What’s Next? by Rev. Jennie Churchman

With the completion of the “Lift Our Blessings” capital campaign in sight at the end of June, it is time to start thinking about what is next.  As you may remember, the process of updating our building to meet 21^st century needs began in 2008 with the “Building for Tomorrow” capital campaign.  This was an ambitious, multi-stage vision, covering several areas:  Accessibility, Building Maintenance, Ceiling and Insulation Upgrades, Air Conditioning Upgrades, Fireside Lounge Upgrades, and various Miscellaneous Projects.  Because we did not receive all of the necessary funds at that time to complete all of these projects, we decided to focus on Accessibility as the primary goal in 2010.

The “Lift Our Blessings” project has been very successful.  We are all enjoying the expansion of our Gathering Space, the ease of getting to the Parish Hall, and the increased accessibility of our building.  Unseen, but no less important, is a necessary upgrade to our electrical system that was also addressed by the “Lift Our Blessings” campaign.  In addition to this work, several other projects from the initial 2008 vision have been completed.  Upgrades to the Parish Hall ceiling and insulation have resulted in immediate savings in energy costs.  Private donations covered the costs of tuck pointing and waterproofing the brick exterior of our church.  And designated memorial funds enabled us to make the updates to the Fireside Lounge.

Shortly after we began the “Lift Our Blessings” campaign, we also discovered that our historic Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ required significant restoration.  Please see the related article by Carol Bennett-Barker in this edition of The Visitor to learn more about our organ and the restoration it requires.  Properly repairing and maintaining our organ needs to be a priority for us going forward.  Aeolian-Skinner organs are high-quality, renowned instruments.  When the Music Minister at Northway Christian Church in Dallas found out that we have an Aeolian-Skinner, he just about fainted.  And to paraphrase one of the experts who looked at our organ, we have a treasure.

So where do we stand?  The Board is currently working through a discernment process to prioritize the remaining projects from the original 2008 vision, with the addition of the organ restoration project.  We likely will begin a follow-up capital campaign later this summer to raise the necessary funds for these projects.   Please support the Board and the Organ Restoration Committee with your prayers, and please prayerfully consider how you can be part of the effort to bring these projects to completion.