Dear Friends of FUMC:
Our church is known for its outstanding worship, Music Ministry, children’s and youth ministry and outreach programs to those in need in our community. We are committed to finding ways to grow and expand the ministries of the church. We often need to find creative and long-term ways to fund improvements to our ministries. The church plans to enter into a capital campaign to fund improvements to our organ and sanctuary, and improvements and renovation to the Justin Youth Building. The church is also considering a plan to potentially fund a donation for the YWCA to create permanent supportive housing community for women and children.
We have projected the needed funding for the capital campaign would be $4.5 million. The church leadership has spent months looking at the feasibility of entering into a capital campaign and they need your feedback. We have included several survey questions related to each of the proposed project areas and we welcome and need your feedback. You can respond to the interest survey questions by taking the interest survey online on the church website – Click here to take the survey.
The Capitol Campaign will also offer donors a choice in how to designate their gift, either to the organ/sanctuary project, Justin Youth Building renovation project, or the Homes with Hope project. The capital campaign will include funding for the following:
Organ and sanctuary acoustic improvements
Our current organ was built in 1967. It has been renovated once and has slowly begun to show signs of failure in parts of the instrument. Since the spiritual experience that comes from worship and the music in our services, it is essential that our organ be improved to allow us to continue to offer moving, spiritual, and musical experience in worship.
Often in older buildings like ours, we have to update and modify our space to accommodate new technology. The sound of the music tends to “flatten” in our Sanctuary due to the soft surfaces (carpet) that currently exist in our Sanctuary. To improve the acoustics in the Sanctuary we have to increase the hard surface area in the room and reduce mechanical sound that interferes with the worship experience.
Organ Improvements:
• Addition of a new gallery division (chamber above the rear balcony)
• New Bombarde Division (chamber above the main space in the Sanctuary)
• New Organ Console (keyboard)
• Addition of new divisions (sections) of the organ – pipes
• Add additional ranks of pipes to existing organ
• Re-voice 3-4 organ stops that are currently unusable
• Communications upgrades for the organist - communication with the sound booth, signaling between the narthex and organ (essential for weddings), remote controlled camera (so organist can see the conductor when in various areas of the Sanctuary)
• New and upgraded mechanisms, electronics and wiring
• Redesign of the organ chambers for better accessibility and tonal egress
• Reuse 20-50% of our existing organ pipes
• Replace 25-50% of our pipes
Sanctuary Acoustics Improvements:
• Reduction of HVAC mechanical and airflow noise
• Installation of slate under the pews and in the raised section of the altar area
• Acoustical engineering
Cost of the Organ/Sanctuary renovation: $2.5 million
Justin Building Improvements
The Jane and John Justin Youth Building is in need of improvements to better utilize the space in the building to aid in the church’s ministry to our youth. An anonymous donor funded an improvement study several years ago to help identify the necessary improvements. The suggested renovations are contingent on our ability to raise the funding for the improvements.
Justin Building Improvements:
• Renovate and reconfigure the current classrooms
• Purchase new furnishings, fixtures and equipment
• New gymnasium ceiling to replace the damaged ceiling
• New security system
• Renovate the Asbury Room – including a new sound booth, power upgrades and serving counter
• Renovate lobby area
• Upgrade existing restrooms to meet current ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards
• Renovate existing classrooms into a Chapel and classroom
• Build a new outdoor patio
• Renovations to the gym to make it convertible into a multipurpose use room for ministry and worship
• Repair/replace leaking windows
• Create several spaces with “smart room” capabilities
• New carpet and paint throughout the building
Cost of the Justin Building renovation: $500,000
Homes with Hope outreach partnership with YWCA
FUMC has a long history of community outreach partnership with the YWCA. The church and the YWCA are exploring yet another life-changing, community-based ministry – Homes with Hope. Homes with Hope is what the church called our effort to help provide a Permanent Supportive Housing community that will offer stability for those willing and able to break the chain of chronic homelessness by providing both a safe and affordable home along with supportive services. Studies have shown that the primary way to end homelessness is safe, quality affordable housing with wrap around supportive services, like career counseling, parenting skills or addiction counseling.
Since the use of church property is not feasible, the church is exploring the possibility of purchasing land and/or a building for the YWCA to create a Permanent Supportive Housing community for homeless women and children. The intent is to offer safe housing to the women and their children as they to begin to stabilize their lives and move toward independence.
Cost Estimate: $1.7 to 2 million
Grace and Peace, Blessings,
Tim Bruster Liz Howard
Senior Pastor Church Council Chair
