RiverOaks Capital Campaign - Draft

L A I T N E D I F N O C T F A R D A Place to Gather with Space to Grow

“And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes.” –Ezekiel 47:9

Dear Friends, We wanted to plant a church for burned out Christians. Bianca and I moved to Tulsa because we felt sympathy for burned out Christians. We heard from people who were exhausted by the church, and after years of service to committees and programs felt used up. Others told us they had stopped going to church because they were sick of having their arms twisted, and of feeling guilty and beaten down by the sermons.

Those testimonies always confused me. Jesus clearly said he has come to take away guilt, to cover our shame, and to give us rest. There had to be a way to do church without using guilt and shame to push people to exhaustion. At the same time, we realized that people are dying of loneliness. 50% of US adults report experiencing loneliness, with some of the highest rates among young adults.

Our goal seemed simple, and God has done more than we ever hoped. He has built thriving churches filled with people who look forward to Sundays. He has used his gospel to restore the bruised, to revive the exhausted, and to give community to the lonely.

Now he has given us an incredible opportunity. We have the chance to renovate and form our campus so that it reflects our ministry. We want to transform our campus into a place to gather with space to grow. And as we grow, to continue to be a resource church to grow the kingdom outside of RiverOaks.

This booklet tells the story of RiverOaks, who we are and where we have been. It then explains why we believe building onto our property is necessary to continue and develop the mission God has given us. I hope you will share our excitement about our long term plan, and I hope you will find joy in contributing to the mission.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Ricky

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OUR STORY When the Creek nation reached the end of the Trail of Tears, they looked for a communal place that had three things: water, protection, and relief.

They found those under the Council Oak in what we now call Tulsa.

Over 150 years later, little has changed. Christians are still on a pilgrimage, strangers in a strange land. We still walk through dry land unsatisfied and exhausted by the world. We still need the water that sustains life. We still need hills that protect us from the winds. We still need refreshing shade to give us relief from the heat.

RiverOaks has become those things for our members. By the regular preaching of the Gospel, we pour living water out for all who will come and drink. Our children’s ministry has become a place where our little ‘acorns’ can grow into strong trees of their own. Our community provides relief from the loneliness of the world and safety from the storms of life.

According to Barna, 34% of Americans used to go to church, but now stay home. That statistic is certainly true of Tulsa. Our city is over churched, yet the majority are nearly empty on Sunday morning. The typical Tulsan used to go to church, but grew tired of the treadmill and now stays home. RiverOaks seeks to find these “exvangelicals” and bring them home to the healing love of Christ.

Council Oak Tree

OUR MISSION Inviting people into Healing Communion with Jesus.

OUR VALUES GRACE We are more broken than we ever feared and more loved than we ever hoped.

RESTORATION We rest and revive by drinking deeply from the Gospel.

TRANSPARENCY We strive to be vulnerable rather than hiding behind pretensions.

FRIENDSHIP We seek to love one another as Christ loves us.

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Greating at entry

JUBILEE We celebrate all the good things God has given us.

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When Austin left college, he was completely burned out by the church. When he moved to Tulsa, he struggled for a year to find a church home. As a favor to a friend, he took pastor Ricky to lunch. Ricky drew a diagram on a Billy Sims’ Barbecue napkin, and he understood for the first time that in Christ, God is on his side. He felt the burden of earning God’s approval fall off his shoulders. Seventeen years later, he and his family are still among our most committed and enthusiastic members, and he still has that napkin.

Randy had been terribly hurt by his local church. The unforgiving rumor mill caused him to move away from not only the church, but from his hometown. He stayed angry at God for years. He found RiverOaks online and started listening to the gospel as he had never heard it. He recently told our pastor: My hunger for God has rekindled, and I find it difficult to even rest without searching for more of Him. Thank you for everything.

Tim is one of many who tried to leave RiverOaks but couldn’t.

He had moved across town and started attending a church in his neighborhood. After two years, he visited our fellowship, and had this to say, “RiverOaks is a whirlpool of love that sucks you back in. Coming back on a Sunday morning after being gone a long time and being received so joyfully by people you love is crossing the point of no return.”

The impact goes beyond our doors as well. Shane, the pastor of our daughter church, Grace and Peace, says “Shari never wanted to be a pastor’s wife, and I never particularly wanted to be a pastor. But at RiverOaks we saw a different kind of church culture, one of love and grace.

The pastor’s family were normal people, sinners saved by grace, living without the burdens of pretension. We both thought how we would love to do ministry in a culture like that. I started as the youth minister there, and now 12 years later and never plan to stop being a pastor.”

RIVEROAKS AT A GLANCE In Worship we have over 450 people weekly, up 20% from last year.

• In May we have added 30 new members, on top of the 40 we added last fall.

In RiverOaks Kids we have from 100 - 120 children every week.

In the Core Youth Group we have over 75 teens involved.

• More than 15 adults also volunteer weekly

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

-Matthew 11:28

Our Women’s ministry has blossomed under the Women’s Care team.

• More than 90 women are reading through the bible together • Two women’s bible study groups meet weekly with childcare provided • We have a weekly mother connection group gathering at the playgrounds weekly • Every month or so the women throw a special event to gather new people and help them make new friends

Our ministry to the broader community includes: • Overcoming Job Transition • Divorce Care • Plumbline Counseling • Surviving the Holidays • MEND health clinic • Grief Share • Single and Parenting We have been busy planting Churches.

• 2011 Trinity Presbyterian Church in Owasso • 2013 Ethos Presbyterian (now Grace and Peace) • 2015 Pacto de Gracia

• 2016 Three Rivers Presbyterian in Grove • 2018 New City Fellowship in North Tulsa (still Supporting)

• 2018 Hope Presbyterian in Bartlesville

We have been supporting ministry to college students.

• RUF Tulsa • RUF University of Arkansas • RUF Oklahoma State • Three of our youth have become RUF interns: Madeline Dorst, Scott Moore, Joe Crews • RUF Oklahoma

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In Foreign Missions: • We helped a church in Lviv Ukraine purchase a building • Sent a missionary (Mi Lo) to Vietnam • Sent Virginia Crews to Ukraine

MAP OF CHURCHES PLANTED BY RIVEROAKS

RESOURCES DEPLOYED (2012-2022) $550,000 (to Church Planting)

$495,000 (to Local and Mercy Ministries)

$340,000 (to RUF Campus Ministries)

$150,000 (to International Missions) 11 5

THE CHALLENGE In 2012, River Oaks was a church meeting in a rented space in a school. The 10-acre campus on 101st Street became available for us to rent, and even though we couldn’t afford it at the time, we took a step of faith and moved. God provided a school and a church to sublease buildings on our campus so that we could afford the rent, and we immediately began to grow. We also continued to plant churches, sending over 100 people out to start Ethos Presbyterian (now Grace & Peace Presbyterian) in 2013. Over the last 11 years, we have continued to grow, with average attendance now nearing 500. Because of these blessings, our growth has outpaced our infrastructure.

ATTENDANCE GROWTH TRAJECTORY 600 550 500 450 400 350 300 250 200 150

Barna research indicates that 58% of parents choose a church primarily for its children’s ministry.

100 50 0 2005 - 2007 - 2009 - 2011 - 2013 - 2015 - 2017 - 2019 - 2021 - 2023

We are bursting at the seams in our current buildings, particularly in our children’s area. As a church, we are blessed with more children than our facility can currently support. In our first service alone, 60% of the attendees are children. Space has become such a problem, best seen that 1-3rd graders, as well as our 5th graders, have to cross the parking lot for Sunday School.

This growth is pushing into our Youth Group, which will naturally grow from 60 to 112 kids in the next three years simply from age promotion of our current children. This is before any additional new families come to the church. Our current youth building is presently unable to handle this coming growth in order to facilitate our dynamic youth ministry.

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Crowded Entry and Check-in Stations for RiverOaks Kids

In addition to our kids and youth, our adults are also cramped for space. Presently, our adult ministry spaces are now also busting at the seams.

Our current growth rate is unsustainable due to the constraints of our buildings.

• The lobby, used for gathering before and after church, is cramped and restricts space and flow before and after services.

In addition to the capacity of our church campus, we are also aware of the aesthetic appeal of our building. More than 20,000 people drive past our campus on 101st every day, and they only see the back of our building, which looks like a warehouse. Our signage does not communicate the healing community that Jesus has made us. We have something beautiful and life-giving here at River Oaks, but no one who drives by would know that because our facilities say otherwise.

Current view of RiverOaks from the street

• Adult Sunday Schools lack adequate weekly meeting space.

• Nearly all of our Bible study and discipleship groups meet off campus due to lack of space.

• The outdoor space is regularly used for overflow and fellowship gatherings despite being uncovered and unfinished.

• Our current footprint does not have office space for our women’s ministry coordinator, interns for youth group, or any future staff members.

• Finally, our meeting spaces are inadequate, lacking space large enough for our deacons, women’s care team, or elders to meet; we currently use space in the youth building (coordinating a time when not in use by the youth) or meet off-campus.

“I think of RiverOaks as beautiful, because of the ministry and the people. When I saw a picture of how our building looks from the road I was shocked. It looked cold, abandoned and aloof; it doesn’t match the beauty that exists inside the buildings. I want our campus to communicate to Tulsa the beauty of our ministry. I want everyone who drives by to see something beautiful.” - Mark Dalton 7

THE SOLUTION At RiverOaks, we are excited about what the future holds. We weathered the storm of COVID, and we believe God used that refining period to make us stronger and more committed than ever to fostering an authentic, gospel-saturated community. After much prayer and planning, the elders now believe it is time to ‘expand our territory’ to meet the current and future needs of our church families and our broader community. Over the last 12 months, the staff and leadership have worked with a master planning and design team to creatively envision a future footprint for RiverOaks church. This process has identified four main areas that will help us thrive and grow in the years ahead. We believe that this building project will allow us to have an expanding influence of blessing into our community, welcoming more people into our church and reaching out more effectively than in the past.

Our vision for RiverOaks church in the years ahead is to create more spaces in which people can experience the healing touch of Jesus Christ. We will do this through worship, teaching of God’s Word and being a part of a grace filled community of believers. Through this campaign we will raise both human and financial resources to enable more people and families to come into this healing community- both in our community and beyond.

MASTER SITE PLAN PHASE 1

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1. Worship Center 2. Space 3. Kids’ Expansion 4. Kids’ Play 5. Covered Entrance 6. Warming Kitchen 7. The Grove 8. Parking 9. Offices 10. Students 11. Montessori

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Y T I N U T R O P G P N O I U E S R TH U P E R A W E O W N T H G RI 9

Jason Bueno Note: Any reason we would not want this rendering included? To me it’s a key rendering for the complete vision even if we aren’t showing the full phases in this book. It’s also teased on the cover.

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NEW CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WING WITH NEW WALKING PATH A new Children’s wing, with an additional 6,250 sf, that will allow us to serve and teach up to 210 children per service, providing young people with a space where they are welcomed, taught God’s word, and feel at home. Also, a new Playground to give young people a place to enjoy the outdoors and for parents to gather and enjoy with them after services and meetings.”

COST: $ 11

REMODELED LOBBY INTERIOR A new lobby that will connect the west side of the sanctuary to the new and remodeled children’s wings and eliminate the crowded hallways that are currently for check-in.

COST: $ 12

NEW ENTRANCE AND NEW SIGNAGE A new entrance and new signage, along with a new roof, windows, and dormers on the sanctuary building will welcome members and visitors alike to the healing community of RiverOaks.

COST: $ 13

AD

E R E H O T O H P D

CHURCH PLANTING We believe that Broken Arrow is where our next church plant should go. We will be pursuing a church planter and in order to facilitate that we will set aside $25,000 for every $1 million we raise for this church plant.

COST: $100,000 14

E B U O Y N A C ?

W D O E H V L O INV • Catch the Vision • Pray • Give

Jason Bueno Note: As the “the call to action.” page this would be a natural place for a giving QR Code. “Catch the Vision” could include (in addition to other things) spread the word online through social media to help build the campaign awareness.

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OUR FELLOW LEADERS We have a team of leaders at RiverOaks who believe strongly in the church’s mission and vision and are committed to this growth plan. Many of the leadership have been with RiverOaks for years and some since the very beginning.

Rev. Ricky Jones Preaching & Teaching Pastor

Rev. Jonathan Dorst Associate Pastor

Stacie Gudgel Children’s Ministry Director

John Marino Building Advisor

Kyle Drew Deacon

Eric Burkholder Elder

Bill Faber Elder

Bevan Houston Elder

Adrian Potts Elder

Lisa Boyd Women’s Care Team

Cheryl Owens Women’s Care Team

Natalie Zellner Women’s Care Team

R E H T A G O W T O E R C G A L O P T A E C A P S H T I W Jason Bueno Note: Ideally we would have a short campaign name and a unique online hashtag as well. “A Place To Gather With Space To Grow” is a great tagline though. Like Trinity Owasso with the RISE campaign. Let’s brain storm a good word or a short phrase with the tagline “A Place To Gather With Space To Grow.”

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Frequently Asked Questions “A Place to Gather with Space to Grow” 1. Is this all we’re planning to build? Or is there more?

A: This is only Phase 1, what we believe we can afford to do now.

Phase 2 will include: A remodeled Sanctuary that will have an additional seating capacity of 200 more seats, a re-envisioned ‘Grove’ that will provide an inviting outdoor space with covered tables and a fire pit, and a new West Entrance that will allow for better traffic flow and entrance experience for newcomers to the church.

Phase 3 will include: A remodeled Youth and Activities set of buildings, and a new Administration building that will allow for more Christian Education space and new offices for the staff.

2. If we grow, will we change and stop being what RiverOaks has been?

A: While recognizing that change in life is unavoidable, our desire is not to change the fundamental mission and character of RiverOaks. We are just as committed to inviting people into healing communion with Jesus as we have ever been, and we will continue to prioritize worship and community as our key values.

3. Will we take on more debt and be unable to service that debt?

A: We are committed to not taking on any more debt than we can reasonably service. And, actually, it would be difficult for us to do that, since banks are very conservative in loaning money to churches (the worst PR thing for a bank would be to have to foreclose on a church). Regardless, we are committed to being good stewards of God’s money and not overextending ourselves. This might mean that we move slower than some would like, as we wait for pledges to turn into actual capital.

4. Which direction are we going? Are we trying to grow as a church or are we wanting to plant churches?

A: The short answer to that question is yes, we want to grow as a church as well as plant churches. And we believe that not only can we do both, but it is the healthiest way forward for us to do both. Each time we have planted a church we sent people out to that church and at the same time we continued to grow. We believe there is a spiritual principle that goes against simple math, that God blesses churches who sacrifice their money, time, and numbers to plant new churches.

5. What if I don’t have very much liquid cash to give?

A: We recognize that not everyone has a lot of extra money in their savings account to give to this kind of project. However, there are other ways of giving: 1. Give stock to the church, which has the added benefit of bypassing certain taxes.

2. Sell an asset, like a rental house, a stamp collection, or a DVD collection and give the proceeds as part of your pledge.

S Q A F N N G I G I A P S E M C A R A RY D O P M E T

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3. Cancel subscriptions that you are not using, like a golf course membership ($400/month, $4,800/yr), a gym membership ($54/month, $648/yr), or Netflix ($15.49/month, $185/yr) and give the savings as part of your pledge.

4. Give up certain creature comforts, like that White Chocolate Mocha at Starbucks ($95/month, $1,140/yr) or DoorDash instead of cooking ($50-200/month, $6002,400/yr), and give the savings as part of your pledge.

A Place to Gather with Space to Grow

Thank you!

Thank you for choosing to steward your resources toward the Kingdom of God. We hope to cultivate relationships of service to the Lord through our giving of time, energy, and resources at RiverOaks.

RiverOaks Presbyterian Church 5150 E 101st St. Tulsa, OK 74137