Your MIF investments are at work every day as loans to more than 750 ELCA ministries throughout the United States, in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, supporting the church's mission of spreading the gospel.

Hope Lutheran Church was running out of room and something had to be done. “We’re completely maxed out here. Our attendance is capped out until we can get a bigger space,” said the Rev. Larry Koger, Hope’s senior pastor.

Hope is in Temecula, Calif., which is nestled in a valley between San Diego and Los Angeles. Temecula’s reputation for gracious living and affordable housing – relative to San Diego and Los Angeles – has fueled the town’s growth. “The community has exploded and it’s a wonderful place for ministry,” Pr. Koger said. Hope was established in 1977 and dedicated its first building in 1985.

Before plunging headfirst into a building project, the congregation decided to develop a clearer vision of its mission and role in the community. “The congregation has for years been wondering what God has been calling them to do,” Pr. Koger said. As a result of reviewing its mission, Hope is now a church that’s focused on reaching the community.

A clear vision helped Hope confidently develop a real estate plan to support its vision. Hope considered purchasing adjacent land, branching into two or more congregations or carrying out its mission using multiple sites. “But,” Pr. Koger said, “Those doors closed on us.”

The best solution presented itself when another growing congregation put its building up for sale as a prelude to moving to a larger campus. Pr. Koger said that purchasing an existing building was the ideal solution. “We can get there and use the facilities from day-one. Long-term, it would sustain our growth for 15 to 20 years,” he said. Buying an existing church is also much cheaper than building from scratch.

Hope’s leaders discussed the idea with Mission Investment Fund representatives, and Pr. Koger said the response from MIF was “overwhelmingly positive.” MIF provided Hope with a $4.6 million loan. When the existing building is sold, Hope will return $1.1 million to MIF, bringing its total debt down to $3.5 million. Hope will use the MIF loan to buy the existing nine-acre site and an adjacent three-acre lot. The site includes a 17,000 square-foot auditorium and a 21,000 square-foot three-level education center, which doubles the congregation’s current space. Parking will also be doubled.

Plans for the new building include turning the multipurpose room into a new worship center. On the advice of MIF, the congregation will move in and use the facilities for a year before deciding how to customize it for its use. Hope plans to move at the end of October, 2005.

Hope has set guidelines for selling its old property, which Pr. Koger said won’t be sold to the “legion of developers lined up at our door.” He noted that MIF’s flexibility and favorable terms allows Hope to keep both buildings for the short-term, and will enable Hope to create a self-supporting non-profit corporation to “repurpose” the building to a mission-minded use, such as senior housing or child daycare. Optionally, the building could be sold to another church. “The MIF has been an incredible partner, giving us good counsel and flexibility. We couldn’t have done it without them,” Pr. Koger said.