It’s time. Our officers and our ministry teams have spent
more than a year identifying needs, discussing priorities, planning,
discerning, and, of course praying. What things must we do, what things should
we do, and what things would we like to do as we look to the future,
our bright future, leading to the celebration of our 150th anniversary in 2017?
Those things we must do are so readily apparent,
starting with the roof, where the leaks probably exceed the years since MPC was
established back in 1867. Once we replace the roof, we’ll need to replace all
of the ceiling tiles throughout the building. That’s where we start. Estimated
cost: $200,000.
From there, we move on. We then must replace the
air-conditioning units in our Sunday School/Pre-school wing. They are old and
very inefficient. Estimated cost: $30,000.
We should replace all the chairs in the Sanctuary.
The fabric dates from the Sanctuary renovation 15 years ago, but the chair
frames are almost 40 years old. Estimated cost: $20,000. The new plastic chairs
we’ve added to the Fellowship Hall have proven popular, so we’d like to replace
all the old metal folding chairs as well. Estimated cost: $4,000.
The sound system and electronics in the Sanctuary must
be replaced. What we have dates from the days of cassette tapes. Speakers,
microphones, wiring, DVD burners, video camera, computer controllers – they all
need replacing. Estimated cost: $40,000.
Other needs we’ve identified include building out a
vestibule for the office wing, with double doors to keep out the cold winter
winds and the blasts of summer’s heat. Automatic door openers for the Narthex
entry will make the building so much easier to enter for those who use walkers,
wheelchairs, and even for parents pushing strollers. It will bring our building
into compliance, as well.
We’ve talked about building a Columbarium – a burial site
for ashes. While that is not a “must-have”, it has proven to be a compelling
idea, leading to other wonderfully creative ideas, such as a prayer garden and
outdoor labyrinth.
We are ready to launch a Capital Campaign to raise the
funds we’ll need to do all the projects we’ve identified. Tom Norwood, a
consultant with Horizons Stewardship, will advise us and guide us through the
process.
And yes, everyone will be invited to participate in the
discussion and planning – we’ll be arranging those opportunities later this
month and next. We want everyone involved and everyone excited as we plan for
our future, building on our strengths.
The next few months promise to be very exciting as
together we make our plans to strengthen our foundation and build on all the
faithful work of those saints who’ve gone before us. It’s time – for our
future!
Grace & Peace,
Pastor
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