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ANOUNCEMENTS:
Congregational Meeting on September 30th to introduce and discuss the proposed building plan.
LETTER TO THE CONGREGATION:
Dear Friends in Christ:
Over the last six years there has been an on-again-off-again attempt to build a consensus for expanding our church facility. During those years there has been at least two different “Building Committees” formed to develop a master plan for upgrading and expanding our church. The last committee finished its work in late 2005 with a set of conceptual plans developed by the Gilbert & McLaughlin Architectural firm from Nashville. In early 2006, Steve Gilbert presented the conceptual master plan to the Board. At that time, with the recent change in ministerial staff, the Board decided to table any building plans or modifications until a future date.
In May of this year, our Board Chairperson, Rosie Graham, appointed a new Building Committee to study whether the church should move forward with any modification or expansion of our current facilities. The appointed committee consists of the following individuals:
Members Exiofficial Members
Milt Davis (Chair) Rosie Graham (Board Chairperson)
Sharon Carter Jim Reed (Financial Secretary)
Jon Gray Tom Murdock (Senior Minister)
Jon Seely Amy Cates (Associate Minister)
Randy Simpson
Michael McAmis
Jenny English
Lauren Beale
During the summer, the committee met several times to discuss what had been done in the past, the reasons that exist for any expansion or modification, the conceptual plans that had been developed by Gilbert & McLaughlin, and what if anything we might want to recommend to the Board and the Congregation. The 2007 Building Committee did reach consensus on several points:
- There is sufficient evidence of growth within our congregation that a new multi-purpose fellowship hall and several more classrooms are required.
- The current fellowship hall with its moveable walls is no longer a viable option.
- These walls are too difficult to put up and take down on a regular basis.
- The use of the Fellowship hall for Sunday special events conflicts with the concept of using that space for adult classrooms.
- The tracks and the walls are becoming difficult to keep in good operational form and the Original Equipment Manufacturer has gone out of business.
- The conceptual plans developed by Gilbert & McLaughlin (hanging in the Hallway between the office and sanctuary) should not be done in a phased approach as suggested by the Phase I and Phase II concepts but a full expansion as suggested by the Phase II concept should be the basis of our plan.
- The cost of the proposed project be limited to a range of $850,000 to $1,000,000.
- We not turn ground or lay one brick until the congregation approves the plan by committing to funding the project with $200,000 upfront money
At the August 5th Board meeting, I presented the above recommendations to the Board. After healthy discussion, the Board unanimously approved the recommendations and decided that the congregation be given an opportunity to vote on the proposed new direction.
The proposed upgrade and expansion offers many solutions to the space problems we have faced in the past. First, our current Fellowship Hall will become the site of permanent classrooms and a new choir room without the moveable walls. The parking area next to the church will house a new multi-purpose Fellowship Hall as well as more class rooms, a new kitchen and two more bathrooms. In addition, we will get more storage space in different areas of the church.
This upgrade and expansion will benefit us with a larger and more versatile multi-purpose room that can serve as a fellowship hall for our own gatherings and provide the community with a larger area and more accessible area for activities such as Boy Scouts, Senior Citizens, Blood Drives, as well as youth activities. We will also gain much needed permanent class room and storage space.
At this point, it should be stated that the conceptual drawings provided with this letter are not final and there is plenty of time to discuss and make changes that are more suitable to our needs. These plans should be viewed as preliminary plans that we will continue to modify as we hear from all sections of our congregation.
What we ask you to consider is whether we as a congregation should move forward with upgrading and expanding our church facility for future growth of our church body. It will be easy to approve this concept by “voice vote” but the challenge becomes whether we will decide to fund the project. Therefore, we ask the congregation to vote with their pocketbook first by requiring that we raise $200,000 upfront within 12 to 18 months before we commit to the building expansion. This certainly will require us to consider carefully what we plan on doing both individually and as a congregation. I remember Dr. Buck, a previous minister, telling several members that, “Where the Spirit is right, so will be the money.”
Over the last 50 years, I have witnessed the growth of First Christian Church double in size from approximately 200 members to over 400 members. Each time modifications or expansions have been contemplated (1957, 1970, and 1987), there were questions and doubts about whether we should spend the money and expand our facilities. As a member of First Christian Church in 2007, I’m glad that we collectively over the years had the wisdom to move forward. With thoughtful prayer and guidance for our Lord, Jesus Christ, I’m sure we will make the right decisions in 2007.
On Sunday, September 30th, we will hold a congregational meeting at both services to discuss and vote on whether we should move forward and proceed with the recommendations of the Building Committee and begin to develop plans for upgrading and expanding our facilities as well as funding the effort. Please feel free to contact any of the committee members with any questions or concerns.
In Christian Love,
Milt Davis, Jr.
2007 Building Committee Chair