Focused Capital Campaign

Please see the linked document for the Summary of Westmoreland Congregation Preferences for Use of Capital Campaign Funds.

Dear Westmorelanders,

At the congregational meeting on March 27, two motions were approved in connection with the Focused Capital Campaign.

One states that “[t]he first money raised in the campaign will be totally and irrevocably dedicated to the replacement of the church’s HVAC system. No other major capital initiatives will be undertaken until the new HVAC system is in place or until the congregation decides otherwise.”

As of now, the best estimate of the total cost of replacing the HVAC system is $600,000. The Board of Trustees has replacement of the HVAC system well in hand. The Capital Campaign committee will start asking for donations and pledges early next month so they will have the resources to complete that project as soon as possible. Read the rest of this entry »

From the Congregational Meeting of 3/27/2011

1. The Trustees and the Executive Committee move that Westmoreland Congregational United Church of Christ enter into a Focused Capital Campaign for 2011, beginning in early April, with the aim of raising $800,000 in cash and pledges to be fulfilled over a three-year period as donors choose. The first money raised in the campaign will be totally and irrevocably dedicated to the replacement of the church’s HVAC system. No other major capital initiatives will be undertaken until the new HVAC system is in place unless or until the congregation decides otherwise.

Passed unanimously with one abstention without amendment.

2. The Trustees and the Executive Committee move that the funds raised through the Focused Capital Campaign beyond those needed for the new HVAC system will go toward upgrades to the building that will enhance the worship and the ministry of the church as determined through ongoing conversations with the congregation and that the congregation will have opportunities to vote on any specific proposals for these additional projects beginning no later than May 31, 2011.

Passed as amended (to change “the opportunity” to “opportunities” and to add “beginning” after “projects”) with 5 opposed.

Pete Davis, Clerk

Many Westmorelanders will remember being interviewed by Rob Peters as part of a feasibility study for a capital campaign in the spring of 2009. The wish list of projects that was discussed then included several thought to be “essential” — including replacing the air conditioning and boilers and enhancing accessibility — as well others that were labeled “priority” and “desirable.” The total estimated cost of all these projects was about $1,800,000, twice the $850-900,000 Rev. Peters thought was a reasonable capital campaign goal for the Congregation, given the economic downtown in 2008.

It was decided not to go forward with plans for a full-scale capital campaign in 2009, but in February 2010 the Executive Committee asked Pete Davis and Bob Maddox to present to the Board of Trustees a request for a limited capital campaign “to complete priority capital improvements based on existing information on congregational preferences and capital improvement needs, including consideration of HVAC replacement, kitchen renovation, and chancel remodeling to accommodate the choir.” Read the rest of this entry »

Summary of March 13, 2011 Question-and-Answer Session about the Capital Campaign

After worship on March 13, Will Irwin and Marianne Phelps, co-chairs of the Focused Capital Campaign Committee, coordinated a presentation in the sanctuary about the current status of the campaign.

The gathering was introduced with a prayer by the Rev. Dr. Sid Fowler. Mary Grossnick, moderator-elect, served as a “presence keeper.” Rev. Jessica Petersen operated the power-point presentation that she had prepared in collaboration with Marianne.

Will provided a brief history of the campaign from its beginning under the auspices of the Board of Trustees in the fall of 2010. Under the theme of Our House: God’s House, it focuses first on replacing the HVAC system. Will introduced Farid Beltran, our property management consultant, to explain where we stand with the two phases of that project (the first phase to provide heating and cooling for the sanctuary and social hall, the second to supply the rest of the building via solid-state heat pumps).

Farid also responded to questions about other maintenance needs, e.g., repairing windows in the sanctuary and elsewhere in the building. Geoff Lilja said the 2011 annual budget provides $30,000 for maintenance expenses by trustees. Otto Hetzel estimated the total cost of both phases of HVAC replacement at $600,000.

Will then introduced Sean Reilly, principal architect from The Kerns Group Architects of Arlington, VA, to describe what would be entailed in the second focus of the campaign — possible modifications of Westmoreland’s worship space, to be accomplished in stages.

Sean related the process for developing the elements of the proposed stages for these modifications in collaboration with members of the congregation and staff. He explained the first stage of those modifications – modifying and extending the chancel space — with the aid of posters showing the floor plan and a drawing of what the modified chancel would look like from the pews and answered questions afterwards. Read the rest of this entry »

As reported earlier, the Trustees have contracted with the Kerns Group Architects of Arlington to work with the Focused Capital Campaign Committee and the Worship Space Subcommittee to develop a proposal for modifications to the Sanctuary.  The Kerns Group specializes in church architecture and has designed upgrades to several churches in the Washington area.  These include St. John’s Norwood Episcopal Church, Church of the Pilgrims, Dulin United Methodist Church and Luther Place Memorial Church.

St. John’s Norwood is located on the corner of Bradley Blvd. and Wisconsin Avenue.  It is similar to our church in that it is Georgian in design.  The architecture of the other churches mentioned is considerably different.

The modifications to St. John’s Norwood incorporated several of the ideas the Capital Campaign Committee is considering for our Sanctuary.

• They removed three rows of pews, extending and lowering the Chancel.
• They removed the choir stalls and placed chairs in the back of the Sanctuary for the choir so that the choir faces the congregation.
• The cross was moved forward in the chancel, making it much more prominent.
• The communion table, pulpit, lectern and font were replaced by new custom furniture, designed by Kerns Group.  The lectern is moveable providing more flexibility for the use of the Chancel.  The new pulpit included a portion of the existing pulpit.
• The architecture and liturgical furnishings were all designed to blend in with the existing Georgian architecture.
• New lighting was installed to provide appropriate focus at the chancel.

The results of their work are shown in the picture. Our intention in putting the picture on the Website is to show you work that the Kerns Group has completed. Needless to say similar work in our Sanctuary would look very different, and, of course, no decisions have yet been made concerning whether or when changes to the Westmoreland Sanctuary might be made.

Before Renovation	After Renovation
St. Johns Episcopal, Norwood Parish Sanctuary

1. History through end-of-January annual meeting is summarized on the FCCC page on the WCUCC website.  Progress since then:
2. January 27:  Trustees approved the agreement with Kerns Group Architects of Arlington to assist with plans and drawings for possible modifications of the chancel and sanctuary.  Sean Reilly of the Kerns Group interviews most members of  Worship Space Committee and all staff for their ideas and concerns about possible modifications.  Members are: Roy Grossnick, Deacons; Martha Hill, Music and Arts; Elizabeth Benton, BCE; Chris Lawrence, Choir; JoAnn Harris, BMF; Richard Schreitz, Tech committee. 
3. February 6:  Sean Reilly attends worship service at Westmoreland to observe uses of existing space.   Question and Answer period about the FCCC after church. 
4. February 9:  Sean Reilly and Tom Kerns present overall goals, detailed objectives, and two alternative plans for realizing these goals and objectives to members of the Worship Space Committee, some members of the FCCC and staff.  Plan B, with changes suggested by those attending, is the consensus preference.
5. Overall goals are: a) invigorate worship space with improved lighting, sound, seating, and liturgical furnishings; b) accommodate a diverse range of activities better by increasing size and flexibility of the chancel; c) provide a proper place for music with relocated choir, piano, and organ; d) foster improved sightlines, increased participation, and a stronger sense of community through a more intimate chancel-pew seating arrangement; e) create a more welcoming narthex; and f) design new elements to harmonize with the existing Georgian detailing.
6. February 11:  Kerns Group sends description of suggested stages for four components that could go forward as funds become available in the future: a) expand chancel and modify adjacent hall for new ADA ramp; b) remodel pew seating area; c) modify electrical, lighting, and sound system; and d) remodel the narthex and bride’s room. 
7. Next steps: Kerns Group will revise Plan B and related drawings based on suggestions at the February 9 meeting and develop preliminary cost estimates for implementing the components of that plan.  Kerns Group will present the revised plan and drawings to members of FCCC, Worship Space Committee, Trustees and staff on February 22.   Review of HVAC progress is ongoing. 
8. FCCC will develop plans for conducting the fund-raising, will meet with church boards and groups to discuss capital campaign priorities, and will post developments on the website.  Questions and concerns may be sent to the website.
9. March: second Q and A session; end of March, special congregational meeting.

We received a request that we provide a list of Capital Campaign Committee members on the website. Here it is.

Capital Campaign Committees

• Focused Capital Campaign
  • Will Irwin and Marianne Phelps, Co-chairs
  • Pete Davis
  • Jeff Eagan
  • David Jacobs
  • Sue Kirk
  • Leslie Weber
• Worship Space Subcommittee
  • Chris Lawrence, Chancel Choir
  • Roy Grossnick, Board of Deacons
  • Jo Ann Harris, Board of Membership and Fellowship
  • Martha Hill, Music and Arts Committee
  • Marianne Phelps, Focused Capital Campaign Co-Chair
  • Richard Schreitz, Tech Committee
  • Will Irwin, Focused Capital Campaign Co-Chair

Staff Participating are Bob Maddox, Sid Fowler, and Alejandro Hernandez Valdez

Elizabeth Benton, on behalf of the Board of Christian Education, participated in the first set of interviews with the Architect.

The planning phase contract with Kerns Group Architects has been signed.  Members of the Worship Space Committee met individually with the Senior Architect, Sean Reilly, on January 27 to offer their perspectives and suggestions concerning modifications to the Sanctuary that might be considered.  Bob Maddox and Sid Fowler were present for the meeting as well.

The next step will be for the Architect to develop initial planning concepts that will be presented along with preliminary diagrams to the Focused Capital Campaign Committee and the Worship Space Committee on Wednesday evening, February 9.  Another meeting with the Architect will take place in late February  (tentatively scheduled for February 22) at which the Architect will present revised diagrams and concepts to the Committees based on the discussion at the February 9 meeting.

Between now and February 9, the Kerns Group is conducting a preliminary analysis of the Sanctuary and reviewing codes and regulations that would need to be taken into account in planning for modifications.

Will Irwin and I are happy to have this opportunity to speak with you briefly about the proposed Capital Campaign. Following is what has taken place thus far.

After it was appointed, the Focused Capital Campaign Committee met in mid- November. We decided upon two projects for the Campaign. The first was replacing the HVAC system – the need for funds for this being the primary impetus for initiating the Campaign. The second was the development of a proposal for modifications to the worship space that would be implemented upon approval by the Congregation.

In addition to Will and me, the members of the Committee are Pete Davis, Jeff Eagan, David Jacobs, Sue Kirk, and Leslie Weber.

The goal for the second project is to retain the existing aesthetic of the Church while enlarging the Chancel to provide for more flexibility in the worship experience and to accommodate our growing music program and programs presented by children and youth. This has the potential for enriching the worship experience for all current members and visitors and those who will join us in the future. We see this as an important opportunity both to value our past and to look forward to our future.

Modification to the sanctuary is not a new idea. Over the past ten years, there have been various proposals. In 2001, a plan to make improvements to the Narthex was developed but not funded. Our former minister and music director, Gordon Forbes and Sondra Proctor, believed strongly that removing the choir stalls and moving the organ console forward would provide a more functional environment for the music program. In 2003, the Trustees appointed a committee to develop plans to refurbish the Sanctuary. Again, funds were not available to implement the plans they developed. Finally, over the years, the improvement of the lighting in the Sanctuary has been suggested, and probably no one would disagree that we need to improve the sound system.

To get initial reactions to what modifications might be considered, we formed a Worship Space Committee consisting of representatives from the Board of Deacons, the Music and Arts Committee, the Choir, and the Tech Committee. This group, Bob Maddox, Sid Fowler, Alejandro, and the two of us met in early December with architects from a firm that specializes in renovating church interiors. Based on this meeting, we concluded that it would be necessary to work with an architect on developing the possibilities for modification. Members of the Focused Capital Campaign Committee raised the funds needed to engage the firm from members of the Congregation.

Since that time, the Worship Space Committee has expanded to include representatives from the Board of Membership and Fellowship and the Board of Christian Education. Members of the Committee will be consulting with the Boards and Committees they represent as plans are developing.

Hopefully, the Board of Trustees will soon approve the contract we have developed with the architectural firm so the Worship Space Committee can begin working with them to develop ideas and plans that can be presented to the Congregation for approval.

As we work with the architects, we will also be meeting with as many Boards and Church groups as we can to get ideas and feedback concerning modifications to the Sanctuary that might be considered. We will also welcome feedback and ideas from individuals. To provide information concerning our progress and the ideas being considered we will be writing a blog to be posted on Westmoreland.net with a link that will allow you to ask questions and provide feedback. There’s a lot going on in the church at this time, but in both the work of the Interim Committee and the Capital Campaign, it’s critical that the voices of as many people as possible are heard.

Marianne Phelps and Will Irwin