T H E L I N K From the Pastor…

We Have a Permit!

A fter years of hard work by our building committee, including a

dead-end and a restart, Gwinnett County has granted us a construc-

tion permit for expansion work on our existing building. Many thanks to

the members of the committee for their many hours of work, and to Jack

Wilson, chairman, Owen Malcolm, who has worked hard on the financial

side, and Braxton Bohannon, our architect.

In this issue of The Link, you will find further information about the project. In

short, it will mean an expansion to the sanctuary (including downstairs), fel-

lowship hall, nursery area, and parking.

We are calling a congregational meeting for June 15 after the morning service

to present the project, answer any questions, and vote on the recommendations

of the Session regarding borrowing money and electing new corporate officers.

(These are distinct from church officers; OPPC is incorporated and we are re-

quired to have three corporate officers.)

Please be in prayer for this project. Here are some suggestions: Good weather,

safety for workers, continued wisdom for our committee, and for the Lord to

bring people to fill the additional seats and classrooms.

Please continue to give to support the budget of the church. We will be draw-

ing on the loan and making interest-only payments until the project is com-

plete. Then we will begin with our regular mortgage payments.

The benefits of this project are many: increased seating, additional classrooms,

a covered drop-off, and plenty of parking. It should have us set for growth for

the next number of years. Should we outgrow even this expanded space, the

infrastructure (parking, stormwater runoff controls, etc) is sufficient to allow

us to expand further.

If you have any questions about this project, please don’t hesitate to get in

touch with Jack Wilson, Owen Malcolm, or me.

Praise God for his goodness in getting us this far and for what he will yet

do. All glory is his.

Alan Johnson

June 2014

Inside this Issue:

Groups & Meetings

Nursery Schedule

Session Letter

Graduates

New Sunday School

MEETINGS AND GROUPS

First Sunday Lunch (Cookout for June 1st)

Please join us for our June 1st Sunday Lunch. We will have a special church cookout. We will grill

hamburgers and hotdogs and have some fun games and a craft for the kids. The meat and buns will

be provided, but we are asking each person/family to bring a side and a drink or a side and a dessert.

Communion Week

We celebrate the Lord’s Supper in the morning service on the second Sunday of every month (June

8). Take time to prepare yourself by examining your heart, confessing your sins and reflecting on

Christ’s saving work on your behalf (1 Corinthians 11:23-34).

Deacons Meeting

The Deacons meet the second Wednesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. This

month’s meeting is June 11.

Session Meeting Change

The Session will meet Monday, June 9, at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.

Children and Youth Evening Activities (June Break)

For the month of June there will be no specific evening activities for children and youth. Families

are encouraged to attend the evening service together. Activities will resume in July.

Our new Sunday School quarter begins Sunday, June 1, with a class on OPPC Missionaries. The class

will meet in the sanctuary and is for adults and high school. The middle school class will meet in the

Fellowship Hall and is studying what it means that Jesus is Savior from the Gospel of Luke. See the

list below for the slate of kids classes and teachers.

2’s & 3’s Lower level - 4

God’s People

Teachers: Connie Smith and Meghan Vaughan

4’s & K Lower level - 5

God Keeps His Promises

Teachers: Phil/Jennifer Covington

Grades 1-2 Lower level - 1

Growing in God

Teacher: Karen Khalil

NEW SUNDAY SCHOOL QUARTER (June-August)

Grades 3-4 Lower level - 3

Trusting God

Teacher: Diane Ellison

Grades 5-6 Lower level - 2

Bible Overview: Job to Malachi

Teachers: Rick Appleton

Middle School Fellowship Hall 2

Jesus Is My Savior

Teacher: Joe Deighton

High School Sanctuary

OPPC Missionary Updates

High School

Zack Bohannon - Mountain View

Zhanik Brock - Veritas Classical School

Braden Elmer - Hebron Christian Academy

Rebekah Johnson - North Gwinnett

Kristin Walker - Classical Conversations

Exchange Student

Sarah Roetti - Milton

College

Joe Deighton - Belhaven

2014 Graduates

1756 Old Peachtree Rd. Duluth, GA 30097

770.476.7945 www.oldpeachtree.org.

May 28, 2014

Friends,

The Session has been evaluating and working to finalize plans for new construction. We anticipate calling a

congregational meeting in June to vote whether to approve construction financing for our building project. In

view of the import of this decision, the commitment involved, and its impact on our church’s future, we

thought it wise to write to you summarizing some of the reasons for the Session’s call of this meeting, the ra-

tionale for our recommendation, and the history that has brought us to this point.

First, God has been very good to our church. Our current buildings were constructed in 1999-2000. With our

membership at 81 communing members, we borrowed $750,000 to finance the construction. Our monthly

mortgage payment was originally $6,091. (Subsequent refinancing reduced the monthly payment amount).

For many years, we paid significant additional sums to reduce the principal balance due. Through God’s provi-

sion, by way of your generosity, we were able to retire that debt in 2013.

In 2008, as growth continued, the Session appointed a Building Committee to plan for accommodating increas-

ing attendance and membership. The Session’s initial directive to the Building Committee was to determine

the maximum productive use of our 7.4 acre site. In terms of a long range plan, it has long been our goal to

make the best use of what God has given us at this site, given its central location to which many of us travel.

Should we outgrow this site, the plan has been to look at planting another church or churches. With this long

range goal in view, it seemed prudent at the time to determine the maximum usefulness our property would

support.

The Building Committee worked to carry out the Session’s directive, and planned for a larger building to

house sanctuary, nursery and office space where the current parking lot lies. The fundraising campaign, called

“Answering God’s Challenge,” continued for three years. In that time, through your generous and sacrificial

giving, God provided approximately $450,000 for the building program over and above “regular” giving.

These designated funds were given in addition to our annual budgets, and God’s provision was such that our

annual budgets were also met during this difficult time of recession.

Once the funds were raised, we obtained quotes for the construction costs and determined that the plan for

“maximum utility” was beyond our current means at this time. The Session asked the Building Committee to

revise the construction plans with a short term goal of meeting current needs for parking, worship and fellow-

ship space. The Committee did so and devised the plans for additions to the existing sanctuary, fellowship hall

and nursery areas, with parking and full circular drive around our campus.

Presbyterian Church in America

A LETTER FROM THE SESSION

Copies of the plan drawings are attached for your review. The current sanctuary building would be expanded

toward the back of the property (behind the pulpit) upstairs and downstairs, making a larger sanctuary with

total seating for approximately 350 and additional classrooms downstairs. The fellowship hall would be ex-

panded approximately 900 square feet. This space will be incorporated into the existing fellowship hall, and

could be cordoned off for separate class or meeting space. The nursery suite would also be expanded with ad-

ditional rooms for child care. These plans include parking, stormwater detention and other infrastructure to

support these additions and a larger sanctuary on site in the future. These plans have been refined and will be

ready for construction this summer. The anticipated construction schedule is 33 weeks. We are grateful to

Braxton Bohannon for his work in preparing and revising our architectural plans for these additions.

We have conferred with several banks about terms for a construction loan to undertake this work, comparing

their rates and terms. Signature Bank in Sandy Springs has offered the most favorable terms for a loan of

$1,150,000 at a 5.00% interest rate amortized over 25 years. The monthly payment would be approximately

$6,405. The loan would be subject to renewal after six years. We would pay interest only for twelve months,

and monthly mortgage payments would begin in mid-2015. Based on our study and comparison with other

banks’ proposals, these terms are reasonable and the most favorable among the options offered to us. We are

grateful to Owen Malcolm for his diligence in pursuing a number of potential lenders and options for financing

this construction.

The Session recommends that the congregation and the corporation approve the terms offered by Signature

Bank above and authorize the corporate officers to sign all documents necessary to obtain the loan and proceed

with construction. We appreciate that this is a significant financial commitment and undertaking on our part.

Our goal, intention and prayer of faith is that God would provide for us in the future, as He has so faithfully

done in the past. We plan to work to meet this obligation, as we did our last one, without impairing our ability

to carry out ministry, missions, benevolence and program works. We would like to continue our past practice

of retiring debt well ahead of schedule. All of these matters will require our consistent, faithful, and sacrificial

giving. In these matters, as in all things, we seek God’s guidance and trust His provision.

The Session is also grateful for the work of the Building Committee over the past few years: Betty Cash, Matt

Chandler, Jeff Mutchler, Braxton Bohannon, Leslie Bohannon and Jack Wilson. If you have questions about

any aspect of the plans or construction, please contact any officer or Building Committee member. If you have

any plans about the financing, please contact Owen Malcolm.

Thank you for your attention to these important issues. Please continue to pray for God’s guidance and provi-

sion and plan to attend the meeting in June. If you have any questions or need any additional information,

please let us know.

Rick Appleton

Steve Bennett

Bruce Breeding

Rick Cash

Kent Elmer

Rob Grabenkort

Jon Richards

Jack Wilson

Alan Johnson, Senior Pastor

Mike Sloan, Associate Pastor

The Session of Old Peachtree Presbyterian Church

NURSERY SCHEDULE - May 2014

DATE 11:00 a.m. GREETER 6:00 p.m. (10:45 at table)

6/1 Richards Maria Richards No Service

6/8 Walker Jessica Wilson Elmer

6/15 Patete, Sloan Ann Elmer Butler, Smith

6/22 Tomlinson, Vaughan Ashley Deighton Jeans

6/29 Schramm, Ziegler Jessica Wilson Akin

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LINK DEADLINE: Please turn in articles and information for the June LINK by Thursday, June 26.

Old Peachtree Presbyterian Church exists to glorify God and to extend the kingdom of Jesus Christ. To

accomplish this end, Old Peachtree aims to be a church that is continually growing in vital worship, in

theological depth, in true fellowship, in assertive evangelism, and in deeds of compassion. The distinctive-

ness of Old Peachtree is in its desire to be Presbyterian in government and Reformed in theology, with the

vitality that comes from evangelism and discipleship.

Old Peachtree Presbyterian Church office@oldpeachtree.org

1756 Old Peachtree Road alan@oldpeachtree.org

Duluth, GA 30097 www.oldpeachtree.org

770-476-7945 (office)

Come help the PCA prepare for General Assembly. The Stated Clerk’s Office needs help stuffing tote bags

for General Assembly commissioners. Please join us at the PCA Offices (1700 North Brown Road, Lawrence-

ville, GA 30043) on Saturday, June 7, at 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free pizza for all volunteers! For more information

email events@pcanet.org or call 678-825-1000.

Volunteers Needed!

General Assembly

Please be in prayer for our pastors and leader-

ship as they travel to Houston for the 42nd

PCA General Assembly.