Download - Foothills Christian Life Center Initiative
The Time Is Now!
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
Pioneer missionary to inland China
James Hudson Taylor rightly
observed that every work of God has
three stages:
1. Impossible
2. Difficult
3. Done
If we could discover the where,
when, and how of God’s leading on
our own, we would never know if we
were doing his work or merely
following our own ambi on.
Instead, we believe that God uses
ordinary individuals like us to do
extraordinary things by his power,
with his provision, and for his glory.
In so doing, God calls us to do things
that are beyond our resources and
abili es, so that by trus ng him for
the resources and ability, we may
accomplish what otherwise would be
impossible.
Yes, the harvest is a big place! While
it’s true that any place is a good place
for ministry, we believe that God
isolates specific places of his
choosing for his servants to work.
We also believe that “this” place is
“our” place, because God has
pressed it heavily upon our hearts
(see Acts 16:6‐10).
Gree ngs Dear Friends,
We’re deeply honored to share the
contents of this booklet with you.
We established Laborers Together in
1992 to make disciples of Jesus Christ
wherever and however the Lord directs,
with whatever the Lord supplies, and
with whomever will join us in the work.
During the past 20 years the Lord has
used this ministry to establish new
churches, strengthen struggling
churches, assist other mission agencies,
and to preach the Gospel in more than
twenty na ons on four con nents.
The informa on contained in this
pamphlet describes the burden God has
placed on our hearts for the residents of
Fulton County, NY and the city of
Johnstown.
Fulton County has a popula on of
55,000 of which 12,000 reside in
Johnstown largely without a gospel
witness.
Laborers Together is a 501 (c) (3) non‐profit
mission agency of evangelical Chris an
convic on. We are a Christ‐centered and Bible‐
based ministry.
Local
The Lord has burdened us to evangelize Fulton County in the scenic
Adirondack Foothills Region of Upstate New York. We have spent much of our
lives here, including 14 years of pastoral ministry. We reside in the city of
Gloversville adjacent to the city of Johnstown. Both ci es represent the
strategic heart of the county.
Immediate
Spiritual Landscape: Recent polling (Associa on of Religious Data Archives)
based on the 2010 census indicates that among Fulton County’s 55,000
residents, only 14,557 are affiliated with any Chris an denomina on. This
means that only 26% of all residents are Chris an by affilia on. The Roman
Catholic church is the main Chris an block with 7,963 members. This means
that 55% of the 26% (affiliated Chris ans) are Catholic. Evangelical Chris ans
represent only 1‐2% of the total Chris an popula on.
Past Trending: The past decade has witnessed a 40% decline in church
membership! Remarkably, this means that 9,019 people have been added to
the county’s growing un‐churched popula on. Going back to the 1980 census,
there were 30,198 church members in Fulton County with no significant
popula on change (55,153). During this 30‐year period the number of
Chris ans declined by 15,827. This is a staggering 54% reduc on! During this
same period the Roman Catholic church experienced a 49% decline in
membership. That’s a net loss of 7,549 members!
Present Opportunity: In response to a declining membership, the Albany
Diocese has merged several parishes. Four years ago six Roman Catholic
congrega ons became two, one in the city of Gloversville and the other in the
city of Johnstown. Valuable proper es were vacated and offered for sale. One
property is now a commercial business. What follows concerns another
property that is presently available to us.
The Challenge
The Response Our burden is to reach the most people using the best available means. To be
relevant to the unaffiliated, we must provide ministry that effec vely
demonstrates the relevance of the Gospel message to the everyday lives of
people. The former Roman Catholic church property located on 9 Nicholas
Street (Johnstown, NY) is ideally suited for hos ng a mul ‐purpose gospel
outreach center.
The Foothills Chris an Life Center will offer Fulton County, and more directly
the ci es of Gloversville and Johnstown, a community (family life) center
where meaningful rela onships can develop with a Chris an emphasis. The
median age is 40 among the 12,000 residents living within a three‐mile radius
of the Center. This is a residen al area with elementary, middle and high
schools in close proximity. A community college with an enrollment of 2,800
students is also nearby.
A er four years of prayerfully seeking God’s leading, we are taking the
following steps by faith:
1. To incorporate the ministry of the Foothills Chris an Life Center as a Religious Corpora on in Fulton County, NY.
2. To locate facili es suitable to accommodate the vision God has
given for reaching the ci es of Gloversville and Johnstown and the
greater Fulton County vicinity with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
3. To secure an acceptable offer on the facili es and trust God for
the provision of the purchase price.
4. To communicate our vision to current and prospec ve partners in
this ministry.
5. To recruit individuals who will mul ply our efforts as we seek
God’s provision of the needed resources.
“God’s work, done God’s way, will never lack God’s supply.”
—James Hudson Taylor
The 9 Nicholas Street campus contains two facili es totaling 22,000 sq. . with
a large paved parking lot. The proper es, in good condi on and originally
listed for $290,000, can be purchased for $125,000 (an incredible $5.68/sq. .)
The Center will be a place where the Gospel can intersect lives that have no
effec ve evangelical witness. To that end, the Center is commi ed to five R’s
of ministry:
1. RELEVANT: Demonstra ng the love of Christ through compassionate care that addresses the physical and emo onal needs of the community (Luke 19:10).
2. RELATIONAL: Building meaningful rela onships as the founda on for presen ng the claims of Jesus Christ clearly and effec vely (Ma 11:19b).
3. REDEMPTIVE: Making disciples of Jesus Christ who are commi ed to living lives that please him (Ma 16:24).
4. RESTORATIVE: Helping disciples who have wandered from the Lord or have suffered from unhealthy local church experiences (Luke 22:31‐32).
5. REPRODUCTIVE: Equipping disciples to grow spiritually by training them to become effec ve witnesses of Jesus Christ and competent defenders of the faith (Eph 4:12; 2 Tim 2:2).
We are trus ng God to permit these facili es to accommodate a er school programs for children, youth recrea onal events, summer Day Camps, Chris an concerts and conferences, Alpha Course small group evangelis c mee ngs, and the local church ministry of New Life Bible Fellowship. Our desire is that these facili es will accommodate a non‐residen al City Mission to address the physical needs of many area residents in need of basic necessi es. Breakthrough Counseling Associates will offer pastoral counseling to biblically address destruc ve lifestyles. The Foothills Center for Biblical Studies will offer basic and advanced training to equip disciples for ministry.
“...make disciples of all na ons…” (Ma 28:19)
The Foothills Chris an Life Center
The Time is Now!
The Albany, NY Diocese has
accepted our offer and agreed to
sell the proper es for a
remarkable $125,000.
However, because the Foothills
Center is a new ministry with no
financial history, a bank loan
cannot be secured. For the same
reason, the Diocese (seller) will
not owner‐finance.
We have 90 days.
This means we must raise the
full purchase price to secure the
proper es on a debt –free basis.
My Commitment Name(s) Phone
Address
City State Zip
You may make a secure online credit card dona on using the Capital Campaign link on the home page of our website: h p://www.sent2all.com.
□ Here is my gi toward the purchase price. $
□ Here is my monthly gi for opera ng costs. $
Laborers Together is a 501 (c) (3) ministry. All dona ons are acknowledged by receipt and tax‐deduc ble for the current year.
Please detach this card and send your check payable to:
THANK YOU!
LABORERS TOGETHER 10 5th Avenue Gloversville, NY 12078
“Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months,
then comes the harvest?’ Look, I tell you, li up
your eyes, and see that the fields are white for
harvest.” John 4:35 ESV
DOUGLAS & SALLY BLANC
LABORERS TOGETHER 10 5th Avenue
Gloversville, NY 12078 (518) 332‐3695 | douglasblanc@fron er.com
h p://www.sent2all.com