In 2013 New Life Church received a generous donation of $100,000. The donor requested that the funds would be used to improve the ministry of New Life Church through physical improvements to our building, grounds or equipment. The donation was not to be used for regular church ministry expenses that are usually covered by our yearly budget.
We are very grateful for the generosity and for the opportunities which come with those designated funds. Our first project was to update our aging computer system in the church. We purchased a server and updated many of our computers in 2014. Then in 2015 we purchased much needed new chairs for the auditorium.
We have been hoping for some time to upgrade New Life’s roadside sign so we began to work towards using some of the donated funds to purchase a new sign.
The original sign dates back to when the building was first built in 1994. It matched the ministry well then and has served the church and community for over 20 years. This original sign has slowly needed more repairs over the years and has needed more maintenance and is now difficult to change the lettering. The internal lighting currently needs to be replaced. The look of the sign was perfect for the time it was created but now it is outdated.
We began working with sign companies two years ago contacting five companies to submit proposals for the design and build of a new sign. We narrowed it down to 2 companies and then chose to continue with one – Pattison Signs. Pattison Signs is an established and reputable sign company in this area that has made many great looking signs in Abbotsford. Their products are high quality, they provide great service and fair pricing. We have worked with them on a proposal and have made numerous design changes to try and produce a quality, contemporary, and affordable sign that would last for another 20 years.
The design we have now meets the above criteria. Our finance team, as well as the Board of Elders have reviewed the sign proposal and approved it. This new sign will cost roughly $44,000 which will be paid for by the donated funds (not from the budget) and we hope to have it in place before September. Some of the work towards the new sign will be done by our members and so we will save some funds there. We are very grateful for God’s provision through the donation for this project. We are excited to share with the congregation what the new sign will look like.
The sign will be a little shorter than our current sign but the same width. Since it will be mounted on the same concrete mounting pad as the old sign we will save the costs of removing the old concrete pad and building a new one. The sign was designed to be uncluttered and clear so that the primary message of the sign will be clearly seen by all who pass by.
It will have a digital message centre that will allow us to change the sign message more frequently. That way, we can communicate to the community what we are about and they will know they are always welcome. Our website address is also on the sign and we have recently updated our website – all the information a visitor or community member would want to know about the church is there.
The body of the sign is made of aluminum and it will have internal LED lighting to illuminate the sign at night. The same logo and colours we use on all communications, including our website, will be on the sign, as will the Christian Reformed Denominational logo, to identify us with our denomination. New Life Korean will also be well represented on the sign with their own illuminated church name.
We are currently finalizing some of the design details and will let the congregation know when the new sign will be installed.