The CharestCorp Blog

As a Pastor and a CEO, I continue to hear the desperate cries of families and businesses saying, “I could sure use a bailout!” What if financial relief was as close as your garage? In a recent survey CharestCorp Church Design Builders discovered that that is exactly the case. Just in the greater Fresno area people have over 40 million dollars stored in their garages and mini-storage’s. Now we just need a way to convert it into dollars!

Enter the Fresno Indoor Flea Market!This nonprofit community flea market concept will allow individuals and churches from all over the valley to help their community help themselves. Opening on April 17th from 7am to 3pm every Saturday and Sunday. Over 100 vendors and dozens of churches are preparing to be involved so the problem (which is a good one to have), will be scheduling when booths are available. If your interested call Alejandra Charest at (559)392-7671 Enjoy food, friends, and fantastic deals.

Today is a time for aggressive Community outreach. and for the Church some of the worst off are in our own Congregations. Churches who normally could dip into their own resources to help congregants in need, are in desperate need themselves.

In a recent work shop with church leaders in Central California we found that 95% of all of the churches present had made cut backs including, layoffs, salary cuts and ministry cuts. Tithes and offerings have been so severly reduced that there is barely enough money to cover salaries, never mind the outreach ministries that were once done by these churches. This leaves financially hurting members one less place to go in times of great financial need.

What is the solution? How do Churches, the very ones people look towards in a time of need, help them without any financial resources? The answer is to help the community help itself as the book of Acts implies.

Acts 2:45 states: “and sold thier possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need”.

This is where the Flea Market Concept becomes an interesting option. For instance, CharestCorp recently completed research estimating that homeowners in the Central Valley, (specifically the City of Fresno) have over 25 million dollars worth of stored goods in their garages and storage areas that could be sold to help support their families. So how do we get them to leverage those good to put food on the table and gas in their cars? The answer is a good old fashioned Flea Market.

There was a time in our country where due to a global war and a severe depression that trading ones goods, second hand items and ones labor services provided a co-op of sorts that insured survival for hundreds of thousands of families. It is time we embrace this concept again.

To that end CharestCorp is using one of our vacant 40,000 square foot buildings to house an ongoing Indoor Flea Market and partnering with local churches to invite members to brings goods that they no longer need for sale. This allows families to, “sell and simplify” their lives and to remove the clutter in their garages and storage spaces and use the money to pay bills as they have need.

Now is the time to be creative and embrace our new motto: “Revelation to Innovation.” Which is to say that we believe as followers of Jesus Christ through the guidance of the Holy Spirit will discover new ways to serve our community by helping them learn to serve themselves.

For more information of how to partner with CharestCorp in making this Flea Market concept a success for your church email us at renem@charestcorp.com  and “Happy Yard Sailing!”

The Battleship Builder

Recently CharestCorp was interviewed by the Fresno Business Journal about their unique style of business in a tough economy. CharestCorp is the largest Church Design Builder in California with 8 national awards for their streamlined design approach and remarkable cost saving innovations.

Our Motto is: “We Build Battleships” and this represents a national movement to create affordable but practical custom church facilities. We as a nation have had unprecedented growth in the last decade and churches where awash with money and new members. This led to the Cruise ship phenomenon where large opulent structures where created to satisfy the every want of the congregation. They were theme parks with incredible amenities that overwhelmed the senses and provided a complete Christian environment filled with bells and whistles.

Cruise ships are not bad; actually they are quite enjoyable and bring to mind times of comfort and relaxation. It is a sort of heaven on earth and the wants of every person are met with no expense spared.

But with unemployment skyrocketing and bank loans becoming more difficult to secure, change has happened and it has happened quickly. Now churches are facing difficult financial times with the need to cut services and require more help from volunteers. It is making them reevaluate what the needs are compared to the wants. It is making them consider out of necessity the most streamlined facility they can build.

Another unintended consequence is that church leaders must focus on only “mission critical” ministries. The non essentials are placed on hold while the highly effective mission critical ministries are given the limited resources of money and manpower. That is why the building must also be a “Mission Critical Facility”.

Just like a Battleship, buildings are built with a purpose or better yet a mission. A battleship facility wastes no space, has no place for opulence, but is in every way the epitome of excellence. It is excellent because every square inch of space meets a need. Wants are not considered as a priority for Battleship Architecture but as a nice possible option if money is available after the needs are met.

So CharestCorp saw the need and adjusted to better serve the Body of Christ and has become the Battleship Builder of the new millennium. We pray our efforts bless our clients and aid in the ongoing effort of building the Kingdom of God one church at a time. Battleship Building has been a great success and we appreciate every church that has trusted us with their limited resources and their congregations. So here at CharestCorp it is every man (and woman) on deck as we labor together to complete the mission that Our divine Master has given us. Aye Aye, Captain!