THE FIRST
BOLD STEP
In 1852, a small group of Christians led by Rev. Andrew Tolmie, a Scottish immigrant and recent graduate in his first pastoral charge, established a brand new faith community in Melrose, Ontario, or what we know today as Innerkip. Those first church members couldn’t have known that through changes in location, leadership and liturgy, the good work that God started in them would still be thriving 172 years later. With God’s guidance and grace, we continue to prayerfully pursue What’s Next for His people in Innerkip by Introducing People to Jesus, Deepening Faith, and Serving Others until He has carried His work to completion. In recent years, our faith community has struggled to find peace in continuing that good work within a denomination that no longer aligns with many of our church’s founding core beliefs. We have known for a while that a bold step would eventually be needed in order for us to maintain the foundation of Jesus Christ upon which our church was built.
OUR
BOLD STEP
In January 2023, after an extensive process that included prayer, study, and feedback from our church family, our Elders recommended that we leave the Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC). In May 2023, a vote by our membership affirmed that recommendation, with 92% in favour of separating from the PCC. We are confident that this decision has brought peace to our church, but it comes with one major obstacle. In the PCC, the denomination owns all church buildings and assets, regardless of how much congregational money was used to acquire them. This means that everyone in a congregation could agree to leave the denomination, but they couldn’t take anything with them. The congregation would leave to start something new, but the building would still be the property of the PCC to either sell or try to continue on. Thankfully, God has provided a path forward as we take this Bold Step By Faith.
THE
PLAN
In 2021, the PCC created a limited-time window to “buy back” the building and assets at 50% of their total value if a congregation chooses to leave. We firmly believe that keeping our 33,000 square-foot building (and everything in it), as well as the 10 acres of land it sits on, is an integral part of our mission going forward, both from a ministry perspective and when we considered the cost of replacement. After multiple independent assessments, the value of our land, building and assets is $3.6 million. Based on 50% of the total value, “buying back” everything from the PCC will cost us $1.8 million. We have a financial institution that is willing to mortgage the whole amount (meaning we aren’t at any risk of losing our building), but the increased mortgage payments would significantly restrict our ministry budget. When considering all this, we’ve determined that we must raise at least $900,000 over the course of our three-year campaign. We believe God is the ultimate multiplier, and we know He already has a plan for us. It’s up to us to seek His plan and consider how we will take a Bold Step By Faith so generations from now, others can look back and be grateful that we said yes to God’s plan in Innerkip!
PLANNING YOUR
NEXT BOLD STEP.
When considering how you will participate, remember that the size of the gift isn’t what’s important, but it’s how we follow after God’s heart through our actions. All of us will have different financial situations, but God calls us to give with joy no matter what we give. Often, fear, insignificance and doubt can set in when considering how to give to a campaign like this. You may feel your gift won’t matter because it’s too small, or God may call you to give more than you expected and bring you outside your comfort zone. When these thoughts arise, remember these two pieces of encouragement:
1) Fear writes its own fiction. When we are afraid of the unknown, we create stories that don’t reflect the work God is calling us to. This is the enemy’s work, and in the name of Jesus, we call the enemy to be silent in our hearts as we pursue God’s mission in Innerkip.
2) Prayer isn’t optional; it’s essential. We should not do anything without asking God what He’s calling us to do. We’re called to give with joy and peace in our hearts, and we know those things only come through the Holy Spirit. Make sure to invite God into this process.
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