Building Fund
A separate Building Fund was established in 1980 when plans were formalized to build the Parish
House, now Wilkinson Center. It was felt that funds raised for construction should be held apart
from general operating expense money. There have been several appeals for funds throughout the
years which have always been met with overwhelming success. Additionally, some parishioners have left bequests to Hickory Neck, which in most cases, the Vestry has elected to use for our various building programs.
The Wilkinson Center was more than doubled in size in the late 1990s to accommodate our growing
parish's needs for education and fellowship space. Again, in 2003, growth precipitated a need for
a larger worship space and we were fortunate to receive a gift of adjoining land and were able
to purchase additional land bringing our over-all campus to 12 acres. This allowed us to plan
and construct the New Chapel consecrated in June 2006.
In each case, the congregation stepped up and provided funding for these projects which was all
channeled through our Building Fund. Prior to the construction of the New Chapel, a Capital Campaign
was conducted in October 2004. Funds were pledged over a three year period, beginning in November
2004 and winding up in October 2007. The Capital Campaign and a bequest raised over $1.2 million
toward the construction costs. This is a true testament to the faith of our parishioners and their
willingness to sacrifice to continue God's work at Hickory Neck and in our community.
Currently, the Building Fund continues to raise funds for mortgage debt service. Through
contributions
to the building fund in 2008, we were able to pay off the note on the Wilkinson Center. We
still owe on the land acquisition, and the
construction of the New Chapel. At the present time (January 2010), our total indebtedness
is $471,734.00. Considering our assets, this is not a huge amount of debt, but we must
stay vigilant and continue to add contributions to the Building Fund to service this debt. Please
prayerfully consider how you can help to decrease our debt. Contributions marked "Building
Fund" may be placed in the alms basin or mailed to the church office.
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