From the Pastor

January, 2012

I want to express my thanks to everyone who has contributed toward our proposed educational facility. I also want to give an update about where we are as we begin the New Year.

Gifts and pledges to date total just over $1.5 million. This is the largest response to a giving campaign we have ever had. This counts contributions from church members, friends who now live elsewhere, Preschool and Kid Zone families, Scouting families and others. Of this amount $730,000 has already been given. Thank you! You have made a strong and generous beginning.

As we take the next steps together we count on your input. We want to make wise decisions that reflect the wisdom and hopes of our church family. As it stands, the projected costs for the proposed facility are roughly $6.5 million. To make such a project realistic we would want to have about $4 million in hand.

One possibility for reaching this goal would be to raise the needed funds with continued outreach to our church family and community. Additional gifts - even major gifts - could be developed in the coming year to help bring us closer. A second approach would be to delay the project for some time, as we build up our resources. Of course, costs may increase as we wait.

A third possibility would be to develop a simpler plan than the current proposal, with a smaller budget. This would enable us to move forward sooner, but would also require a redesign of the project. We need to decide whether this approach will best serve our long-term future needs. We do not want to build something that is helpful only in the short-term.

No matter which approach we take there are phases of the project that make sense to begin sooner than later. For example, the parking area nearest the choir room could be developed in the coming year. That is where we will locate temporary classrooms during construction. But the added parking would be helpful today as well. Getting started with that work as soon as we can will save money down the road.

Some view the new facility proposal as the building of a new preschool. Others picture it mostly helping our after school programs. I see it as a plan for our whole campus. It includes spaces for adult as well as children's uses. It makes the patio safer for both younger and older members. It improves and updates the kitchen. It helps make our buildings and our campus greener, with more open space and lower energy usage. It increases handicapped accessible parking, as well as parking overall. It makes sense for us to address the needs of the whole campus, and the whole congregation, as we build for the future.

The buildings constructed in the mid-1960s have served us well. They will not last forever. Plumbing and electrical issues require attention. We have been fortunate to get by without major roofing work. We do not want to wait until costly repairs force us to act.

A new facility will meet the needs of our current church family and strengthen our mission for years to come. And we need your input and help to bring it about. On February 8, at 7:30 p.m., our Charge Conference will take place in the sanctuary. In addition to the usual agenda for our annual meeting, we will be deciding how best to move forward with the new facility proposal. I invite you to come and share your questions, your prayers and your wisdom.

I also want us to have several opportunities before that night to ask questions, share thoughts and be in conversation with each other around this project. One of those will be after morning worship on Sunday, January 22, at 11:30 a.m. The second will be on Monday evening, January 23, at 7 p.m. The third will be on Tuesday morning, January 31, at 9 a.m. Feel free to bring your questions and thoughts to any one of these gatherings, which will be held in the Aldersgate Room. You may also call or email me, or schedule a time to meet in person.

Our congregation is blessed with many strengths. We share a generous mission with children and families, younger, older and everyone in-between. This church family helps people to live and grow in grace, and to discover God's leading. At the beginning of this New Year I want you to know how much I appreciate the opportunity we have to share together in this ministry. With all of my heart, I thank you. I look forward to hearing from you, and meeting with you, as we move forward together. I know that God will be with us as we follow.


Grace & Peace,