Update:

2008-07-12T08:31:00.001-07:00

We just received our first donation for True North Ministries and several people have asked us how they can contribute financially! Praise the Lord!! Jason and I are overwhelmed and thankful that the Lord is moving people to help and to give. If you feel the Lord moving you to give and you would like to make a donation please make your check out to Redeemer Church and make a note that it is for us. This is our church and they have graciously agreed to help us with accepting donations. If you do this, it will be tax deductible as well. The mailing address is below:

Jason & Melissa Herrington
c/o Redeemer Church
4436 Rush River Trail
Fort Worth, TX 76123

We are working on getting a website together and you will be able to make donations through paypal there hopefully. Thank you so much for your encouragment and support!

What we're about....

2008-06-29T15:19:00.000-07:00

We have a desire to be used by God to carry the gospel to the nations. We long to see Matthew 24:14 come to fruition; "And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come".
Our hope is to be a part of this incredible plan and we greatly desire to invest our lives in missions for the glory of our God. We are confident that the Lord has given us a huge passion for namely three things: college students, discipleship, and international missions. We have been praying about how the Lord wants to use these desires and we feel He has been gracious in giving us an answer.

Our Vision...
Our vision is to disciple international students in the Memphis area and to teach them to love Christ more than this world and their own lives. We also hope to encourage and prepare them to return as missionaries to their home country. We feel that to some extent internationals who return as missionaries are a step ahead of a foreigner who goes to be a missionary. Internationals know the language, the area, and can sometimes have more freedom or resources than the foreigner. They can possibly reach their people quicker and so we want to serve as senders.

Our plan....
So how can we realistically get this ministry off the ground? Our plan is to start a coffee/ tea / bookstore to help see this vision through. It will first and foremost be a place where we can draw internationals and other college students in to begin relationships as well as sharing opportunities. It will also serve as a place to hold Bible studies, discipleship meetings, open forums, and possible conversational English classes.
We also hope that the business will eventually assist in supporting us and this ministry. We know that it is likely that we will not be able to depend on the business for the first couple of years but hopefully with time God will bless the business and use it to take care of things.

Where this will take place...
The property that houses the business will also be our home. The building that we are hoping to acquire is suited for both residential and commercial use. In this way, we will only be paying for one building.
The property we have been looking into is an incredible deal but will need some major renovations in order for it to be both functional as a home and business. All the financial stats and plans are located below and will hopefully help show you where we are coming from and how you can be praying for us in these areas of need.

Our name...
We have been thinking and praying about what to name this ministry/ business and we believe we finally found something that expresses what we want to communicate. The name "True North" refers to the measurement from which we receive true accurate direction. Jesus Christ is our True North- He is the unchangeable guide from which we get our bearings and from which we measure our steps. Our ministry seeks to point people in the right direction- in the direction of Jesus Christ. We desire to show this truth to the world, one person at a time. We long for every people group to know the beauty and glory of Jesus and proclaim with us that He is indeed the only way to the Father! We want them to identify with this verse from Isaiah 30:21: "And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way, walk in it, when you turn to the right or to the left". How great it is when a baby Christian hears the Lord speak to them for the very first time!

Pray...
We ask that you would pray with us and for us. Pray that we will follow the Lord exactly how He wants us to. Pray that we would never close our ears to His voice and that we please Him with each decsion that is made. This is obviously unattainable without the Lord's provision and His guidance and we know that apart from Him nothing is possible. With Him everything is possible. We are greatly encouraged by the truth that the Lord never plans something without already making provision for that plan! Pray that the Lord will give us favor with all the people we need to have favor with and that He moves people to give and help in the ways we need them too.

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Financial Costs & Proposed Budget....

So here is an estimated list of costs and proposed budget for True North Ministries to get up and running.....

*Remember we have many items already and many of the items that are still needed will be purchased in used condition.*

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Estimated Cost of:

Property: $65,000 (It is possible that this cost could be less)

Renovations: $35,000

Includes the following:

Parking Lot

Kitchen/ Appliances

Bathroom Remodel

Floors

HVAC System

Cafe Equipment: $12,000

Includes the following:

2 Head Espresso Machine

Granita Machine

Bar

Stainless Steel Counter with bottle cooler

Tea & Coffee Dispensers

Burr Grinder

Blenders

Ice Machine

Counter Fridge

Start up lids, cups, straws, paper products, etc.

Initial Cafe Supplies: $3,000

Includes the following:

Coffee,Tea, Milk, Cereal, Food, etc.

Furniture: $1,800

Includes the following:

Bookshelves

5 Club Chairs

Coffee/ End Tables

10 Table Chairs

Lamps/ Light Fixtures/ Fans

Patio seating

Advertising: $3,500

Initial start up advertising

Outside Sign

Other Mis. Costs: $2,500

Includes the following

Wireless Internet Set up

Open Sign

Paint & supplies

Decorations (curtains, blinds, wall art, etc.)

Landscaping

Cash Register, Quickbooks software, Credit card swipe, Receipt Printer, scanners

Books (already have majority)

Sound System $1,200

We think it would be wise to add in an extra $5,000 cushion to cover things we are forgetting. So the total estimated cost of start up would come to $129,000. We have also broken down an estimated cost of bills, utilities, and living expenses for the first two years. We have mentioned above that we know it is likely we will not be able to depend on the business for the first 2 years and so we want to have some time to grow and get our name out.

We have estimated about $29, 040 a year. This includes all kinds of things such as utilities, grocery, insurance, oil changes, etc. So if we were not making a profit for the first two years we would need about $58,080 to survive.

So the bottom line is True North Ministries is in need of $187,080 to start and survive for the first two years.

We believe that is an attainable number by the grace of God and through churches and individuals who share our vision and want to help make it happen. We know that our God is the Owner and Keeper of all things and we trust that He will provide and sustain us and this ministry.