amazing grace
i was and am still simply amazed by God's grace in giving us the vine center. i can't begin to comprehend how this came to be, except by recounting the process gone thru in acquiring the property.
first shot
while i had no doubt God had placed me at my company, NAI Asia Pacific Properties, for what purpose i was absolutely clueless. so 5 months into the job, one december '03 evening, i find myself sitting with john at the starbux cross from the old church office. we chat, and i get the history of the search for the vine center. turns out, they had been looking for over 18 months, but to no avail. they had gone with local and int'l agents. still nothing. the reason? ...
i find out in the next month why it was so difficult. the requirements of the vine were just too *#)($@ specific. it seemed the place just didn't exist. i had walked, from my office in lan kwai fong, all the way to causeway bay, staring at buildings and trying to get any glimpse of God's place for us.... TWICE!!! still - i could not get even a sniff.
(we did find one place tho - the world trade center, 5/F - only this place was about 2.5 times too expensive for us. *sigh*)
after we failed with the wtc, come mid january, i went walking for the 2nd time out from lkf to cwb. nothing. we had an idea of this building across from pacific place, but that was not to be. by the end of january, i give up. it just didn't exist. i had more profitable and realistic deals to chase - and not waste time on the proverbial needle in the )(*#$@)($#$ haystack...
second shot
a couple months go by. in april, i hear that the church is once again looking at the far east finance center, a place i had considered several months back. i didn't like it before, and i wasn't sure i liked it then. so i went to see it - and yeah - it had nice big ceilings, across the street from pacific place, location was great... BUT, it just was not it. the space was not right....
sooooo - before the vine was going to commit to a lot of mooolah in a so-so location, i went to my colleague and said we should re-visit the vine deal. she was like - you should see this one place in central.. turns out, we had a client who had wanted out of his chinachem building (which was a different building out in quarry bay), so first thing was to look for a move w/in the landlord's portfolio to avoid break lease penalties. she had seen this one place that she thot might work for them, but they didn't like the location or the office space. she then mentioned off-hand that it might be good for the vine, but at that time (feb or so), we had pretty much given up.
turning back to the present (being bout april) - i find myself walking down to two chinachem plaza, and boom - it just HIT ME. i saw the 2/F floor space, and i was thinking 'woah... i can't believe this place is empty'. i walk up one (or a half) level, and there's an outdoor terrace that the building management says can be used.... i go up another level to the 3/F, and there's an entire empty office floor. i go inside the office, and almost a perfect set-up - open area, 2 office rooms for the pastors (window rooms, no less), 4 little meeting rooms (which we converted to 3), and a perfect recessed area right by the window facing the harbor. when i saw the space - i just knew that was it.
we immediately take john down there - and when he saw the room on the 2/F, the sanctuary room - he knew it too. when we saw the office floor on the 3/F, it was confirmed. at least at that time, we could afford the smaller of the 2 sides of the office floor.
hurdles
so now the hard part starts. we had a number of hurdles to overcome.
1. church on premises
2. rental and a/c costs
3. construction & fit-out budget
1. church on premises
before we even submit an offer, we had to get approval from the landlord. soooo - we just indicate to them that we had a client that was a church, and was interested in the property. 2 weeks go by, and they could not make a decision. then we're told that the decision's gone up to nina wang! freakin NINA WANG!!... she just happens to be the richest woman in asia! the control freak who likes to micromanage even the smallest of deals! about a week later - we're informed that nina had turned down the vine - she just did not want a church in that building. we appealed for another week, but time and again, we were turned down. we submitted letters. we made so many phone call requests. everytime we went down to look at the VC, it seemed further and further away. finally, i suggest one last ditch effort. we dress up tony and john, and we parade them in front of the chinachem peoples - and make a final plea. so there we were, a beautiful saturday afternoon, in the lobby of golden chinachem building in tst east, john in his recently dusted-off suit, tony in his er... suit, praying at the base of the 'nina-wang-betty-boop-marilyn-monroe' statue.
Lord, we CLAIM the VC as YOURS! we pray for hearts to be changed! we pray for wisdom and grace as we meet with the landlords, and open ourselves to your calling! make us bold and guide us in our way this day!
we get a call on monday, and nina changes her mind. we are IN. amazing, huh? well - this was only the beginning!
2. rental and a/c costs
while we were busy getting rejected by the landlord (and nina), i was crunching numbers. i couldn't see how this was going to work. rent was in the right range, but the overtime A/C costs would be skyrocketing, especially if we go into 2 service sundays. we ran several scenarios, and they all looked the same. then one day, i was chatting with my colleague, and we came up with an awesome idea. under this plan (i can't disclose the #s), we would be able to get 8am-8pm a/c everyday, but HALVE the cost of the a/c! absolute genius! we had proposed pricing structure after pricing structure to the landlord previously, all of which were categorically denied. this was our last ditch attempt (yet again...). so what the heck, eh? - we tried, and of course we all prayed. while we sweated out the 10days or so the landlord took to review the structure (i'm still not sure they fully understood the ramifications of it... but hey - it works for us!!!), plans were underway to design the place. it was looking very GOOD - but ugh... if only the costing would come in good!
please Lord. we know that only YOU can make a seemingly hopeless situation hopeful. only YOU can take 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread and feed 5000, and STILL have 12 baskets filled with leftovers! although we cannot begin to imagine what YOU can do with our little budget, we just entrust that little bit to YOU, and pray we have the FAITH to trust in YOUR ways!
the landlord came back, and asked for a HK$0.10 increase in our proposal. hmmmmmmmm.... ok - 0.10 x 7272 = HK$727.20 extra a month??????? only????? i could NOT believe what i heard. my colleague laughed at the absurdity of it. TEN DAYS to counter for HK$700 bux????? what the???????? needless to say, we accepted ON THE SPOT!
with this news, we were able to fit into our budget the LARGER office space on the 3/f - which has a partial HARBOR VIEW! which is BRIGHT! and which has a superior LAYOUT! i mean - how AMAZING is that?????? we just got 12 full baskets of leftovers!
3. construction and fit-out budget
all this time, we had been working with synthesis design on the Vine Center. they have an amazing concept - and currently we are in the process of constructing the vision. the firm was started by a husband & wife team - samuel and alice, and they are absolutely incredible. before they even were approached, they felt a calling from the Lord to use their talents for HIS PURPOSE, and with the VC, they knew it was what God called them there for, and subsequently, they are giving it a full 200% effort! you only have to speak and see them work and u'd know right away what it means to walk in God's path! we just need to keep the project within budget!! :)
but as of now - on the 3/F - the estimate came in WAY over our budget! we discarded those plans, and went with a local contractor - the guy who layed the carpet in the old office. we gave him our budget, and he said sure. no prob. this is like 5 TIMES lower than the original budget! anyway - as we were reviewing the office space, it dawned on us that the positioning of the door is not so efficient. we could make so much more use of our space if the door was at the end of the common corridor, rather than the middle (which was the current set-up). in knocking a new hole in the wall to make the new door - the contractor estimated 10 days to source the door, and do the construction work. we only had a week before we had to leave the old office... less than 7 days! the other thing - b/c the amended door frame width was wider than a normal glass door - we would need another partial glass frame to fill the space, which would mean more moolah! but - it would make the space soooo much better! so anyway... he goes ahead with the amendments.
when he knocks the wall down, there is.... a perfectly fitting, installed, FULL GLASS DOOR AND PANEL!
we are a full 5-6 weeks away from our first service in the VC. there's still a TON of work to be done. people are being mobilized to paint, clean, move, plan... it's just so encouraging to see God's people move in such a way.
Heaven is MY throne, and earth is MY footstool. what house will you build for ME? says the LORD, or what is the place of MY rest? has MY hand not made all these things? Acts 7:49-50
see - it's not the VC in itself. has not GOD made that? what house are we going build for GOD? i'm encouraged see the people who have stepped up in giving to the VC. that they realize that the physical place that is erected is not what God actually seeks. He is looking for the hearts to believe that He can and will and did give us the place. He is looking for the hearts that know that it cannot be a reality unless we all make it so, thru our sacrifices and labor to make it work. that to serve means to really selflessly put yourself out there, and lay the bricks one at a time. to take ownership in the fact the GOD has finally given the vine a home, and a place where HIS light will shine into ALL of hk!
no eye can see, no ear can hear, no mind conceive, how great you are oh Lord... you ARE AMAZING!
first shot
while i had no doubt God had placed me at my company, NAI Asia Pacific Properties, for what purpose i was absolutely clueless. so 5 months into the job, one december '03 evening, i find myself sitting with john at the starbux cross from the old church office. we chat, and i get the history of the search for the vine center. turns out, they had been looking for over 18 months, but to no avail. they had gone with local and int'l agents. still nothing. the reason? ...
i find out in the next month why it was so difficult. the requirements of the vine were just too *#)($@ specific. it seemed the place just didn't exist. i had walked, from my office in lan kwai fong, all the way to causeway bay, staring at buildings and trying to get any glimpse of God's place for us.... TWICE!!! still - i could not get even a sniff.
(we did find one place tho - the world trade center, 5/F - only this place was about 2.5 times too expensive for us. *sigh*)
after we failed with the wtc, come mid january, i went walking for the 2nd time out from lkf to cwb. nothing. we had an idea of this building across from pacific place, but that was not to be. by the end of january, i give up. it just didn't exist. i had more profitable and realistic deals to chase - and not waste time on the proverbial needle in the )(*#$@)($#$ haystack...
second shot
a couple months go by. in april, i hear that the church is once again looking at the far east finance center, a place i had considered several months back. i didn't like it before, and i wasn't sure i liked it then. so i went to see it - and yeah - it had nice big ceilings, across the street from pacific place, location was great... BUT, it just was not it. the space was not right....
sooooo - before the vine was going to commit to a lot of mooolah in a so-so location, i went to my colleague and said we should re-visit the vine deal. she was like - you should see this one place in central.. turns out, we had a client who had wanted out of his chinachem building (which was a different building out in quarry bay), so first thing was to look for a move w/in the landlord's portfolio to avoid break lease penalties. she had seen this one place that she thot might work for them, but they didn't like the location or the office space. she then mentioned off-hand that it might be good for the vine, but at that time (feb or so), we had pretty much given up.
turning back to the present (being bout april) - i find myself walking down to two chinachem plaza, and boom - it just HIT ME. i saw the 2/F floor space, and i was thinking 'woah... i can't believe this place is empty'. i walk up one (or a half) level, and there's an outdoor terrace that the building management says can be used.... i go up another level to the 3/F, and there's an entire empty office floor. i go inside the office, and almost a perfect set-up - open area, 2 office rooms for the pastors (window rooms, no less), 4 little meeting rooms (which we converted to 3), and a perfect recessed area right by the window facing the harbor. when i saw the space - i just knew that was it.
we immediately take john down there - and when he saw the room on the 2/F, the sanctuary room - he knew it too. when we saw the office floor on the 3/F, it was confirmed. at least at that time, we could afford the smaller of the 2 sides of the office floor.
hurdles
so now the hard part starts. we had a number of hurdles to overcome.
1. church on premises
2. rental and a/c costs
3. construction & fit-out budget
1. church on premises
before we even submit an offer, we had to get approval from the landlord. soooo - we just indicate to them that we had a client that was a church, and was interested in the property. 2 weeks go by, and they could not make a decision. then we're told that the decision's gone up to nina wang! freakin NINA WANG!!... she just happens to be the richest woman in asia! the control freak who likes to micromanage even the smallest of deals! about a week later - we're informed that nina had turned down the vine - she just did not want a church in that building. we appealed for another week, but time and again, we were turned down. we submitted letters. we made so many phone call requests. everytime we went down to look at the VC, it seemed further and further away. finally, i suggest one last ditch effort. we dress up tony and john, and we parade them in front of the chinachem peoples - and make a final plea. so there we were, a beautiful saturday afternoon, in the lobby of golden chinachem building in tst east, john in his recently dusted-off suit, tony in his er... suit, praying at the base of the 'nina-wang-betty-boop-marilyn-monroe' statue.
Lord, we CLAIM the VC as YOURS! we pray for hearts to be changed! we pray for wisdom and grace as we meet with the landlords, and open ourselves to your calling! make us bold and guide us in our way this day!
we get a call on monday, and nina changes her mind. we are IN. amazing, huh? well - this was only the beginning!
2. rental and a/c costs
while we were busy getting rejected by the landlord (and nina), i was crunching numbers. i couldn't see how this was going to work. rent was in the right range, but the overtime A/C costs would be skyrocketing, especially if we go into 2 service sundays. we ran several scenarios, and they all looked the same. then one day, i was chatting with my colleague, and we came up with an awesome idea. under this plan (i can't disclose the #s), we would be able to get 8am-8pm a/c everyday, but HALVE the cost of the a/c! absolute genius! we had proposed pricing structure after pricing structure to the landlord previously, all of which were categorically denied. this was our last ditch attempt (yet again...). so what the heck, eh? - we tried, and of course we all prayed. while we sweated out the 10days or so the landlord took to review the structure (i'm still not sure they fully understood the ramifications of it... but hey - it works for us!!!), plans were underway to design the place. it was looking very GOOD - but ugh... if only the costing would come in good!
please Lord. we know that only YOU can make a seemingly hopeless situation hopeful. only YOU can take 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread and feed 5000, and STILL have 12 baskets filled with leftovers! although we cannot begin to imagine what YOU can do with our little budget, we just entrust that little bit to YOU, and pray we have the FAITH to trust in YOUR ways!
the landlord came back, and asked for a HK$0.10 increase in our proposal. hmmmmmmmm.... ok - 0.10 x 7272 = HK$727.20 extra a month??????? only????? i could NOT believe what i heard. my colleague laughed at the absurdity of it. TEN DAYS to counter for HK$700 bux????? what the???????? needless to say, we accepted ON THE SPOT!
with this news, we were able to fit into our budget the LARGER office space on the 3/f - which has a partial HARBOR VIEW! which is BRIGHT! and which has a superior LAYOUT! i mean - how AMAZING is that?????? we just got 12 full baskets of leftovers!
3. construction and fit-out budget
all this time, we had been working with synthesis design on the Vine Center. they have an amazing concept - and currently we are in the process of constructing the vision. the firm was started by a husband & wife team - samuel and alice, and they are absolutely incredible. before they even were approached, they felt a calling from the Lord to use their talents for HIS PURPOSE, and with the VC, they knew it was what God called them there for, and subsequently, they are giving it a full 200% effort! you only have to speak and see them work and u'd know right away what it means to walk in God's path! we just need to keep the project within budget!! :)
but as of now - on the 3/F - the estimate came in WAY over our budget! we discarded those plans, and went with a local contractor - the guy who layed the carpet in the old office. we gave him our budget, and he said sure. no prob. this is like 5 TIMES lower than the original budget! anyway - as we were reviewing the office space, it dawned on us that the positioning of the door is not so efficient. we could make so much more use of our space if the door was at the end of the common corridor, rather than the middle (which was the current set-up). in knocking a new hole in the wall to make the new door - the contractor estimated 10 days to source the door, and do the construction work. we only had a week before we had to leave the old office... less than 7 days! the other thing - b/c the amended door frame width was wider than a normal glass door - we would need another partial glass frame to fill the space, which would mean more moolah! but - it would make the space soooo much better! so anyway... he goes ahead with the amendments.
when he knocks the wall down, there is.... a perfectly fitting, installed, FULL GLASS DOOR AND PANEL!
we are a full 5-6 weeks away from our first service in the VC. there's still a TON of work to be done. people are being mobilized to paint, clean, move, plan... it's just so encouraging to see God's people move in such a way.
Heaven is MY throne, and earth is MY footstool. what house will you build for ME? says the LORD, or what is the place of MY rest? has MY hand not made all these things? Acts 7:49-50
see - it's not the VC in itself. has not GOD made that? what house are we going build for GOD? i'm encouraged see the people who have stepped up in giving to the VC. that they realize that the physical place that is erected is not what God actually seeks. He is looking for the hearts to believe that He can and will and did give us the place. He is looking for the hearts that know that it cannot be a reality unless we all make it so, thru our sacrifices and labor to make it work. that to serve means to really selflessly put yourself out there, and lay the bricks one at a time. to take ownership in the fact the GOD has finally given the vine a home, and a place where HIS light will shine into ALL of hk!
no eye can see, no ear can hear, no mind conceive, how great you are oh Lord... you ARE AMAZING!
posted by crif | 9:32 PM
2 Comments:
wow seriously the Vine Centre is a miracle. I've been learning about "Casa di amore - God's house, Our house" at church this month and the VC is definitely HK's casa di amore!
wow, thanks for sharing the story cliff... it's an awesome testimony, and i'm so glad to hear about all the hard work and grace that has gone into the Vine Centre that I hadn't fully heard of before... bless you, bud. -alison.
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