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The Apostle Paul’s answer? “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).
What mattered most to Paul?
The Because iT Matters generosity initiative includes our giving for our current ministry and missions and giving to enhance our facilities for gospel outreach.
Download the Informational Booklet and Commitment Card.
Pastors Kuehl and Strobel and Principal Fitzsimmons share how our Because iT Matters vision will positively impact their areas of ministry.
When did you have that defining moment, that life-changing encounter with the Savior? At your baptism? As an adult? Has it happened to you more than once? When did the cross matter to you more than anything else in the world? If you haven’t had that life-changing encounter, we pray that the cross changes you today.
God’s church is designed to be a partnership. What is your part in this partnership? What is your next step to strengthening our partnership? A commitment to regular worship? Participation in the “Following the Promise” Bible study? Joining a small group? Giving more consistently or starting a recurring gift online? Volunteering?
As we celebrate the Lutheran Reformation, we remember how much the cross and the mission of God’s church mattered to Martin Luther and the other reformers. They were willing to risk their lives for the mission. What would it look like if I were willing to risk my life (or livelihood) for the mission presented to us in Because iT Matters?
The Macedonian congregation presented the Corinthians and us with a role model of surrendered giving. They did not have much. What they did have was a “singleness of purpose.” They could only be generous if they surrendered their hopes and dreams to Christ and focused on the mission Christ had given them.
Giving brings joy to the giver, joy to the recipient, and joy to our God as he sees his children live and act like him. What gives you joy as you think about your commitment to Because iT Matters and as you pray about your initial gift on the December 3 Celebration Weekend?
We will spend the fall of 2023 sharing the vision with God’s people to determine the resources God will provide
for building expansion.
After our commitments are totaled in December 2023, we will make any changes necessary to our plans based on commitments and our ability to make mortgage payments.
In early 2024, we will develop final plans that will be presented to the congregation for approval. God willing, we will break ground in the fall of 2024 with construction completed late in 2025.
Our outreach efforts will be enhanced as our guests enter the Gathering Space and experience a comfortable, welcoming atmosphere.
The Gathering Space will also be a welcoming entrance for all our regular worshippers at the Muskego campus, a place where people connect before and after services over snacks and refreshments so that the bonds of Christian fellowship among members are strengthened.
Both worship languages will be blessed by having one staffed nursery and Kids Club in the same building as worship.
The new auditorium will provide a permanent location for The Bridge, relieving the stress of setting up hundreds of thousands of dollars of electronic equipment each week. A very large storage area for tables and chairs at the back of the auditorium will make this space flexible for a variety of uses by the congregation and community throughout the week.
All our youth will be blessed by additional classrooms for the school, by bringing Kids Club and worship into one building, and by providing a multi-use room off the Gathering Space where middle school and high school students can gather for activities outside of Sunday morning.
The Bridge MKE worshippers will benefit as $200,000 of our mission commitment is designated for remodeling or ministry enhancements at The Bridge MKE campus.
Our current vision for facilities expansion is estimated to cost about $10 million. The goal of Because iT Matters is 1) to generously fund our on-going ministry and mission efforts ($5 million over two years), and 2) to provide approximately half of the cost of the building expansion ($5 million over two years). We anticipate that, as Because iT Matters comes to a close in December 2025, we will have another generosity initiative coinciding with dedication of our new facilities to help the congregation pay down the mortgage as quickly as possible.
We are inviting you to bring your initial gift to the December 3, 2023, Celebration Weekend worship. It is our prayer that this weekend offering would be the largest single weekend offering St. Paul’s/The Bridge has ever experienced.
Because this is a “one-commitment” initiative, every gift you give over the next two years will be part of your Because iT Matters offering.
You will be able to designate your gifts as you do now for Mission and Ministry, Building Fund, Wisconsin Synod missions, Wisconsin Lutheran High School, or our various other funds.
Currently our Mission and Ministry Fund offerings are used to complete our annual commitment to the synod and high school. Going forward Mission and Ministry Fund offerings beyond what is budgeted for on-campus and off-campus ministry will be placed into the building fund.
We are asking that everyone make a two-year commitment from January 2024 through December 2025. Your initial gift at our December 3, 2023, Celebration Sunday can also be included in that two-year commitment. For tax purposes, you may choose to spread your commitments over four calendar years, from December 2023 – January 2026.
Yes. As you consider your commitment, you’ll want to factor in what you normally give on a weekly or monthly basis and then add in your expanded giving to the Because iT Matters generosity initiative.
Experience fun, Christian education with
St. Paul’s Kids Club on Sunday mornings, September to May.
