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MASCARO BUILDING FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 

Victory has been presented with an offer that appears to be God’s means of enabling us to expand our ministry farther and sooner than if we were to proceed with construction at 601 North Park Avenue. Several issues remain to be resolved before an agreement can be finalized, but the prospects are exciting!

Where is the building? The proposed facility is the first floor of the J. P. Mascaro & Sons headquarters building at 2650 Audubon Road, Norristown, PA 19403. The building sits alongside Route 422 and is very close to the expressway’s Trooper exit. This location would greatly increase our visibility and accessibility, putting us well within a 20-minute Sunday morning drive of over 380,000 people! The location may prove to be even more advantageous if new exit ramps are added at the Trooper exit, and with the opening of the American Revolution Center at the next exit. Also, the location is close enough to our current property that it shouldn’t be too far for most of our current attendees, and it will be even closer to home for many.

How much room would we have? The first floor is 45,000 square feet. The proposed construction on Park Avenue would add only 11,000 square feet to the existing 9,000. We have always acknowledged that the construction would not really give us enough room. The Mascaro building would allow us sufficient space not only for current needs, but for even greater growth and additional ministries, such as a daycare, conferences, and seminars. Instead of a 460-seat sanctuary, we will have a 600-seat sanctuary, plus the space we need for children and youth ministries. The Mascaro building offers a kitchen and the lobby and gathering space we really need. Also, the site has 288 parking spaces, with perhaps more available when needed in the nearby corporate park.

How much will it cost? Mr. Pat Mascaro has offered to refurbish the building and lease it to us for $40,000 per month. That sounds like a lot of money, but it’s around half off the normal rent for office space in our region, and considerably less than the $70,000 per month Mr. Mascaro is certain he could get. Furthermore, Mr. Mascaro offered to help us finance the cost by purchasing our Park Avenue property from us for its current value. Remember, as a point of comparison, if we move forward with building on Park Avenue, we will have a mortgage of about $30,000 per month for 30 years.

Shouldn’t we keep our property? We will not be able to afford this lease opportunity if we do not sell our property. Regarding equity, if we build on Park Avenue with a $3.5 million mortgage, we really won’t have any equity in the property for many years. People generally feel more secure with owning property, but it’s not always the best option for families or for churches. Many of the fastest growing churches meet in rented facilities for years, until attendance is in the thousands, before building. We already know for a fact that the Park Avenue location will not accommodate the vision God has given us and that we would eventually need to leave it. Our building plans would help us step up from meeting in the high school, and we will proceed if we must, but we know that the location is extremely limiting due to its size, slope, and location. God seems to be offering us a way to skip past the limitations of our property.

What about our building fund pledges? Obviously, facilities expenses remain. Not all the changes needed to turn an office building into a church will be paid for by Mr. Mascaro. We would still be responsible for stage lighting, sound, and other worship and educational space equipment. Some of what has been given has been spent on capital needs and building plans already. Further, as soon as practicable, we would need to begin saving for the next phase of ministry. We have always attempted to frame our appeals in reference to the mission and vision of Victory, not just to bricks and mortar. The bottom line is that our continued mission, wherever we are, requires our continued financial support. We must see our giving as an investment in the people we will reach for the eternal glory of God, not just buildings.

What is God saying to us? God has been saying, as I have repeated quite often, that when we do what we can do with our building situation, then God will do what He can do. Prophet Dale Mast gave us that word from the Lord a number of years back. Recently, on May 30, 2008, at the Glory in the City conference in Philadelphia, Bob Hazlett prophesied, “That property isn’t big enough to do what God’s going to do. It’s not big enough to hold the glory of God. It’s not big enough to hold the presence of God. And I hear the Lord say, ‘Don’t even worry if you have to rent a place for a while.’ …God’s going to move you closer to the highway, closer to the interstates. He’s going to move you closer because God’s calling you to be a regional church…. He’s going to put you down closer to the Blue Route.” After Senior Architect Todd Phillippi and I toured the Mascaro building, during a time of prayer Mr. Phillippi felt God saying that He was providing this opportunity right now so that we can be focused on ministry rather than on building a building over the next year and a half. Because our nation seems poised on the edge of a new wave of revival, it would be too bad to miss our opportunity because we are waiting to build our own facility when God is providing something else now.

What are our next steps? The pastor and official board’s authority to negotiate and close a deal has been affirmed by the congregation of Victory Christian Fellowship. The following motion was passed at the Annual Business Meeting, which took place on Sunday, July 27:

The Assembly of Victory Christian Fellowship hereby authorizes the Pastor and Board to execute the sale of the property at 601 North Park Avenue and to enter into a lease agreement for the use of the J. P. Mascaro and Sons headquarters building at 2650 Audubon Road, Norristown, PA. The Pastor and Board are authorized to negotiate the terms of the lease and sale, or to withdraw from such negotiations if they deem it necessary.

This motion is written in such a way that the pastor and board can finalize an agreement, but also withdraw from moving forward if it becomes clear that a change is not in the best interests of Victory Christian Fellowship and our mission. If we do move forward, we will probably be in our new building by December 2008, rather than December 2009!

We are on the verge of great things for the glory of God!

In His service with you,

Pastor Ed