The new For Jesus Capital Campaign is about meeting defined facility needs to accommodate ministry and growth.

• New youth building: The current youth ministry area is a small space upstairs in the Activity Center. It does not provide adequate access for students with special needs and limits ministry programming opportunities. A new building will help special needs and new students connect with Student Ministries.
• Activity Center remodel: Built in 1987, the gym has no air conditioning or proper acoustical treatments for special events. Its restrooms are dated, and there is no kitchen to support meetings in the HUB or gym. The goal is a multipurpose facility for recreation and ministry events.
• Adult ministry space: Larger classrooms are needed for growing Sunday School classes, guest speakers, receptions, Sunday morning brunches, and Young Adult ministry events.
• Parking: Parking near the main adult building is often a challenge, especially for older adults. The proposal adds parking along Buffalo Trail, where the church currently owns six rental properties.
• Children’s playground: The current equipment is more than 30 years old. It was moved when the Children’s Building was built in 2013 to save costs, and now has broken and rusted pieces that are unsafe. Local licensing has recommended safety upgrades.

The need for updated and expanded ministry spaces and parking has existed for many years. The For Jesus Capital Campaign addresses the most immediate current and future needs.

Our administrative committees—including the Board of Trustees, Finance Committee, and Church Council—have discussed these needs more intentionally over the past few years. Because of other financial commitments, we have not been able to move forward until now. In the spring of 2026, the committees discussed and approved the campaign to help our church move forward with updated and expanded facilities.

Saint Stephen’s last capital campaign was in 2012, when the Children’s Building was expanded and several areas in the main building were renovated. Since then, smaller facility improvements have been handled through budget savings and designated gifts. We have $1 million in savings, which is a great start, but this project is much larger in scope than we can accomplish through savings alone.

In the spring of 2026, our administrative committees voted to move forward with a capital campaign that includes conceptual drawings showing possible ways to address current facility needs. The drawings are suggestions of what could be done. Plans will continue to develop and will require additional input and city planning approval.

The next steps depend on the campaign’s fundraising outcome. If enough pledges and donations are received, we will elect a Building Committee, complete detailed design work, and select a contractor. These decisions will be based on the outcome of the fundraising portion of the project.

We hope to begin the administrative and design work in 2027, with a targeted construction date of 2028.

We do not have an exact cost yet because final designs must be completed and submitted for bids. Contractors and designers we have consulted suggest the project will cost around $5 million. This is our current fundraising target as we work toward moving the project forward.

It will take all of us doing our part. We are asking every family in our church to prayerfully consider giving to this capital campaign above and beyond their annual tithe commitment to the church budget.

This is a three-year focus that calls for sacrificial giving. That might mean reducing small weekly expenses, such as coffee or eating out; selling items you no longer need; skipping a trip; or canceling an unnecessary monthly subscription. Many of us have discretionary spending that can be redirected. Small changes add up.

We simply ask you to pray, “Lord, how do you want me to be part of this campaign?” This is a personal journey of trusting the Lord for His provision, knowing that He guides our steps and directs our blessings.