Finishing the Race

This past year we transitioned from Making a Place to Finishing the Race.With the renovations completed in 2007, our focus shifted to paying off our debt and offering all members a way. to actively participate in the Capital Campaign. The most "illuminating" of these activities has been the Fellowship Hall windows project. In a strategic effort to continue the Cloud of Witnesses theme from our Sanctuary, the Capital Campaign Committee worked with the Deacons to identify over 40 "saints" appropriate for 32 etched windows in Fellowship Hall. Bob Markert, the artist for our Sanctuary stained-glass windows, is our artist once again. Twenty-six of the thirty-two windows have been commemorated, with six still available for "adoption." With all goals approaching completion, the "Making a Place" Capital Campaign, which commenced on November 14, 2004, is almost finished. The remaining Capital Campaign projects are building a screening/noise reduction wall around the Church's primary air conditioning system, completing a few Baptistry finishes, and finalizing the beautiful Fellowship Hall windows project, bringing the total "Making a Place" Capital Campaign expenses to $1,217,144.00. The graph below provides a breakdown of the Capital Campaign receipts and pledges. As of July 31, 2008, the Capital Campaign has received $1,040,090.00. After considering the outstanding pledges, which will continue to be paid through 2010, the Capital Campaign announced to the Congregation in April 2008 that additional pledges and/or gifts of $83,500.00 were needed to "finish the race." At the same time, the Church's Financial Secretary began an audit of some of the unpaid Capital Campaign pledges by making telephone calls and sending letters to members to determine the status of certain unpaid pledges. Through this process, it was discovered that some pledges needed to be canceled. To offset these canceled pledges, the Church is considering finalizing the chiller screen and the Baptistry finishes through its operating budget leaving $83,500 yet to be raised to pay for all expenditures.