Why does Riverwood want to buy the property?

Two Reasons: Our Mission & Good Stewardship

#1: Our Mission

Riverwood’s mission from the very beginning has been to invite spiritually disconnected people to ﬁnd and follow Jesus. This mission is not dependent upon a building, but rather upon God’s Spirit working through us as followers of Jesus to “love like Jesus loved and live like Jesus lived.”

However, we live in a region of the U.S. where “church” is deﬁned as a group of people who worship in a particular building. We believe that in order to continue to accomplish this mission of “building lives”, a dedicated building would be a helpful tool toward this end. Already, in the two years we have occupied this building, we have seen our space used for:

one-on-one counseling and discipleship
two weekly Growth Groups for spiritual growth,
a monthly city-wide women’s discussion group,
numerous meetings (including community groups),
the Area Education Agency for work experience opportunities for at-risk teens,
and a new Film & Theology discussion group.

Not to mention our weekly Worship Gatherings, where anyone from the general public is invited to attend and hear the gospel. And we believe with time, we will utilize this building even more to help make Jesus-followers who will help make more Jesus-followers.

#2: Good Stewardship

By owning the property, we lower our monthly payments, allowing $750/mo more to go towards further ministry, such as overseas missions, outreach, discipleship, staﬃng, church planting, or more.

Azlyn McCarthy - Missionary to Togo

A Guided FAQ from Riverwood Church

What are we doing?

We are holding a capital campaign called Building Lives from April 24 until May 29.

A capital campaign? For what?

On January 23, 2022, the Riverwood Partners voted 23-4 to give permission to the Finance Team to pursue a purchase agreement with Waverly Holdings (current owners of the property we lease at 2704 5th Ave NW) and investigate loan options with an interest rate of no larger than 6%.

So, we want to buy the building. What is the purchase price & down payment?

We are seeking to raise at least $50,000 to meet a matching grant of $50,000 to make a $100,000 down payment on the purchase of the building. The purchase price is $400,000, and the bank requires a 25% down payment.

What are we currently paying?

We currently pay $2,300/mo ($27,600/yr), plus property tax of approximately $690/mo ($8,280/yr) under the three-year lease we signed at the end of February 2020.

Would purchasing the building lower our monthly payments?

Yes! If we secure a loan at 5%, we would pay $1,980/mo ($23,760/yr). We would also eliminate property taxes (since a church would own the building). Insurance would increase $2,000 to $3,000/yr, meaning we would save roughly $9,000/yr ($750/mo).

What happens if we don’t raise the full amount?

To be honest - we don’t know. The Elder Team would probably pray about ideas to bring to our Riverwood Partners. It is worth noting Waverly Holdings would allow us to sign another lease.

What happens if we raise more than the $50,000?

Glad you asked! There is a lot we want and need to do with the building. We have decided any additional funds would be used as such:

$10,000 = Gathering Space upgrades
- Chairs
- Acoustical treatments
$20,000 = Exterior Improvements
- Repainting the front of the building
- Landscaping
- Parking lot lights
$30,000 = More Gathering Space upgrades
- Sound system designed for room (and upgrade aging equipment)

Why wouldn’t we just use additional funds to pay down the loan?

For every $10,000 added to the down payment, we would only lower our monthly payment by an estimated $63/mo ($756/yr). While paying off the loan sooner is desirable, we feel the improvements are a better use of funds at this time.

Do we need to donate by May 29?

No. To give time for those who want to creatively raise funds to give (sell stock, personal fundraisers, short-term second job, earn “side-hustle” funds, etc.), we are asking all funds to be given by July 3.

I’m in! How do I give?

Pay by Check:
You can drop off or mail a check to 2704 5th Avenue NW, Waverly, IA 50677. Make sure to write "Building Lives Campaign" in the memo.

Give Online: (please note, online giving costs us a 1% fee)

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