A Place for Everyone

Yes. We will move everything to our new Abbey. We would not leave the coffee or books behind. We will also have a single location for everything; we will not be maintaining the current location. Medieval Abbeys were a one-stop shop, and so are we. The goal is to create a space that allows coffee guests to feel at home, while a non-profit partner hosts a large event, a small group meets in a classroom, or a member seeks spiritual direction in our pastoral care space, all without interrupting each other.

Yes! Most gifts are pledged over a three-year period. Give monthly, quarterly, annually, or on a schedule that works for you.

Every gift matters. This campaign isn’t about equal numbers but equal gifts. This is about shared passion, courage and effort. The numbers will be different but the share can be the same. Whether $500, $5,000, $50,000, or $500,000, your gift makes a powerful impact when joined with others.

No. Your annual pledge supports the daily life of the UA—worship, outreach, staff, classes, nature hikes, social justice work and more. The capital campaign is in addition to annual giving and is focused specifically on expanding our physical capacity for ministry.

As such, please continue (or even slightly increase) your annual pledge over the next three years while also making a three-year pledge to A Place for Everyone. I understand that this is significant—especially if you already tithe a substantial portion of your income—but please remember that this discernment is about values and expressing them through the deployment of your discretionary income. This is about thinking through wants and deciding how you will fuel the Urban Abbey community. It is hard, and the gift is that we don’t do it alone.

https://www.urbanabbot.org/worshipandliturgy/stewardship-financial-autobiography

https://www.urbanabbot.org/worshipandliturgy/what-does-membership-mean

Urban Abbey has two accounts with the Omaha Community Foundation (OCF), an endowed account and a non-endowed account. We will use our non-endowed account to hold our many gifts until we begin to draw from the account. This is a money market account. Our priority is the acquisition of the building.

Urban Abbey has two accounts with the Omaha Community Foundation (OCF), an endowed account and a non-endowed account. We will use our non-endowed account to hold our many gifts until we begin to draw from the account. This is a money market account. Our priority is the acquisition of the building.

YES! A Place at the Table is a bold vision that will impact the entire community and Friends of the Abbey are encouraged to participate in this journey. Our proposed remodel of 1516 Jones St. is focused on revitalizing this building into a thriving space to flourish as:

• A community asset: A safe and welcoming venue for our nonprofit partners, students, and neighbors to learn, organize, and grow together.

• An economic driver: A coffee shop and bookstore that offers curated books, fair trade gifts, workforce development and so many cups of coffee.

• A justice catalyst: A visible witness to inclusion, compassion, and advocacy that reverberates far beyond our walls.

Last year's revenue was $655,653, and last year's expenses were $631,611. As our attendance has grown, Urban Abbey’s giving has increased by 33% since 2021, when we returned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Since becoming independent of First United Methodist Church-Omaha in 2015, we have ended every year in the black and contributed to reserves. Since 2017, we have set aside six months of operating expenses to ensure staff that we are a stable place to work. We also have a reserve for equipment replacement, so large expenses do not overwhelm our operations or force us to make decisions based on short-term financial need.

If needed, we will seek a loan or a bridge loan to move forward as people fulfill their three-year pledges to this campaign. We bought 1516 Jones in CASH, so a loan would just be for construction.

As a United Methodist Church, we have a great resource in the Wesleyan Impact Partners (formerly Texas Methodist Foundation). They act as a bank and offer churches loans at below-market rates. Details on the Wesleyan Impact Foundation partnership will be available soon. Check back for more details.

Field Day Development, our project consultant, has been facilitating recommended extensive inspections to verify the condition of the building, similar to those one does before purchasing a home. These results will help define the construction estimates and the scope of the project. Currently, Urban Abbey has requested an extension before closing to allow for additional time to complete this assessment.

Contingency means that we have a safety net. We have added an extra 12% to the expected costs.
This is a recommendation by Field Day Development.

The leadership team meets weekly with Andrea Kathol and the Field Day Development team to review the budget, estimates, project scope, and other relevant details. Field Day Development will be responsible for managing all aspects of the construction process.

As of September 2025, we have an estimated budget of $3,050,000. This includes construction, contingency, furniture and finishing, technology, and professional consulting. These numbers are preliminary and conservative with worst-case scenarios. We will continue to update the FAQ as the estimates and contracts are confirmed. We will be seeking support for furniture, furnishings, and technology that will help reduce these costs as we approach the move-in date.

Costs will rise with growth, but we are planning carefully to ensure the expanded ministry remains sustainable. The Building /Relocation Finance team is currently completing financial projections for 2026-2028.

Yes. Urban Abbey has maintained funds for maintenance ($80,000) and operations ($56,000), and these will support
the new location.

We will be transparent at every step. If needed, we will partner with the Wesleyan Impact Foundation and balance faith with fiscal responsibility.

No one can predict growth with perfect precision. But here’s what we do know: we have grown by 34% since 2021, and 2025 is on track with additional growth. We know we’re growing—and we know we’re committed to the same values and practices that create our sustainable growth.

Growth doesn’t come from waiting—it comes from preparing. We have statistics on the growth of churches after a remodel or new building, which we project as we model and plan for the future. As a pastor, I believe this growth, like our past growth, will depend on our care, meeting people, knowing each other and engaging the world and our hearts in passionate work. And I don’t plan on doing this work any other way.

Yes. More space means more outreach, hospitality, and opportunities for community use. This will grow exponentially, allowing us to keep the coffee bar open simultaneously. At our community partner, First Impression Gathering, local non-profits shared new ideas and activities for the future. For example, CIRA named the value of private meeting rooms for community gatherings they might co-host with us, and Liberty Elementary envisioned their welcome-back staff meeting in our future large assembly space. We are excited to plan with our partners in Omaha. Additionally, many trainings and talks can be shared over Zoom and social media to expand access and impact further.

Yes, through rentals and partnerships that strengthen long-term sustainability. There are boundless opportunities for celebrations, weddings, funerals, nonprofit rentals, etc.

Urban Abbey has received start-up funding from the Nebraska Annual Conference and then from the Great Plains Annual Conference. In total, this new church start grant reached $500,000 dollars in our first five years of ministry at Urban Abbey. This funding came from folks across our state, making gifts and paying their missions shares into the larger church. In 2015, we established a campus ministry program and subsequently received a campus ministry grant. This grant has ranged from $40,000 to $85,000 per year over the last decade. This resource pays for salaries and contracts to support programming for college students and young adults.

We are a connectional church and this means we can do more together than apart. We have received a great deal of support over our years of growth. In our growth, we are taking responsibility for our work, and we will be responsible for the fundraising work before us. The conference will, of course, cheer us on, and there may be occasional special grants, but we must grow into our work fully and move away from dependence on the Great Plains Annual Conference and its campus ministry grant. The larger church is in decline. We are an island of possibility, and we must take responsibility for our ministry in the fullest sense.

Since we now OWN the building, we are hoping to move in before Christmas 2026. We are in the beginning phases of construction, so stay tuned for more info and updates!

We currently rent, and our lease is renegotiated over time. This means that if the ownership changes or the owner changes heart, our rent could be drastically increased. It also means that we currently invest in a space that we cannot keep for the long term. It means we are limited in the choices, design, and renovations we can make in the space. Furthermore, there are advantages to ownership for a church regarding both taxes and loan terms.

Making space for a large group assembly, which will be used for worship, will also be used for our partners to hold events. It will reduce the time staff spend resetting the rooms, and it means audio and video technology do not have to be moved or stored after each use. It will allow us to host events and keep our coffee and book shop open and ready to welcome. The same will be true for the classrooms we create in this new space—they will be an asset to us and our partners. These space changes and expansions will further our growth, our partnerships, and our commitments to our community. We have always been a living sanctuary and will always remain so. We will just be able to welcome a little bit more activity and work with much improved support.

Click here for a brochure with extra information about creative giving! You can also read the information below.

Gifts Other than Cash
WHAT ARE GIFTS OTHER THAN CASH?

• Gifts other than cash include stocks, bonds, annuities, property, and other assets.

WHAT ASSETS COULD I GIVE?

• Appreciated assets held more than one year, such as publicly traded stocks, mutual funds, bonds, real estate, collectables, and other readily marketable property often provide tax advantages.

• Personal property such as automobiles, jewelry, and other items may also be given. There may be no capital gains tax benefits to these gifts, but the financial and spiritual benefits can be tremendous.

WHY CONTRIBUTE GIFTS OTHER THAN CASH?

• The tax code is very generous toward this form of giving. Giving the asset directly to the church allows the church to sell the asset, thereby eliminating potential capital gains taxes to the donor. This also results in a larger gift to the church.

HOW DOES THE TAX BENEFIT WORK?

• Itemized Deduction: The donor is allowed to include 100% of the market value of many of these assets as charitable contributions for tax purposes, if held more than one year.

• Because of its tax-exempt status, the church will receive the full market value, less transaction costs, at the time of sale without paying capital gains taxes.

WHAT IF I SELL FIRST THEN GIVE THE CASH?

• You may be subject to capital gains taxes thereby reducing the after-tax proceeds from the sale.

Other Giving Strategies
CASH FLOW GIFTS
Smaller gifts add up! By giving smaller amounts at higher frequencies--weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly--large gifts can be reached in smaller steps. Using electronic funds transfers can be beneficial when making these gifts.

DIVERTED FUNDS GIFTS
Freeing up funds that are currently going to other areas of spending allows a person to increase giving to God’s work. Diverting funds from entertainment, dining out, dues, subscriptions, gifts, allowances, or transportation offers lifestyle adjustments that impact one’s giving.

INCOME PRODUCING ASSETS
Interest income, payments from rental properties, or income from other assets provide a source for increased giving.

SALE OF ASSETS
Sale of major assets, such as a house, car, land, or business provides available income for giving.

UNIQUE SKILLS INCOME
Some people have marketable hobbies or skills that enable them to give from those new profits

SAVINGS AND ANNUITIES
Savings for special projects, retirement, or a “rainy day” may offer a resource for increased giving. We often realize that a portion of our savings may safely be given to the work of God’s Kingdom through our church.

CORPORATE GIFTS
Business owners may be able to provide gifts-in-kind that may result in a stronger gift to the church and tax benefits to the donor.

Equal Sacrifice, Not Equal Giving.
Equal giving is never the goal at our church, but rather to come together as a church community – each sacrificing to achieve our vision. There is a role in this capital funding campaign for every member of the church and each contribution enables our success. You will not be pressured or told what you should give, but rather encouraged to pray to discern God’s will for your giving. We ask everyone to pray the campaign prayer: God, what do You want to do through me?