Brief History:

In late 2019, I felt the Lord was saying to gather our resources so that when he said “Build,” we would be ready to build, as opposed to Him saying “Build” and not being ready. In early 2020, COVID hit, and it made even less sense to think about, let alone plan towards, an expansion. But we persevered in faith that we had heard the voice of the Lord.

Then, from Summer 2021 through Summer 2022, we really began to grow, and I could see now that there would potentially be a need for expanding. We quickly outgrew and pushed the limits on all the physical spaces in our building and began in earnest to finalize all plans with our design-build company.

The Plan:

As we did in 2007-2008, we also made the decision to run a capital campaign, so in 2023 I began researching companies/organizations.  

By the time it’s all said and done, it will have been a 6 year process from hearing the Lord and acting on it (2020) to breaking ground and completing the expansion (2025-2026).  

Spiritual Growth:

Elim Grace has been in existence for over 50 years. Diana Desens was the daughter of one of those first founding families. My vision early on for the campaign was that we were “One Elim – Past, Present, Future.” Diana passed away in early 2024. I’d begun praying around the time that Diana passed that Jesus would give us $1 million through the capital campaign, a tall order according to data. But sometime in August, we received a check from Diana’s estate for $200,000. When I saw the amount, my faith went through the roof! I knew then and there that God could work a million-dollar miracle.

The Result:

The initial financial analysis conducted by INJOY Stewardship helped get a pulse on the church’s financial health before launching the campaign. Based on projections, their campaign goal was $800,000. Initial pledges totaled $1,400,000—nearly twice their goal—and initial gifts received at the start of the campaign totaled $262,868!

The Partnership

At some point in 2022-2023, I heard the name “INJOY.” I can’t recall how, when, or where, but I had forgotten about it. Then, one day, in the shower of all places, the name “INJOY” came to mind. I went to Google, and the rest is Elim Grace’s history. Nick Mauney’s quick, clear, and organized communication won me over, and Michael Beaumont upheld that standard. In a word, excellence made partnering with INJOY Stewardship easy. The constant checking in and being available at a moment’s notice was also invaluable.