Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Your Commitment to the Campaign

Question: When should I make my commitment and first payment?
Answer: December 18 is Commitment Sunday. We ask that you bring your commitment envelope to worship services on that day. If you will not be at church on December 18, you can use the envelope provided to mail your commitment card to the church, hand-deliver it to the church office, or drop it in the offertory basket the week before. Official collections for the “Building Our Dream” Campaign will begin on January 1, 2012.

Q: May I give assets instead of cash?
A: Donating appreciated stocks, bonds or property is, indeed, an option. In fact, a gift of assets may help you avoid paying capital gains and get a tax deduction. If you are interested in more information about this option, please contact your tax professional.

Q: How often do I pay on my commitment?
A: How much you give and when you give is up to you. You may pay your three-year commitment weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually or all at once. Your contribution is tax deductible (to the extent allowed by law). Be sure to indicate ”Building Our Dream” Campaign in the memo section of your check when making a payment on your commitment. If you plan to pay on your commitment in cash, be sure to write your name and phone number on the “Building Our Dream” Campaign envelopes available at church. You also have the option to pay by credit card or have your payment drawn directly from your checking account. Please use our Auto-Tithe form to take advantage of this easy, quick and reliable option.

Q: How is my Campaign commitment different from my Sunday offering?
A: Your “Building Our Dream” Campaign commitment is in addition to what you already give to Unity of Phoenix. Both gifts are essential to the life of this ministry: one to keep Unity of Phoenix moving forward, the other to fulfill our dream and vision. Unity of Phoenix is completely sustained by your weekly tithes and giving. These gifts pay for our recurring monthly expenses (i.e., staff salaries, utilities and ministry costs). We cannot deliver the current level of services without your continued commitment to this general fund Your “Building Our Dream” Campaign commitment, on the other hand, will be devoted to the implementation of Vision 2020.

Q: What if I have strong feelings about certain aspects of the Campaign?
A: Our church leadership has worked very hard to listen to the congregation and create a plan that will best serve this ministry. As such, our preference is that you make your donation to the Vision 2020 general development fund, and allow our leadership to decide how the money will be allocated. However, some of you have expressed strong preferences for either debt reduction or building/improving our grounds. In light of this, we are offering an option to personally select your preference, if you are so inclined.

VISION 2020 - Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Will there be a sign on the corner of Greenway and 16th Street?
Answer: Yes. We are working with a landscape architect to design and entry feature that will include a digital sign that can promote upcoming events and provide inspirational messages.

Q: What if I can’t give much money?
A: We feel that it is important for everyone to be involved in Vision 2020. Every gift will bring us that much closer to fulfilling our dream. Whatever you are able to give will be lovingly accepted, and will make a difference.

Q: Can we have a coffee shop in the courtyard?
A: We are looking into the possibility of this.

Q: Will there be separation between the soccer fields and the sanctuary?
A: Yes. A wall and landscaping will surround the Unity Spiritual Center (all the buildings and grounds used by the church). These will provide an aesthetic means to block traffic noise from Greenway and separate those areas used by the church from the rest of the grounds.
Q: What is going to happen to the bricks that are currently in the courtyard?
A: The bricks will be preserved and incorporated into the design.

Q: Will there be places to sit in the courtyard?
A: Yes. We planning various types of seating to encourage people to come to the campus and enjoy the courtyard not only on Sundays, but throughout the week.

Q: When are we going to begin implementing Phase 1?
A: We will be able to answer this question once we have the commitments from the congregation. Since we are not going to incur further debt for Phase 1, we will need to see how much money we raise and the timeframe in which we will collect it. We will continue to keep you updated as we move through the process. We are hoping to start some of the improvements during the first part of the year.

Question: How many dinners are you having?
Answer: We have scheduled 32. We have changed the Sunday evening dinners to luncheons immediately following the 11 am service to make it convenient for people who travel from far away to attend.

Question: Do I have to be invited to dinner?
Answer: YOU ARE ALL INVITED – PLEASE SIGN UP IN THE COURTYARD AFTER SERVICE or email katieowilliams@gmail.com with a date that works for you.

Question: What happens at the dinner?
Answer: As people arrive we chat and get to know each other. We have pray in and dinner is served. We sit and enjoy dinner and each others company and then the leadership explains in more detail about Vision 2020 Building our Dream and then it is an opportunity for those in attendance to give us feedback about what they think. Very informal and a great way to get to know more people in your Unity Community.

Question: Am I expected to bring money to the dinner?
Answer: NO. The host has graciously donated the dinner. You are not asked for money at the dinner but rather to go into prayerful discernment about what your role and contribution should be for Vision 2020.

Question: What is included in Phase I?
Answer: Construction of the Chapel, Entry feature/sign on Greenway, Remodeled courtyard, Landscape Improvements around the campus, Contingency Fund for major repairs of Buildings and Restructuring of the current loan.

Question: When do we start?
Answer: We will begin construction when the funds are available. Some people have and will opt to give their gift up front, others will make a commitment over the next three years. We will begin once we know that we have the funds to complete each project. We are hoping to have enough up front money to begin construction the first of the year.

Question: What is the cost of the chapel?
Answer: Approximately $1.3 million dollars.

Question: What is included in ‘Phase I’?
Answer: The proposed features of Phase I include:
• An entry feature to our campus;
• Courtyard expansion and improvements;
• Construction of a Chapel/Multi-Purpose Building;
• The creation of a reserve fund for major repairs and the
replacement of large capital items on our current facilities; and
• Restructuring/reducing our current debt.

Question: How much debt do we currently have?
Answer: Unity of Phoenix currently has two mortgage loans totaling $2.225 million. The first — a $1.875 million loan — has a balloon payment due April 2014. The second — a $375,000 loan — has a due date of April 2015. We are working to refinance into a longer-term, fully-amortized loan that we can pay off through regular monthly installments.

Question: Are we going to borrow money to build Phase I?
Answer: No. We are not going to accrue any further debt. The reason for the “Building Our Dream” campaign is to raise enough funds to complete Phase I.

Question: Can I make a donation prior to the end of this year to take advantage of a 2011 tax deduction?
Answer: ABSOLUTELY! Just fill out your commitment card and either include a check or mark clearly on the card that you would like your donation automatically deducted prior to December 31, 2011.

Question: Will the proposed Chapel produce any revenue?
Answer: The primary purpose for building the Chapel is to provide space to meet our congregation’s needs. However, the addition of a Chapel and Courtyard improvements will give us the ability to host outside events (such as weddings and meetings), which could be a potential income source for the church.

Question: Why not build the Sanctuary that was part of the overall plan and use the current Sanctuary for meeting space?
Answer: Given the current economic environment, we felt it was important to create the most cost-effective solution possible to our current space needs. Phase I is a much less expensive option.