September 2026
To every Future Is Now partner,
We are closer to home than we have ever been. And I mean that in more ways than one.
Over the last 30 days, the building has changed dramatically. The upper tier risers and seats are installed. Major steel and truss reinforcement is complete. The kids classroom finishes are going in. Cabinets and flooring are in. The final coats of paint are going up, and doors are being installed. What you committed to is not a plan anymore. It is a place you can walk through.
Right now, a lot of the work is happening overhead in the Worship Center. HVAC, power, and more than 80 conduits for our audio and video systems have been tediously installed. We are working on the back-stage ramp, the lobby ceiling, and painting the Worship Center ceiling.
In the children’s area and lobby, cabinet installation is complete, flooring is in, and the finishes that make these rooms feel like home are going in one by one. Doors are being painted, hung, and fitted with new locks.
Outside, the front porch is being demolished and new concrete poured, and a complete new front entrance is taking shape. Over the next month, you are going to see signage going up on the property and the building, plumbing fixtures installed, more flooring underfoot, final paint in the Worship Center, and furniture coming in throughout.
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Risers and seats poured and installed | Complete |
| Ceiling insulation removed for reinforced steel | Complete |
| 2nd round of truss reinforcement | Complete |
| Ceiling insulation reinstalled | Complete |
| Cabinet installation (classrooms and lobby) | Complete |
| Floor installation in classrooms | Complete |
| New door painting | Started |
| New doors and locks installation | Started |
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Power and AV ducts in Worship Center ceiling (80+ conduits) | In Progress |
| Overhead HVAC work in Worship Center | In Progress |
| Stage ramp pour in Worship Center | In Progress |
| Worship Center ceiling paint | In Progress |
| Front porch demolition | In Progress |
| New concrete in front porch area | In Progress |
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| New signage installed | Upcoming |
| Remaining doors hung | Upcoming |
| Plumbing fixtures installed | Upcoming |
| Flooring completed | Upcoming |
| Floors cleaned and polished | Upcoming |
| Final paint on walls and ceiling in Worship Center | Upcoming |
| Additional furniture received | Upcoming |
Here is some good news on where we gather in these final weeks. MacArthur High School has stepped up and given us the room through the end of October. Because they saw how close this whole thing is to being finished, they wanted to help us finish strong. So we get to keep gathering together, right up until we walk into our new home. I want to say thank you to MacArthur, and to our team who worked hard behind the scenes to make this happen.
This is not a gap season or a scary in-between. This is a faith season, the part of the story that gets tested and proven. God is still working even when we cannot see it coming.
Here is where we stand. We have this space through the end of October, and our plan and our hope is to walk into our new building before October is out. I am not going to stand up and guarantee you a date, because you have watched this journey with me long enough to know things shift. But I can tell you this: we are close, the plan has not changed, and we are working toward it.
When we do walk in, it will not be finished. There will still be work happening, still be hands building around us. And that is okay. We will keep building, keep pushing, all the way to our Grand Opening at the end of January, when this whole church throws the doors open wide for a full celebration, with special guests and the whole city invited to see what God has done. Mark it down. You are going to want to be there, and you are going to want to bring somebody with you.
And here is something I do not want you to miss. November will mark one full year since we began The Future Is Now, which means we are getting ready to enter year two of this campaign. You have carried this from a step of faith to a building we can stand inside.
Recently, as I have been walking partners through the building on our Partner Tours, it has become one of the most meaningful parts of this whole season. There is something about standing in these rooms together and picturing what is coming.
And on one of those tours, a couple said something I have not been able to shake. They looked around and said this:
“This feels like us. This is going to bring us together.”
— An Awaken partner, on a recent building tour
That is it. That is the whole thing. You can feel our home becoming a reality.
As partners, you deserve full clarity on where things stand.
Financial Update
as of September 17, 2026
Est. Project Cost – $7,234,032
In these final weeks, I am asking you to do four simple things.
You already said yes. You already stepped in. If you made a commitment to The Future Is Now, let’s finish what we started. And if you have already fulfilled your commitment, would you prayerfully consider giving beyond it? We are closer now than when you first said yes.
Online:
Visit www.awakenchurch.ac/giving, tap Give, and select “The Future Is Now (Building)” fund.
Awaken Church App:
Open the app, select Irving as your location, tap Giving, and choose “The Future Is Now – Building.”
Text to Give:
Text “give” to 888.465.2275 and follow the prompts.
We’re almost home, Awaken. And I believe we’re going to look back on this season and be so grateful that we stayed together all the way through it.
The Future Is Now.
