Our current building is too small for our needs, and purchasing a new building in Green Square, along with fitting it out for future use, would likely cost between $12-18 million. While nothing is impossible with God, we believe leasing is a wiser option at this time. We do plan to purchase our current building (937 Bourke St) in the future to use for kids and youth ministry. For adult ministry, we anticipate using the auditorium of the new school across the road on Young St, once it is completed. The school's current estimated completion date is 2029, though it may be delayed.

For the past decade, we’ve set aside funds each year for a future capital purchase. While we could reallocate these funds to cover the fit-out of 5/5-15 Epsom Rd, we believe that would be short-sighted. First, our long-term plan is to buy 937 Bourke St, so we want to reserve these funds for that purpose. Second, maintaining a strong cash reserve ensures we can continue to meet our rental obligations, even if there is an unexpected drop in regular church giving.

Our goal is to raise $1.45 million in pledges by the end of 2024. With our adult membership currently at 418, this means that if every member pledged $3,500, we would exceed our target. However, we recognize that not everyone can give the same amount, and we trust God will move some to give more and others to give less. Our focus is on equal sacrifice, not equal gifts. If we don’t meet the target by the end of December 2024, we’ll continue encouraging generosity in the following year and invite new members to contribute.

We seriously considered renovating, but the costs were prohibitive. Additionally, council regulations meant that even after renovations, the space would still be inadequate to meet the future needs of our entire church.

We’ve been advised that certain church activities, such as our Sunday School (kids and youth ministry), meet the Australian Tax Office’s (ATO) criteria for religious education. We have applied to have this fund endorsed as a tax-deductible gift recipient. While it may take a few months to receive confirmation, we’re optimistic about a favourable outcome. Although not all of the initial fit-out expenses can be covered using tax-deductible gifts, we can use these donations to cover a portion of the ongoing lease costs at 5/5-15 Epsom Rd. Over the length of the lease, we can utilise up to $1.45 million in tax-deductible gifts. For non-deductible expenses, we will rely on gifts to the non-deductible building fund and our cash reserves.

All giving at Grace City is confidential. As with regular church giving, only the finance team, Lead Pastor, and bookkeepers will have access to this information. If you give to the tax-deductible fund, it’s important that your gift is not anonymous so we can provide you with a receipt.

While this campaign may not directly impact you at Rockdale, it will significantly impact future Grace City attendees. Expanding our space allows more people to come through our doors and deepen their relationships with God and others.

Yes. This campaign is not a gift to yourself. It’s about being generous to others by helping to create a home for them, in the same way that others have been generous and helped create a home for you.

Yes. Grace City’s daily operations depend on regular giving, so we encourage you to continue or start giving regularly to support that work. Giving to this project should be an additional contribution. If you’re not yet giving regularly, please start here first: gracecity.com.au/give, and then consider giving to the building fund as well.

Of course not! We are inviting anybody who wants to create a Home for the Harvest and feels moved by God to contribute to this campaign. That might include regular attenders of Grace City, occasional livestreamers, together with friends and family. If you have Christian parents or grandparents, and particularly if they’ve witnessed you grow and transform through your time at Grace City, why not consider inviting them to contribute? Give them this booklet and see what God does.

Lord willing, we hope to move into the new space by October or November 2025. Please pray for God’s guidance and provision as we move forward.