In the frenzied rush and hurried transience of our city, we want to deepen roots here as a church family and join God in the work of bringing kingdom good to all.
what are we doing?
Here to stay
Is an invitation to everyone who calls WestGate home, to pray and give— generously, sacrificially, even radically—to blur the lines between our church and our city. Our hope is to create physical space at both of our campuses where many can find welcome, hospitality, belonging, and, we pray, the transformative power and presence of Jesus in and through his people.
At Saratoga, our first priority is to build a retail space that we’d lease to a local coffee shop—a welcoming place where neighbors can gather, work, connect, and belong.
And if funding allows, we also hope to build a versatile office space for our staff to work in one place together, as well as to function as rooms for Life Groups, student small groups, mentoring, spiritual direction, and counseling down the road.
At South Hills, we’re planning a container-style coffee space and communal gathering area, again, to welcome our neighbors to gather, work, connect, play, and belong.
And if funding allows, we also hope to build a few modular homes for ministry residents to serve kids, students, and other areas of ministry here at WestGate, as well as church planters in need of housing, and transitional housing for people in need.
but before we build here…
As we build here at home, we want to keep radical generosity in front of us. During the two years of Here to Stay, we will give the first $2.5M after ministry/operating costs outside our walls, more than we've ever given in any single year. Before we build here, we want to first continue radically loving our neighbors—building wells, caring for orphans, opening schools and hospitals, supporting churches and missionaries, coming to the aid of those in need right here in our city, etc.
here to stay : with god for the good of all -
here to stay : with god for the good of all -
FAQ’S
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We're asking everyone who considers WestGate their home, to pray:
God, use our efforts and our sacrifice to bring your kingdom and do your will in our church and our city as it is in heaven.
God, how are you specifically asking me/us to participate in Here to Stay?
Then, participate in whatever way God is asking you to participate. Not a penny more, not a penny less. We have such confidence that if we all do what God asks of us, He'll provide exactly what we need to do exactly what he wants, whatever that may be.
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Over two years, it's a little more than $16M more than normal giving, which is our general estimate for how much the building projects may cost.
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Cash, check, credit card, electronic fund transfer, and non-cash assets (such as stocks, bonds, and property). We also accept donations from corporate match programs, donor-advised funds (DAF), trusts, and retirement assets. If you have more specific questions, you can contact our Finance Team at finance@westgatechurch.org
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During this two-year period, every contribution to God's work through WestGate Church is a contribution to the Here to Stay campaign, which will then be distributed accordingly:
$7M/year toward the Ministry Fund (operating budget) to continue ministry
$2.5M/year toward the LOUD Fund toward local + global compassion efforts
The remaining $16M (or whatever total is remaining after Ministry Fund and LOUD Fund) toward Here to Stay projects
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Our commitment is to keep radical generosity front and center and we are hoping to give away more money toward local + global compassion efforts than we’ve ever given in any 2-year period, even as we try to build here at home. We are committed to giving $2.5M/year away, outside of our walls, for the 2-year duration of Here to Stay, before we set money aside to build here.
For the next 2 years, WestGate Water, LOUD, and Benevolence will no longer be selectable options, knowing that all of those efforts will be funded at a higher level than in previous years. After 2 years, we will return to making each of those funds selectable options.
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Our request is that everyone fulfill their 2-year commitment within the course of those 2 years, the 2024 and 2025 calendar years.
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Yes. You can do so simply and easily by letting our Finance Team directly at finance@westgatechurch.org
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Yes.
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Yes. No one other than our finance team, who input/receive commitments and send out year-end letters for your tax purposes, will know your commitment.
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As stated earlier, we’re asking you to ask God what he’s asking of you and to do that. We also understand that some in our church are facing financial hardship. If that’s you, we’d love to come alongside the best we can. Please reach out to us at care@westgatechurch.org
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Here to Stay is a wonderful time to start! Your giving will go toward continuing to move the mission of God through our church forward by supporting continued ministry, expanding our local + global compassion efforts in our city and around the world, and redesigning our space to invite our city in. Beyond what your giving will do for our church, our city, and our world, giving has a unique way of forming us into the image of Christ, who generously gave his all on our behalf.
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Any recurring Campus Ministry Fund donations that you’ve already set up will simply be renamed by “One Fund.” For example, the Saratoga - Ministry Fund has been renamed “Saratoga - One Fund.”
The designated giving options LOUD (Missions Fund), WestGate Water, and Benevolence have been removed as they are reflected within our One Fund. We aim to channel our generosity toward these ministries through the unified One Fund. If you currently have recurring donations allocated to these accounts, we encourage you to discontinue them and establish recurring contributions under your campus One Fund for the entire Here to Stay campaign duration.
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For general questions regarding Here to Stay, please contact our Executive Pastor Andy Gridley at agridley@westgatechurch.org
For specific questions regarding giving and finances, please contact our Finance Team at finance@westgatechurch.org
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Go to ChurchCenter via the app or website. Click on “Give” and then “Pledges”
Additionally, the Finance Team will email quarterly updates.
If you have any questions, contact finance@westgatechurch.org
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Yes, the original plan was for a 4-story building, with the bottom floor being an open multi-use space and the top floor being housing. As we've continued working alongside our architect and general contractor over the past couple of years, it's become clear that the cost difference between building a 4-story and 2-story building is significant enough to warrant an adjustment to our plans. Now, we hope to build housing as modular homes at our South Hills campus, as funding allows; and we've put our plans for a multi-use space on hold for the moment.
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Currently, the parking lot facing Saratoga Ave, where the new buildings will be built, has 83 parking spaces. The new parking lot at Saratoga campus, facing Prospect Rd, will have 92 parking spaces. At minimum, we will gain 9 extra parking spaces overall. It's also likely that we will retain some parking spaces in the current parking lot, even as we build new buildings there. Big picture, even after our building projects, we will end up with more parking, not less.
