"Forward in Faith" Capital Campaign
Frequently ASKED QUESTIONS (AND SOME UNIQUE ONES)
With the launch of our Forward in Faith campaign, we know there are many questions that have and will come up over the next few years. So, we’ve put together a collection of Frequently Asked Questions (and some unique ones), which will be updated throughout the campaign. We will roll out the questions in a couple of different posts and then convenient locate them here on the campaign page for easy reference.
Check it out and let us know if there are other questions you would like us to consider including in our list. Also, if you have questions that you don’t find here or would like to discuss your unique situation, please feel free to Contact Us or email us directly at [email protected].
Why are the sound and electrical system upgrades being included in the campaign?
o Our parish hall has served us well for years, but now it needs to be renovated and upgraded for our future. It is the same for our electrical and sound system. Bundling everything together into a single construction project helps us to better steward our resources, save money and reduces the disruption to our regular operations. When the construction is completed, we will all celebrate the larger improved building and lanai, as well as benefit from system upgrades.
We just gave to Grateful Hearts. Why is the church asking me to give again?
o Forward is Faith is 100% ours! Forward in Faith is our own OLS capital campaign and all of the campaign funds will support our building project. While we are thankful for the small percentage we received from the Grateful Hearts campaign, knowing that everything given through Forward in Faith will stay here and support our OLS building project.
Can I split payments between an initial payment and pledge payments?
o You sure can! There is flexibility possible within the pledge agreement you prayerfully develop. Capital campaigns make it possible to be creative and customize a pledge agreement. Feel free to Contact Us or email us at [email protected] to talk about ideas for your personal situation.
I don’t have a lot of money. Can I do something else to support the campaign?
o Most importantly, pray. Please pray and ask God if He wants you to get financially involved with Forward in Faith. If He says no, please consider becoming a prayer pledge partner in the campaign or a campaign volunteer. If He says yes, then ask Him how much and trust that He will provide. And, if you want to get more involved than what you write down on a pledge form, we invite you to get additionally engaged with the campaign and preparing OLS for the generations to come.
Can I add my campaign payment onto my regular giving?
o Because we want to be sure that everything is credited the exact way you want it to be, we are keeping everything separated. We would encourage you to set up your campaign giving online through WeShare and continuing your regular giving as usual. Please note that only campaign giving is possible online at this time, so everything received there will be credited towards your campaign pledge. In the same way, please do not put your campaign pledge payment in the offering. While we do everything we can to ensure your giving is accurately recorded, if you see an error, please call the office so we can correct it right away.
What if my circumstances change? Lay off. Promotion. Marriage.
o We understand the one thing that is consistent in all of our lives is change. While we are asking that you prayerfully consider a three-year Forward in Faith pledge, please know that you can contact us if you need to revise your pledge due to life changes. During other campaigns, we have heard of people who have gotten married and wanted to merge and multiply pledges, people who have wanted to increase their pledge due to promotions earned and new jobs attained, and even people who experienced unfortunate restructuring in their work situations and needed to put a temporary hold on their pledge or reduce their commitment. Be assured that we are one OLS family and we will not only walk with you through all of life changes, we are there to pray with you and support you on this journey in faith.
Can our family do multiple pledges? The kids want their own.
o OLS has the most amazing EPIC Young Adult Ministry, C.R.U. Youth Ministry, and EDGE Middle School Ministry! Families can certainly customize their pledge participation in Forward in Faith. We understand some families may want to do a single combined pledge, some will want to do a family pledge with their youth/young adult members making individual pledge commitments, and every variation in between. If you have questions regarding your family’s unique situation, please Contact Us or email us directly at [email protected].
Why now? Why are we doing this fundraising campaign at this time?
o Good question! With the Grateful Hearts campaign proceeds, we are in a unique position to leverage the funds received through the campaign and position OLS for the future. Through Forward in Faith, we will take care of some much needed renovation and upgrades on our property, rather than putting it off which results in increased future costs and opportunities lost because of deteriorating structures and equipment, inadequacy of facilities to meet our growing needs, and the inability to provide for basic congregational needs, such as the ones that will be met with our new ADA restrooms.
Why do you want us to pledge monthly instead of giving you everything we can now?
o We know that both you and OLS can experience the “power of the pledge” through Forward in Faith. Let’s say that your family desires to give generously to the Campaign. You take a look at your budget and see that if you scrimp on groceries and household items, delete all entertainment, delay your dental appointment, forego haircuts, dry cleaning, car washes and going to your friend’s birthday dinner, you can dig deep and pull together $300 as your campaign gift. Instead, what if you considered a gift of $50/month ($25/paycheck). At the Forward in Faith campaign completion you would have given a gift of $1,800!! By incorporating a monthly pledge into your budget you were able to give far more than you would have thought possible. And, it’ll keep your dentist and friend happy!
Why can’t I do my regular giving online also?
o At this time, the online giving portal is exclusively for use with gifts and pledge payments in the Forward in Faith campaign. We are looking at this as a possibility in the future. Currently, there are no changes in the ways you can complete your regular generous giving.
How can we pray for the campaign?
o Thank you for joining this most important campaign team! As we read in 1Thess1:2-3, We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope). Prayer requests would include wisdom and discernment for the development committee, unity in our parish and congregational ohana, God’s financial provision in the campaign fundraising and construction bridge loan approval, favor with the construction bid selection and permitting process, and safety for everyone involved in the demolition and construction.
I feel like I’m just scraping by. How am I supposed to do this too?
o We completely understand! As individuals and as an OLS church family, we also live on a tight budget. Please pray and ask God if He wants you to get financially involved with Forward in Faith. If He says no, please consider becoming a prayer pledge partner in the campaign. If He says yes, then ask Him how much and trust that He will provide. Most importantly, don’t give until it hurts, but be encouraged to give until it feels good.
How did you come up with the Forward in Faith campaign fundraising goal? It seems like a modest goal compared to other campaigns I’ve heard about.
o We worked with various building and consulting experts to determine the fundraising goal. They looked at what we wanted to build and the systems we needed to upgrade and helped us price everything out. Our $1.5M Forward in Faith campaign goal will pay for the entire OLS building project. The campaign budget includes goods and services ranging from architectural pre-design/design, permitting, insurance and legal fees, construction and skilled labor costs, project consultant expenses, equipment and furnishings, etc. Our development team has been working hard to develop a conservative yet realistic budget and has oversight responsibility to steward the campaign funds.
Can I donate my tax refund?
o What a great idea! Yes, absolutely! We would ask that you also prayerfully consider a Forward in Faith pledge and join in OLS campaign activities. We need creative thinkers and idea leaders like you involved as we embark on this journey.
Why are you asking everyone/me? Don’t you just need the rich people in the church?
o We need you! Income is not a barrier to participating in Forward in Faith. We are the body of Christ and the OLS ohana. Just like there are varying abilities to contribute to your household’s daily operations, there are differences within our OLS family. And, we know that family projects take family participation. We believe that if each of us seeks God regarding Forward in Faith participation, He will be faithful to show us just how and to what level He wants each person to be involved.
I want to give more, but my spouse says no. We keep arguing.
o The goal of any family project, whether that be your family at home or your OLS church family, is unity and not division. While we encourage you and your spouse to pray individually in the 30-day OLS New Year’s Resolution Challenge, it is critical that you come together following completion of the prayer challenge, share what has happened through your prayer time, and come to a joint participation decision. With this campaign we are truly moving Forward in Faith and God will bless your unified decision. Both you and your spouse agree on one amount and only one of you is inclined towards an increased gift. Your unified decision should be the one reflected in your pledge and will be gratefully accepted.
Do you have to be a parishioner to participate in the Forward in Faith campaign?
o While the OLC parishioners are being invited to engage in the campaign, we are not restricting Forward in Faith participation to only them. We love our extended OLS ohana and invite them to join us as we unite to renovate our parish hall and upgrade our systems. We have even heard stories of people asking their family and friends on the mainland to support the campaign. You may also notice that we have posted our campaign flyer in different businesses throughout the community to share Forward in Faith with our neighbors. If you want a poster for your business, just email us at [email protected].
Why are we having a campaign instead of a carnival, bake sale, or a few fundraising events to pay for the building renovations?
o A capital campaign provides the structure and framework for a multi-year, complex, pledge-based fundraising campaign to pay for large projects. Even if we had a carnival every month we would not be to raise the amount of funds we need to pay for the Forward in Faith building project. However, with a pledge-based campaign, everyone is able to participate (truly making the project ours!) and different ministries can use events to help fundraise throughout the campaign. For example, a group may gather some volunteers and sponsor a car wash, bake sale, etc. with all of the proceeds going towards the campaign. In addition to raising money for the renovations, uniting together strengthens friendships in a fun and productive way.
Check it out and let us know if there are other questions you would like us to consider including in our list. Also, if you have questions that you don’t find here or would like to discuss your unique situation, please feel free to Contact Us or email us directly at [email protected].
Why are the sound and electrical system upgrades being included in the campaign?
o Our parish hall has served us well for years, but now it needs to be renovated and upgraded for our future. It is the same for our electrical and sound system. Bundling everything together into a single construction project helps us to better steward our resources, save money and reduces the disruption to our regular operations. When the construction is completed, we will all celebrate the larger improved building and lanai, as well as benefit from system upgrades.
We just gave to Grateful Hearts. Why is the church asking me to give again?
o Forward is Faith is 100% ours! Forward in Faith is our own OLS capital campaign and all of the campaign funds will support our building project. While we are thankful for the small percentage we received from the Grateful Hearts campaign, knowing that everything given through Forward in Faith will stay here and support our OLS building project.
Can I split payments between an initial payment and pledge payments?
o You sure can! There is flexibility possible within the pledge agreement you prayerfully develop. Capital campaigns make it possible to be creative and customize a pledge agreement. Feel free to Contact Us or email us at [email protected] to talk about ideas for your personal situation.
I don’t have a lot of money. Can I do something else to support the campaign?
o Most importantly, pray. Please pray and ask God if He wants you to get financially involved with Forward in Faith. If He says no, please consider becoming a prayer pledge partner in the campaign or a campaign volunteer. If He says yes, then ask Him how much and trust that He will provide. And, if you want to get more involved than what you write down on a pledge form, we invite you to get additionally engaged with the campaign and preparing OLS for the generations to come.
Can I add my campaign payment onto my regular giving?
o Because we want to be sure that everything is credited the exact way you want it to be, we are keeping everything separated. We would encourage you to set up your campaign giving online through WeShare and continuing your regular giving as usual. Please note that only campaign giving is possible online at this time, so everything received there will be credited towards your campaign pledge. In the same way, please do not put your campaign pledge payment in the offering. While we do everything we can to ensure your giving is accurately recorded, if you see an error, please call the office so we can correct it right away.
What if my circumstances change? Lay off. Promotion. Marriage.
o We understand the one thing that is consistent in all of our lives is change. While we are asking that you prayerfully consider a three-year Forward in Faith pledge, please know that you can contact us if you need to revise your pledge due to life changes. During other campaigns, we have heard of people who have gotten married and wanted to merge and multiply pledges, people who have wanted to increase their pledge due to promotions earned and new jobs attained, and even people who experienced unfortunate restructuring in their work situations and needed to put a temporary hold on their pledge or reduce their commitment. Be assured that we are one OLS family and we will not only walk with you through all of life changes, we are there to pray with you and support you on this journey in faith.
Can our family do multiple pledges? The kids want their own.
o OLS has the most amazing EPIC Young Adult Ministry, C.R.U. Youth Ministry, and EDGE Middle School Ministry! Families can certainly customize their pledge participation in Forward in Faith. We understand some families may want to do a single combined pledge, some will want to do a family pledge with their youth/young adult members making individual pledge commitments, and every variation in between. If you have questions regarding your family’s unique situation, please Contact Us or email us directly at [email protected].
Why now? Why are we doing this fundraising campaign at this time?
o Good question! With the Grateful Hearts campaign proceeds, we are in a unique position to leverage the funds received through the campaign and position OLS for the future. Through Forward in Faith, we will take care of some much needed renovation and upgrades on our property, rather than putting it off which results in increased future costs and opportunities lost because of deteriorating structures and equipment, inadequacy of facilities to meet our growing needs, and the inability to provide for basic congregational needs, such as the ones that will be met with our new ADA restrooms.
Why do you want us to pledge monthly instead of giving you everything we can now?
o We know that both you and OLS can experience the “power of the pledge” through Forward in Faith. Let’s say that your family desires to give generously to the Campaign. You take a look at your budget and see that if you scrimp on groceries and household items, delete all entertainment, delay your dental appointment, forego haircuts, dry cleaning, car washes and going to your friend’s birthday dinner, you can dig deep and pull together $300 as your campaign gift. Instead, what if you considered a gift of $50/month ($25/paycheck). At the Forward in Faith campaign completion you would have given a gift of $1,800!! By incorporating a monthly pledge into your budget you were able to give far more than you would have thought possible. And, it’ll keep your dentist and friend happy!
Why can’t I do my regular giving online also?
o At this time, the online giving portal is exclusively for use with gifts and pledge payments in the Forward in Faith campaign. We are looking at this as a possibility in the future. Currently, there are no changes in the ways you can complete your regular generous giving.
How can we pray for the campaign?
o Thank you for joining this most important campaign team! As we read in 1Thess1:2-3, We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope). Prayer requests would include wisdom and discernment for the development committee, unity in our parish and congregational ohana, God’s financial provision in the campaign fundraising and construction bridge loan approval, favor with the construction bid selection and permitting process, and safety for everyone involved in the demolition and construction.
I feel like I’m just scraping by. How am I supposed to do this too?
o We completely understand! As individuals and as an OLS church family, we also live on a tight budget. Please pray and ask God if He wants you to get financially involved with Forward in Faith. If He says no, please consider becoming a prayer pledge partner in the campaign. If He says yes, then ask Him how much and trust that He will provide. Most importantly, don’t give until it hurts, but be encouraged to give until it feels good.
How did you come up with the Forward in Faith campaign fundraising goal? It seems like a modest goal compared to other campaigns I’ve heard about.
o We worked with various building and consulting experts to determine the fundraising goal. They looked at what we wanted to build and the systems we needed to upgrade and helped us price everything out. Our $1.5M Forward in Faith campaign goal will pay for the entire OLS building project. The campaign budget includes goods and services ranging from architectural pre-design/design, permitting, insurance and legal fees, construction and skilled labor costs, project consultant expenses, equipment and furnishings, etc. Our development team has been working hard to develop a conservative yet realistic budget and has oversight responsibility to steward the campaign funds.
Can I donate my tax refund?
o What a great idea! Yes, absolutely! We would ask that you also prayerfully consider a Forward in Faith pledge and join in OLS campaign activities. We need creative thinkers and idea leaders like you involved as we embark on this journey.
Why are you asking everyone/me? Don’t you just need the rich people in the church?
o We need you! Income is not a barrier to participating in Forward in Faith. We are the body of Christ and the OLS ohana. Just like there are varying abilities to contribute to your household’s daily operations, there are differences within our OLS family. And, we know that family projects take family participation. We believe that if each of us seeks God regarding Forward in Faith participation, He will be faithful to show us just how and to what level He wants each person to be involved.
I want to give more, but my spouse says no. We keep arguing.
o The goal of any family project, whether that be your family at home or your OLS church family, is unity and not division. While we encourage you and your spouse to pray individually in the 30-day OLS New Year’s Resolution Challenge, it is critical that you come together following completion of the prayer challenge, share what has happened through your prayer time, and come to a joint participation decision. With this campaign we are truly moving Forward in Faith and God will bless your unified decision. Both you and your spouse agree on one amount and only one of you is inclined towards an increased gift. Your unified decision should be the one reflected in your pledge and will be gratefully accepted.
Do you have to be a parishioner to participate in the Forward in Faith campaign?
o While the OLC parishioners are being invited to engage in the campaign, we are not restricting Forward in Faith participation to only them. We love our extended OLS ohana and invite them to join us as we unite to renovate our parish hall and upgrade our systems. We have even heard stories of people asking their family and friends on the mainland to support the campaign. You may also notice that we have posted our campaign flyer in different businesses throughout the community to share Forward in Faith with our neighbors. If you want a poster for your business, just email us at [email protected].
Why are we having a campaign instead of a carnival, bake sale, or a few fundraising events to pay for the building renovations?
o A capital campaign provides the structure and framework for a multi-year, complex, pledge-based fundraising campaign to pay for large projects. Even if we had a carnival every month we would not be to raise the amount of funds we need to pay for the Forward in Faith building project. However, with a pledge-based campaign, everyone is able to participate (truly making the project ours!) and different ministries can use events to help fundraise throughout the campaign. For example, a group may gather some volunteers and sponsor a car wash, bake sale, etc. with all of the proceeds going towards the campaign. In addition to raising money for the renovations, uniting together strengthens friendships in a fun and productive way.
