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FBC Parsonage Project

December 31, 2006

Dear Members and friends of Fellowship Bible Church,

As you know, at the September 3, 2006 business meeting, we agreed to investigate the purchase of a parsonage for the church because of the advantages that it would afford the ministry. Namely, it could provide additional space for the pastor's family, office and meeting space, housing for visiting missionaries, outdoor space for church activities, along with the the benefit of being closer to the church. The financial advantage is quite significant, since church ownership of the parsonage eliminates property taxes and in our case, also eliminates mortgage interest and principal.

After the meeting, I asked Naomi and several others to assist in a parsonage search. My sister Deb Postiff helped, and the Dowells and Bennetts have offered additional assistance. We have had professional assistance from Missy Caulk and team with ReMax, who helped us with our own home purchase five years ago and the sale of Mrs. Pineiro's property in Sept-Oct 2006. She was initially recommended to us by Dr. Saxe, and we have appreciated working with her since she is a Christian who is married to a former pastor. With all of this help, we have made more or less consideration of about 20 homes within about six miles of the church. There are many more homes on the market right now, but we searched for homes with specific characteristics to simplify our task. We eliminated many due to high cost, layout, age, required upkeep, initial start-up costs to fit them to our purpose, lack of yard space, or distance from the church.

While no home has jumped out at us as completely perfect, there is one that we believe to be an excellent opportunity, and we would like to ask you to consider it as well. It sits on two acres about two miles south of the church off of Packard Rd. It is fairly large, has three bedrooms and an office upstairs, and a private bedroom and bathroom on the lower level that would be ideal for missionaries and other visitors. It has some unfinished basement space that could be finished for an additional guest room or office space. The living room and family rooms are quite large and would accommodate large gatherings. The yard has a lot of trees and open space as well. The home is fairly handicapped accessible, with bathrooms on two of the four levels and an entrance in the back that is only a half step from ground level. From our interaction with the materials given by the owners and personal inspection by Mike Scarfo and Dwayne Reid, it seems in many respects to have been carefully maintained and upgraded through the years. It has a low maintenance exterior, new roof, new windows and new vinyl siding along with carefully maintained brickwork. There are a number of other areas that need some attention, none of which we deem to be serious. The asking price was originally $354,900 and was dropped to $339,900 in August, 2006.

You can see a picture plan of the home by clicking the following link: parsonage possibility. You can see it on a map by clicking the following link: 3920 Charing Cross, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108.

Following negotiations, the sellers have accepted our offer of $330,000. This offer is contingent on congregational approval and appropriate inspections and legal paperwork.

Please let us know what you think. You can talk to me in person, by phone, or email me at .

Sincerely for the Cause of Christ,

Pastor Matt Postiff
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