Church leadership has considered selling a parcel of land in the past. The decision has been not to pursue this option for the following reasons:

1. WE have a big vision for what The Water’s Edge will become over the next few decades. Our leadership team believes keeping our current property is critical for our future.

2. Once we sell land, we no longer control its use. This is a concern if the use is not compatible with our church.

3. One of the advantages of our location is visibility from Harrison Street. Selling the more valuable parcels of land could limit the church’s visibility.

4. The higher valued lots that have sold in the area are commercial lots. Our land is zoned residential with a special use for the church. The value of residential lots is not as high as commercial lots. Based on past communications with the city planning department, it is unlikely we would be able to obtain approval to change zoning on a corner lot from residential to commercial.

Absolutely not. WE hope adults use various spaces during the day. WE will be able to have adult Sunday morning classes, house churches, Bible studies, small groups, and community events. The large room will allow us to have a great space for funeral lunches. It will also provide overflow seating for worship. It will be a great space for a worship service, should the opportunity or need arise.

The pandemic is one of the primary reasons The Water’s Edge is launching a capital campaign:

1. During the 2020-2021 school year, our building was beyond capacity on Wednesday evenings. Our youth (sixth to twelfth grade) used all the classrooms, the conference room, and the kids’ large group area. Our children’s ministry (kindergarten to fifth grade) was limited to third grade every other week and fouth and fifth grade every other week. And they had to use the church lobby. No space was available for adults to meet during this time. This is during a pandemic. With schools getting back to closer to normal and anticipated growth in our congregation, this crowding will only get worse, and WE will miss a vital opportunity to share the Gospel with the next generation.

2. During the pandemic, many of our house churches began using the church facility for their groups. This was not the original vision for our small groups, but WE found the church facility works well for a number of our groups.

3. During the pandemic, The Water’s Edge served and earned goodwill with the community by hosting dozens of events from blood drives to galas for non-profits to school graduations. As Omaha, Gretna, and Elkhorn continue to develop around our property, many new opportunities will emerge, and WE want to be prepared to be like Jesus and “welcome the stranger.”

4. During the pandemic, the church landscape changed. People all over the world lost their habit of attending worship regularly. Being in a fast-growing area of Omaha, The Water’s Edge is well-positioned to be home to people looking for a new faith community. WE are currently experiencing this with many visitors every week. The Water’s Edge, being in a new building with new technology, was as prepared as any church for the pandemic. People are re-engaging in worship. As of August 2021, in-person attendance is two-thirds of pre-pandemic levels and continues to grow weekly.

5. During the pandemic, the generosity of the people of The Water’s Edge indicates high levels of buy-in for our vision. Generosity has increased, with 2020 annual giving 8% above 2019. During the first half of 2021, giving was 21% higher than the first half of 2020. Churches that have held steady during the pandemic are celebrating and they should be. Increases in giving like The Water’s Edge is experiencing are very rare. This generosity has resourced The Water’s Edge to do amazing things, including preparing to launch a capital campaign that expands our facilities and reduces, or even eliminates, our debt.

Schools and sports still hold Wednesday evenings as pretty sacred. Wednesday is the best night for youth and children’s ministries. Until the facilities are expanded, WE will certainly explore age-level programming on other nights. Friday and Saturday nights don’t work for most families. On Thursday the building is typically full with band practice and WE University. On Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday WE will have house churches, meetings, and other adult ministries. Other limiting factors are how many nights per week we want our staff to work (most of them have kids) and the availability of volunteers. Also, families with multiple children are also challenged to bring different children to the church building on different nights.

The first $200,000 received wil go to debt reduction regardless of construction costs. The building and leadership teams will consider options that may include adjusting the scope of the project or leaving part of the project unfinished and completed at another time.

The building team will be recruited and formed by January 1, 2022. Their purpose will be the same as the building team for our first construction project: They will work with the architect and general contractor to design the proposed addition and to develop the total budget.

The building team proposal will be presented to the leadership team for approval.

Upon leadership team approval, a special church conference will be called to present the proposed project design, scope, and budget. The church will vote on this proposal.

Due to budget constraints and significant city zoning regulations, it is unlikely the project will include a fully equipped kitchen that can be used for cooking and meal preparation.

The leadership team has listened to feedback from the First Impression Gatherings, the town hall meeting, and the feasibility study. Much feedback was received about increased kitchen facilities. Virtually all the meals served at our church events are catered. The current plan, based on the above-mentioned congregational feedback, expands our kitchen/serving area to include more refrigeration capacity, warming ovens, storage, and a larger sink.