OHB Plan

As Pastor David Filson has shared, he may be serving us as Interim Pastor, but we are not an “interim congregation!”  We have not placed a new brick on top of another for the OHB campus in over 30 years.  By comparison, the Lord has allowed for significant construction with our largest ministry, Christ Presbyterian Academy.  All of CPA’s construction has been funded through donations and financing arranged for by the academy.  

While our search committee has been diligent in their process and we are down to four candidates, we firmly believe we are being called to step forward in planning for the future.  We are also confident that all of the men that remain in consideration are seasoned with capital campaigns in their previous calls.

Our needs are significant, but we also believe they are very doable through prayer, planning, and sacrificial giving.

New Youth Building:  One only has to watch the number of 1st and 2nd graders that come down front each Sunday to “run” to their special message time with our staff.  The reality is that we have very similar numbers of children in all of the grades above and below this visible group.  We are blessed to be a church with a thriving number of young families.  As these children move to the youth age, we want them to have a place where they can grow and learn in a dynamic environment.  Operationally, the Hope House is past its useful life.  We have nursed this facility along for many years, but additional investment in this facility is not wise.  Further, we have the opportunity to partner with the Academy to develop structures that will benefit both ministries for years to come.

Dedicated Special Needs Space:  We are known all around Nashville as having one of the most robust Special Needs Ministries in the area.  And for too many years, our staff has had to “make do” working out of closets and repositioning all of our special needs equipment multiple times each week.  As the Lord leads, we would like to have a dedicated and permanent special needs space that would allow us to better serve this unique ministry. Our initial plans call for dedicated classrooms, special sensory rooms, adult changing tables, and a permanent place to store our equipment to serve these special friends of all ages.

Additional Gathering Spaces:  By God’s grace, we are one of the largest churches in the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) and yet for Sunday School teaching, we effectively have only four classrooms for adult Christian education on each Lord’s day! Further, if you come on any Tuesday morning, you will find that our powerful women’s ministry is meeting in the hallways in order to hold their small group gatherings.  Our Wednesday night programming is doubling in attendance almost every semester!  Our plans would call for a net gain of 5 additional classroom spaces as well as a flex space that could accommodate 200 people.  To accomplish this, we would move our administrative suite to be located directly above the designated special needs space in the proposed adult education center.

Funding will come from two main sources:

• Legacy Fund: This fund was established years ago through surplus giving over and above the planned operating budget.  The funds were set aside for significant, long-term projects. We believe we are at a juncture when strategic deployment of these funds makes sense. The fund currently stands at $6.5 million. 
• Capital Campaign: At the appropriate time, we will also appeal to our congregation to invest in our future through a capital campaign that will seek 100% participation.

We understand that timing is an important question. The Administrative Committee has spent months researching, discussing, and surveying to assess our facility needs and future ministry growth, in partnership with an owners architect and CPA graduate, Robert Kown. After prayerful consideration, the Session approved moving forward to the schematic design phase, authorizing up to $500,000 for this step.  These funds would come out of our Legacy Fund which currently has $6.5 million.

For this current fiscal year, we have also planned for a potential deficit.  This year’s total CPC budget anticipated a shortfall of approximately $500,000 which, if this materializes, will be covered by our $2.5 million operating reserve.  The OHB building needs project is focused on preparing for long-term ministry health and growth. Our children’s and youth ministries are thriving — and space is already tight. These facility improvements will help us serve our growing congregation well into the future. When we announce a campaign, giving toward the building initiative will be above and beyond regular tithes and offerings, allowing both our ongoing ministries and our facilities to flourish together.

We also believe that giving follows vision.  Both with this project and the future naming of our next Senior Pastor, we are excited about the future direction of Christ Presbyterian Church.

The Hope House will be removed to make way for the new Youth and Academy facilities. Ministries and groups that currently use Hope House will be relocated into existing campus spaces during construction, with minimal disruption. We will communicate details well in advance.

Once we begin, any construction will be carefully planned to minimize disruption to both church and school activities. The project team will coordinate closely with CPA to ensure safe access, clear communication, and appropriate scheduling around key ministry and school events.

First and foremost, please pray — that God would guide every decision, provide the resources needed, and use these facilities to reach and disciple many in years to come.

You can also:

• Attend upcoming informational meetings to learn more.
• Share questions, ideas, or encouragement with leadership.
• Participate joyfully in the capital campaign as you’re led.

This is a shared effort — a way for all of us to invest together in the ministry future of Christ Presbyterian Church.  While we are not yet beginning a formal capital campaign, we have already had several members who have already contributed to our future capital needs at OHB.  These gifts have all been over and above their regular tithe!  Whenever any organization begins a capital effort, it is crucial to maintain regular tithe and offerings.  If the Lord leads you to make a contribution at this time, we have already designated a “Capital Improvements - OHB” option on our OHB website.  We would joyfully receive any blessing over and above your regular giving, even before a formal campaign is announced. 

Regular updates will be shared through Sunday announcements, newsletters, and the church website. We’ll also host open Q&A sessions during key phases of the project so the congregation can stay connected and informed every step of the way.