds of the gospel to a neighboring community, seeds of hope and practical help to the struggling among us. And just as the mustard seed though small grows large, we anticipate this campaign will plant seeds that grow larger and have greater impact than we could ever imagine!