Read the full issue of this week’s newsletter here: The Weekly Liberal April 23.

In this week’s Liberal, Rev. Jen Crow writes:

It’s hard to believe that it was only six weeks ago that we closed our church building and moved our operations online. These have been weeks that have felt like years, and for some of us, days that have felt like weeks. So much has changed in such a short time. A month ago, our Board of Trustees met to consider how this global pandemic and the resulting economic uncertainty might impact our building renovation plans. They thought carefully about the financial pledges that are still outstanding to our capital campaign, the costs of extending our plans further into the future, and our deep desire to move forward. At the end of that meeting on March 26, the Board decided to split our building renovation into two phases: phase one taking place this summer using the gifts already received and phase two taking place once the remaining financial commitments to the capital campaign have been received. In essence, the Board decided that this was not the time for a loan, and we would proceed carefully with our shared dreams and resources. 

While the overall scope of the renovations had already been determined, splitting the building project into two phases was a significant change in course. Over the last 3 weeks your Building Committee, project manager, and our contractor and architects have been working hard to determine the most cost-effective, impactful, and practical way to stage our renovations. On Monday night, the Building Committee met and unanimously agreed that we will split the project into the following phases:

Phase One: (Mid-May 2020 – Fall 2020)

Extensive remodeling of the Education Wing, Chalice Room, Atrium, Offices, and some Exterior Work

• We will create a more welcoming and accessible central entrance with a dedicated in-person greeting station when you enter the building.
• We will complete critical repairs including roofing, electrical, and HVAC upgrades.
• Our education wing will include religious education and adult meeting spaces that better meet our needs, two banks of gender-neutral restrooms (one on each floor), and a multi-use room that can accommodate a family living with us for an extended period of time. 
• Offices will move to the first floor next to the atrium, creating more efficient and welcoming workspaces for staff and congregants. 
• The Chalice Room will become the new Cummins Room – an accessible, welcoming space for the community and the congregation. 
• We will be building and renovating with a focus on environmental and racial justice – finding ways to reduce the environmental impact of our building and putting our vendor policy to work in the hiring of all contractors and subcontractors. 

Phase Two: (Summer 2021)

Renovation of the Sanctuary and Social Hall, and Additional Exterior Work

Our sanctuary and sanctuary will be refreshed – including new paint, flooring, lighting, electrical work, audio visual equipment, ceiling repair, the creation of an accessible chancel, and installation of a hearing loop. 

The Building Committee considered several factors as we made our decision about these phases: 

• We kept the original intent of our capital campaign, Not for Ourselves Alone: Building an Inclusive Future, at the forefront of our conversation, looking for ways we could most effectively improve accessibility and hospitality, improve our worship and religious education spaces, and secure our financial future. 
• We looked at what renovations would be most impactful for the most people in our congregation and community at this time.
• We considered the many interlocking pieces of any renovation project, and what pieces of the project would be most cost-effective to complete together. 
• We looked at our economic reality as a congregation, and the desire to be able to rent spaces in our building in the near future. 
• We looked at our unfolding physical reality, and the truth that we will be gathering together in small groups much sooner than we will be gathering together in large groups for some time. 

We are excited about this decision, and look forward to sharing more with you. Please join me this Sunday, April 26, at 1 p.m. for a Zoom meeting where, along with Officers of the Board and the Building Committee, I will share images, details, and excitement for what is to come. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we have worked hard to make our shared dreams into a responsible reality, and a big thank you to those of you who have accelerated your capital campaign gifts, allowing us to include more of our work in Phase One of our renovation. Your generosity of spirit and resources is greatly appreciated.

In faith,

Rev. Jen Crow
Co-Senior Minister