JON ALLEN

Well, we had hoped to sign the lease on Friday, but the lawyers are still working out the kinks. So we are hoping to sign tomorrow or Wednesday. Just to keep you updated...

Howdy y'all. After a couple of days of work we have the building for the new West Campus cleaned out and ready for people who actually know what they are doing to make something of it! Check out the photo albums below to see the progress...

Before Cleaning
After Cleaning

Jess and I tried a new pizza and wings place and it is awesome for several reasons... (It is in the same place Buck's was before it closed down)

1. It is called "A Slice of Heaven".
2. Both the pizza and wings are very good.
3. Their prices are reasonable.
4. $1 of every sale goes to a Charity or Church of the customer's choosing. (Yes, you can have it go to High Rock)
5. They give church youth groups one free pizza party a year.
6. Plus pastors can get a pastor's card which gives them two free pizzas a month!

Definitely check this place out, you can support a christian business, HRCC and your own health all at the same time!

Good news, the loan closing went great! That part is a done deal, now we just have to sign the lease. We are hoping to be ready to do that on Tuesday or Wednesday.

To keep everyone updated, the closing for the loan on the East Campus expansion and the West Campus upfit is happening as I type. Please pray that everything goes well. As most of you know, a loan closing is nerve racking because you never know what to expect.

If everything goes well today we are set to sign the lease for the West Campus early next week. We were hoping to do that today as well, but the lawyers are still finalizing all of the elements. Prayers are needed. Thanks!

Yesterday I spent the whole day over at the new West Campus building with some hard-working volunteers throwing out garbage, removing drop-ceiling, pulling up carpet, taking whips out of the ceiling, and a lot more. Thanks to Tom, Nate, Brandon, Justin, and Tim for working your tails off. We almost got all of our prep work done in one day too, so close. One dumpster is completely full and there are a few piles of junk still sitting in there waiting to be thrown out when the new dumpster comes. Sorry, I meant to take pictures but forgot to bring the camera. I will try to remember next time. Once we get a comprehensive list of our core families I will be sending out emails every time we do something like this so everyone can get involved.

Progress is being made, bit by bit.

There are going to be some really great upgrades coming to our website pretty soon. We use a company called CloverSites to host our site. They currently offer the best service in the industry at the best cost. But because they are the greatest, they are adding a bunch of new features that will make our website even more effective. Some of the new features will be a new media player that will show video as well, improved podcasting, photo albums, slideshows, form pages, password protected pages, in-site linking, and much more. The best part is that the cost to current customers is $0.00! These guys are doing some great things for churches across the country.

If you are a super-nerd like me, check out the upgrade website.

As most of you know we finally were able to let the cat out of the bag and tell everyone where the Salisbury West Campus will be meeting. It was a long process of looking and negotiating, but we have agreed to a lease on the former Winn-Dixie grocery store building on Jake Alexander Blvd. next to the YMCA. It is definitely an understatement to say that I am excited about this location! We will start in the end unit where Eckerd used to be, but the lease includes the agreement to hold the grocery store for 15 months then give us the option to purchase the whole shootin' match.

It is exactly what we need to do the ministry God has called us to. However, there is a lot of work to be done. I am hoping to keep my blog updated regularly with pictures and progress as well as reports on our timeline and ministry opportunities. (I understand if you don't believe me about regular posts based on past history, but I only promised to try...) Stand by...

On Sunday when the vote passed I leaned over to Ron Loflin and said, "Awesome, now let's quit talkin' and get something done!" It's go time.