Dear Beloved Community,
Last night, both the Zoom room and the church house room were packed with so many of you who showed up to vote for the recommendation from the Building Project Task Force.
Since the presentation on August 7, we have heard overwhelming excitement and gratitude from you about the project as presented! Emotionally, you are hopeful for what a thoughtful outdoor space (new pavilion, parking lot, playground, columbarium, and sacred garden) will mean for us and our community. Mentally, you know it’s time to replace the energy management and 100 year-old blower, it makes good sense to finish out the kitchen and replace stained carpet, and it’s smart to add solar panels and EV chargers for income-generation and sustainability. And practically, you’re ready to say goodbye to gravel, to hear better in the sanctuary, to feel increased safety with security cameras and greater welcome with new signage.
So last night, you gladly, hopefully, excitedly voted unanimously to pursue this good work! Thanks be to God!
Far more project details will come soon – and we commit to communicating those regularly to you! – but let me use this space to speak to a few questions we’ve heard this month.
Several folks asked questions about the anticipated increase on our property of neighbors who are homeless, particularly as it relates to the pavilion. This Sunday, the Deacons will hear a recommendation to form a Pavilion Area Plan for Community Use Task Force (gotta love a task force that’s a mouthful!), in order to give thoughtful attention to how we balance our desires for safety, stewardship, and hospitality with our neighbors in and around the house and grounds.
We’ve heard a lot of feedback related to the possible add-on projects, with a number of you passionate about all the projects – but not all at the same time! The Building Project Task Force will be researching these projects over the next several weeks, and will be coming back to you with cost estimates for them. We have prioritized these projects as such: (1) building a covered walkway/driveway, (2) continuing the new flooring throughout much of the building, and (3) completing a fuller renovation of the Baraca Room.
Other add-on project ideas may ask for a different tactic. Some of you have asked about sound issues in Kelly Auditorium – thank you! – and we believe these can be troubleshooted first. If these issues persist, we will work with the sound engineer we contract from the Sanctuary sound system replacement to offer an assessment in Kelly. The Building Project Task Force has also done research on the windows in this building, and believe that we have options for how to address them. These range from restoration to replacement, either all at once, or some at a time over the course of several years. More to come on these!
Finally, we’ve heard questions about how the money will be received and spent. Last night, we voted also to release the Building Project Task Force to begin spending money, of which those expenditures will be overseen by the Finance Committee. They’ll also determine the rhythm of payments along with the rhythms of the capital campaign. Early conversations we’ve had with our site designer suggest that we won’t know the final cost for the back lot (which is the largest part of the project!) until early next year after all the planning, permitting, and designing has been done. Expect us to return to the church as soon as we know more on this piece.
Speaking of money, the question that always comes up with a building project is obviously how are we going to pay for this? Hear our excitement and gratitude to do this fundraising work with you! Starting on Sunday, we the beloved community of First on Fifth will be considering how each and every one of us can give a little of our own financial resources to do a lot together, to do life together.
In August, we asked the church leaders who work most closely in these areas to consider a pledge to the campaign in what we’ve called a “silent phase.” It gave everyone in the room deep joy to hear our campaign chair, Terri Yates, announce that these leaders have committed $1,161,800 from 38 families to the project! Over the next six weeks, we’ll be talking and praying about how each one of us will have the joy of participating, how we reach toward our $2M with the energy and imagination to not only meet, but exceed it. Come on Sunday to receive information about the campaign, to watch a video describing the project and the campaign, and to hear from Terri, about the campaign!
It’s not an accident that our theme for this school year matches the theme for the campaign: Life Together. We honor our life together by reflecting our values in our space. We leave a legacy of our life together by shepherding the gift entrusted to us and strengthening it for the generations to come. We bear witness in the community to our life together by marking 100 years on this block with vitality and fresh expressions of community and hope above all else.
Thanks be to God for the gift of life together, and for this season, this place, these people, our calling among which to live it out.
Together in God’s work of Love,
Pastor Emily