How Eliminating the Parsonage and the 8641 Property Actually Helps Jerusalem’s Mission

“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” (Psalm 24:1). If you take a few moments to look around and admire the wonders of God’s creation, it is humbling. God is truly the Master Planner of everything and He, in His amazing grace and wisdom, has provided and gifted us with more than any of us could “ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). Jerusalem has been and continues to be a recipient of God’s gifts: a beautiful church, a school building, a parsonage, and 3 additional properties used as teacherages. Much time, hard work, and dedication has been put into these properties to maintain them for use. So, if God gave us these properties, why would we consider

tearing down 2 of them?

First, let’s remind ourselves of Jerusalem’s mission. Our goal is “Serving a diverse community with the unique message of Christ’s love.” The goal of Jerusalem is to reach as many people as possible with the gospel of Jesus. Eliminating the parsonage and the house next to the parsonage (8641) allows Jerusalem space to expand and accept many more students to share the gospel with. It also has the added benefit of creating more time for ministry. Both properties require maintenance, which takes time, manpower, and resources that are limited. Think of how much time it takes to maintain your own property. Now multiply that times six. Not only do those properties have to be maintained, but the church and school needs to be maintained as well. Eliminating those 2 properties will create more time to focus on Jerusalem’s mission.

Second, we will still provide for the care of our called workers, even with the elimination of the parsonage and the 8641 properties. The called workers who no longer live in those properties will be receiving a housing allowance that will help cover the cost of their housing. Called workers can then choose to rent or buy in order to build equity with their own property. This will enable them to decide where to live and find a property that meets their needs.

Last, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” (Psalm 24:1). Whether you spent 15 years or 15 minutes maintaining either of these properties, in the end, they are God’s, not ours. Any work, resources, and time spent on those properties was good stewardship when utilized in the past, but current needs for Jerusalem allows for new stewardship use of our resources while “serving a diverse community with the unique message of Christ’s love.” We trust that God will bless our current situation, an expansion and our future ministry.

With our final article, we will address how much this proposal is projected to cost, how we are planning to pay for this, and our future plans.

Also, Jerusalem Members and School Families will be invited to attend a special meeting on Sunday, July 13th, after church. This will be an informational meeting where the Jerusalem Expansion Committee will give a detailed presentation on the Jerusalem Expansion Plan. Mark it on your calendar and plan to attend. See you there!