Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. - 2 Corinthians 9:7

Nicholasville United Methodist Church embarked on a fund-raising campaign entitled “Building with Community at Heart” to provide much-needed space and building improvements for the church family and the community. This page chronicles the process as our building addition is being constructed.

---

MISSION

In its third century, Nicholasville United Methodist Church seeks to fulfill its mission to glorify God by:

• Inviting and leading people to Jesus and membership in His family.
• Developing Christlike maturity.
• Equipping all for ministry in the church and in the world.

In keeping with that mission, the church is launching a remodeling and expansion project that will increase accessibility for those with disabilities and will provide more fellowship and classroom space for the church and community.

---

THE NEED

The church needs to grow with the county. Jessamine’s population, 39,041, grew 28 percent since 1990, 49 percent since 1980. The proposed building project will help the church meet the requirements of its current membership while providing a means for attracting new members.

• The current building is a barrier to residents with disabilities. Currently, a wheelchair user cannot move among classrooms, the sanctuary, and the fellowship hall.
• The existing fellowship hall is deficient in size, furnishings, storage, air conditioning, and kitchen facilities. Sunday school rooms are inadequate in number, space, storage, and appearance.
• The youth room does not meet the needs of an active group. It is deficient in size, storage, security, and appearance.
• The pastor and administrative staff are challenged by poor space and other limitations.
• The music ministry is hampered by a lack of rehearsal space.

---

HISTORY OF GROWTH

The history of Nicholasville is intertwined with Nicholasville United Methodist Church. The Methodist minister, Rev. John Metcalf, who founded the church also founded the city. The church, organized in 1798 and built in 1799, has been at the heart of the community in a mission of faith that has expanded with each turn of the shovel.

• 1846: The original frame building was replaced with a new brick sructure
• 1886: extensively remodeled church (at a $14,000 cost) was dedicated.
• 1921: Fire destroyed the church.
• 1922: Present sanctuary completed.
• 1963: The $65,000 education building was started on the Powell land behind the church. It was dedicated in 1968.

Forty years have passed since major improvements were made to our education and fellowship facilities. Improvements have not kept pace with the development of our programs and services.

---

STUDY AND PREPARATION

Hours of volunteer work has gone into planning and designing the proposed building project. In 1999, church task forces and/or building committees studied our ministries and facilities. The study identified our needs as: a larger, improved fellowship hall; additional Sunday school rooms; new offices for administration and staff; improved accessibility; exterior improvements; and improvements to circulation flow. Solutions were investigated, space additions were calculated according to needs, estimates were obtained and designs and plans were formulated. A charge cnference in April 2002 adopted a plan to complete the expansion in phases. The current Capital Campaign is nearing its end and the Building Committee has contracted with an architect to bring our dream to reality. Our next step involves a Recommittment Campaign scheduled for early November 2005. Our goal is to break ground in 2006!

---

PRUDENT GROWTH

The decision to expand and renovate was made with careful consideration of needs and resources. The decision to move forward after our capital campaign will be made with the same consideration. The church will not take from current ministry or operating funds to finance the project. The church will not incur long-term debt with substantial interest costs.

---

THE FUTURE

The future of Nicholasville United Methodist Church and its mission depends on the congregation’s solutions to the needs. Without the remodeling and expansion project, the church will miss an opportunity to bring more people to Christ. The church will risk stagnancy, if not decline, despite the community’s growth in population. The tie that has bound the church to the community’s heart for two centuries could be weakened if not severed.

---

THE CAMPAIGN

The capital fund-raising drive, “Building with Community at Heart,” will generate the funds to pay for renovation project’s phases. The first three-year financial commitments, from 2003 to 2005, have raised over $300,000 to date. Our second-phase Recommitment Campaign was designed to invite every household in our church to participate and share in this ministry. The first step was (and is) prayer. We prayed daily for the campaign, for participants, and for this project. Members prayed to determine the extent of individual involvement. The success of the Recommitment Campaign in conjunction with several generous one-time gifts allowed the congregation to move forward and begin construction and bring this phase of our dream to fruition. Praise God!

---

CONSTRUCTION!!!

After a highly anticipated groundbreaking ceremony, construction on Phase II of our building expansion plan began in March 2007. Completion of the new Multipurpose Facility is expected to take approximately 1 year. Everyone at NUMC looks forward to a dedication ceremony that will be open to the entire community. We will add more soon. The progress of our building is highlighted through a photo slideshow that can be viewed at http://www.numcky.org/buildinggallery.htm