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News updates regarding the Capital Campaign

Our Home, Our Future, Our Time… Capital Campaign Update

November 21, 2019/in Capital Campaign /by admin

By Kaki McGeary & Dave Johnson, Co-Chairs

Advent is a time of waiting and preparation for the coming of Jesus, a time to make room in our hearts for Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. This year, as we enter the season of Advent, we are also awaiting and preparing for several wonderful Capital Campaign projects!

Sanctuary Restoration Project

The Sanctuary Restoration Project will begin right after Christmas! Starting on December 29, worship services will be held in Fellowship Hall. The entire plaster ceiling must be totally removed and replaced. The ceiling will be done first and then it must cure for several weeks, during which time the walls will be patched. Once that is done, painting can begin! The entire project should take about 2 months, assuming no major hiccups.

Our goal is to be back in the sanctuary BEFORE PALM SUNDAY, if not before.  Our staff and several committees are working on plans to make this temporary move as seamless and comfortable as possible. We ask for prayers that we move through this time of transition and mess with patience, kindness, grace and humor, and that this experience might draw us closer together as one body of Christ. This is a once-every-hundred years type of project! We cannot wait to share this beautiful transformation with everyone during Holy Week 2020.

Sanctuary Windows

We eagerly await the return of our historic windows/shutters in the sanctuary. We HOPE they will be back by the end of November.

Security Grant/Outdoor Lighting

We got the grant! We received a federal grant of $47,809 for improving security and safety at our church.  This grant award includes $10,000 for new parking lot lights! Also included are funds to add locks to all of our classroom doors and a new “controlled access system” (keyless locks, video cameras at our two main entrances). Now we are just waiting on paperwork. :)  Once we have it, we will install the new lighting in the parking lot!  The other projects will take a bit longer to implement, so stay tuned for details. In the meantime, we are hoping to have lights for the steeple, church sign and thrift shop sign re-installed soon.

Pledge Payment Reminder

Your continued pledge payments are vital to our efforts! As we continue to work on major projects, we are drawing down our available cash balance. While we have not needed a bridge loan yet, we will likely need one to do the Sanctuary Restoration. 

Early pledge payments are always welcome and appreciated. Your pledge balance for 2019 can be found on your fall pledge statement. If you have questions about your pledge status, please contact Dan Petherbridge, Campaign Treasurer.

https://www.fccej.org/v5/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Artboard-9@3x-80-1030x652.jpg 0 0 admin https://www.fccej.org/v5/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Artboard-9@3x-80-1030x652.jpg admin2019-11-21 12:45:282019-11-26 09:17:07Our Home, Our Future, Our Time… Capital Campaign Update

Our First Capital Campaign Project

July 31, 2018/in Capital Campaign /by Andrea Sharp

Roof work has BEGUN!

The replacement of the asphalt shingles (the main church building, the administrative wing) has begun. The work is expected to take a week and a half to two weeks. Consistent weather will be the wildcard. Delivery of the materials, dumpster, etc. and set up of the safety roof scaffolding was the first step and then as you can see in the above picture, removal of the old roofing was next. The roofer, Bannister Custom Exteriors has been working hard and they have been extremely easy to work with and tuned into the safety of the project. The slate roof work is expected to begin in either the first or second week of August. There may be a bit of over lap but the roofer replacing the shingles did not reel that there would be any interference.


Reminder!

If you haven’t made your first Capital Campaign pledge payment, please do so at your earliest convenience. Please be sure to note “capital campaign” in the memo line. Many of you have already sent your first payments (and some have even paid in full!) – thank you! If you have questions about your payment schedule, please refer to your Pledge Acknowledgement Letter or the duplicate copy of your pledge form, or contact Campaign Treasurer Dan Petherbridge.

https://www.fccej.org/v5/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Artboard-9@3x-80-1030x652.jpg 0 0 Andrea Sharp https://www.fccej.org/v5/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Artboard-9@3x-80-1030x652.jpg Andrea Sharp2018-07-31 06:10:392018-07-31 06:10:39Our First Capital Campaign Project

Week 15 – Still Time to Return Your Pledge!

May 23, 2018/in Capital Campaign /by Andrea Sharp

There is STILL time to return your pledge…if you haven’t yet returned your pledge form, we ask that all pledges be returned by May 31** so that we can announce a grand total at our special Ice Cream Social celebration on Sunday June 3 at 10:15 a.m. (after single service at 9 a.m.). Can you help us reach our $822,000 goal before then?!

Every single pledge is vitally important…your gift matters!! If everyone participates, and maybe even stretches a little, we can reach our goal. This is OUR HOME and OUR FUTURE…we are truly in this together! Heartfelt thanks to everyone who has made a Campaign pledge so far.

Your gift will also help the Trustees get started on projects like the roof and the parking lot THIS summer. Imagine if we could get those projects done before another winter of ice and potential leaks.

Stop by our Campaign table in Fellowship Hall to drop off pledge forms, pick up extra forms, ask questions, schedule a visit, or just say hi.

We hope you will join us on the 3rd to celebrate the Campaign and say thank you to all the wonderful Campaign volunteers, as well as our amazing Faith Formation volunteers!

Peace & Blessings,

Kaki McGeary & Dave Johnson, Campaign Co-Chairs

**Of course, gifts and pledges received after the 31st will still be accepted, however they may not be included in our big announcement on the 3rd.

https://www.fccej.org/v5/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Artboard-9@3x-80-1030x652.jpg 0 0 Andrea Sharp https://www.fccej.org/v5/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Artboard-9@3x-80-1030x652.jpg Andrea Sharp2018-05-23 19:43:212018-05-23 19:43:21Week 15 – Still Time to Return Your Pledge!

Week 14 – The Sky is the Limit!

May 17, 2018/in Capital Campaign /by Andrea Sharp

We are getting SO CLOSE!! We have raised 93% of our goal ($768,000)!  There is STILL time to return your pledge…we hope to have all pledges in before June 3 so that we can announce a grand total at our special Ice Cream Social celebration.

Every single pledge is vitally important…your gift matters!! If everyone participates, and maybe even stretches a little, we can reach our goal. This is OUR HOME and OUR FUTURE…we are truly in this together! Heartfelt thanks to everyone who has made a Campaign pledge so far.

Your gift will also help the Trustees get started on projects like the roof and the parking lot THIS summer. Imagine if we could get those projects done before another winter of ice and potential leaks.

Stop by our Campaign table in Fellowship Hall to drop off pledge forms, pick up extra forms, ask questions, schedule a visit, or just say hi.

 

Peace & Blessings,

Kaki McGeary & Dave Johnson, Campaign Co-Chairs

 ********

Save the Date!

Ice Cream Social & Campaign Celebration

Sunday, June 3 

(following single 9 a.m. service)

Please join us to celebrate our wonderful Faith Formation volunteers, Campaign volunteers & all the blessings of this Capital Campaign.

And, of course, join us for sprinkles & hot fudge!

Stay tuned for more details.

https://www.fccej.org/v5/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Artboard-9@3x-80-1030x652.jpg 0 0 Andrea Sharp https://www.fccej.org/v5/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Artboard-9@3x-80-1030x652.jpg Andrea Sharp2018-05-17 18:59:252018-05-17 19:06:34Week 14 – The Sky is the Limit!

Week 13 – Inch by Inch, Row by Row

May 11, 2018/in Capital Campaign /by Andrea Sharp

Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe
And a piece of fertile ground
Inch by inch, row by row
Someone bless these seeds I sow
Someone warm them from below
Till the rain comes tumbling down.

~ Songwriter David Mallett

When I was little, my grandpa Padre always had John Denver records playing in the background—I spent many afternoons listening to those songs, playing cards and doing jigsaw puzzles with him. Today, as I was thinking about our Capital Campaign, this song started playing in my mind—in this Campaign, WE are sowing seeds for the future. And sometimes our progress is measured one inch at a time, but every gift and every pledge helps our garden grow. We ask for God’s blessing and we pray that Our Home will be fertile ground for faith and love and hope to grow in all of us, in our families, and for all who follow in our footsteps.

Peace & Blessings,

Kaki McGeary, Campaign Co-Chair

**********

If you haven’t yet made a pledge, can you help make our garden grow?  If possible, please return your pledge by May 15th (unless you are still waiting for a visit!). 

 Stop by our Campaign table in the Fellowship Hall to drop off pledge forms, pick up extra forms, ask questions, schedule a visit, or just say hi.

 ********

Save the Date!

Ice Cream Social & Campaign Celebration

Sunday, June 3  (following single 9 a.m. service)

Please join us to celebrate our wonderful Faith Formation volunteers, Campaign volunteers & all the blessings of this Capital Campaign.

And, of course, join us for sprinkles & hot fudge!

Stay tuned for more details.

https://www.fccej.org/v5/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Artboard-9@3x-80-1030x652.jpg 0 0 Andrea Sharp https://www.fccej.org/v5/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Artboard-9@3x-80-1030x652.jpg Andrea Sharp2018-05-11 06:12:582018-05-11 06:12:58Week 13 – Inch by Inch, Row by Row

Week 11 & 12 – Behind the Scenes

May 3, 2018/in Capital Campaign /by Andrea Sharp

Happy Spring! Here’s a sneak peek at what is going on behind the scenes in our Capital Campaign… While the Steering Committee has been busy planning and visitors have been reaching out to connect with everyone in our congregation, our Trustees have begun the bidding process for two of our Capital Campaign priorities—the roof and the parking lot/new vestibule/new ADA bath off Fellowship Hall.  We will have more news about the projects to share with you soon!

Thank you to everyone who has made a Campaign pledge so far…we are very grateful for your support. With your generous gifts, we have received  $708,786 in pledges…86% of our base goal and 65% of our stretch goal!

If you haven’t yet made a pledge, can you to help us reach the top?

Every single pledge, of every size, will be valued and celebrated. This is OUR HOME and OUR FUTURE…we are truly in this together! Our hope is to have remaining pledges in by May 15 so that we can wrap up the Campaign at a special celebration on Sunday June 3. We hope everyone will participate in some way in this important time in the life of our church.

If you have already had a visit, and haven’t returned your pledge form yet, we ask that you please do so at your earliest convenience. If you need a new form or have further questions about your pledge, please don’t hesitate to contact one of us. This month, we will have a Campaign Table in the Fellowship Hall where you can drop off pledge forms in sealed envelopes, ask questions or just say hello.

If you haven’t been contacted about a visit, and would like to schedule one, please contact Maureen Evans or one of us. We would love the chance to hear why this church is important to YOU, and how it has made a difference in your life.

Yours in faith & friendship,

Kaki & Dave

https://www.fccej.org/v5/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Artboard-9@3x-80-1030x652.jpg 0 0 Andrea Sharp https://www.fccej.org/v5/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Artboard-9@3x-80-1030x652.jpg Andrea Sharp2018-05-03 05:31:082018-05-03 05:31:08Week 11 & 12 – Behind the Scenes

Week 10 – Signs of Spring?!

April 18, 2018/in Capital Campaign /by Andrea Sharp

Is anyone else ready for winter to be done? This picture was taken a few weeks ago, but some snow still remains. For much of the winter, this massive snow pile blocked our church sign from most angles. Replacing and re-positioning the sign is just one of the projects this Capital Campaign will make possible. Even without the snow pile, our sign is difficult to see unless you are standing right in front of it. Making the sign be perpendicular to the road will make it visible to passersby in both directions.

Speaking of signs…we have a beautiful new Campaign sign hanging above our front door at the church, and our Campaign thermometer is on our front lawn so that everyone can see our progress toward reaching our goal! Thank you to Lester Nutting for making this beautiful sign, and to John Burnett for help with installation. Can you help fill up the rest of the church, and “fill the heart?”

A Very Good Sign…

We are thrilled to share the news that the Hoehl Family Foundation awarded our church a $20,000 grant…$10,000 designated for the Capital Campaign and $10,000 designated for our Food Pantry mission! This grant was a wonderful affirmation of the incredible Food Pantry ministry, and is just one more demonstration of how the Capital Campaign is helping our church in ways we never could have imagined.  We are so thankful for their generous support of the Campaign AND the Food Pantry, and for their faith in our church’s ability to make a difference in our community. That’s a very good SIGN!

The Food Pantry will use the $10,000 to replace two aging and inefficient freezers, improve storage in the gym, and add a small window air conditioning unit for the storage room in the hottest weather to prevent the freezers/refrigerators from overheating.

The Capital Campaign Steering Committee is pursuing other grant opportunities, although they are limited because many local foundations and businesses will not make grants to religious institutions. Most of the funding for our Capital Campaign will be from individual gifts. We are currently working on a grant application to the Vermont Arts Council, which has an interest in funding accessibility-related projects in cultural facilities. There are a few other potential grant sources with deadlines later in the year. We will keep you posted!

Sowing Seeds of Friendship…another sign of Spring!

One of the most important goals for this Campaign is to help people feel even more connected to our church and one another…after all, this is Our Home! Visits are available to everyone in our faith community, not just church members.

If you haven’t had a visit yet, and would like to have the chance to meet with one of one of our trained “Campaign Visitors,” please let us know! Visitors are people who have volunteered to meet with folks to talk about the Church, listen to stories about what it means to our members and friends, and answer any questions about the Campaign before confidential pledges are made.

We want you to know that the home visit is NOT about asking for specific amounts of money – that is for you to decide and the details of your pledge are confidential. We believe you will enjoy getting to know someone better (or making a new friend), while you learn more about this important step we are taking together in the life of our Church. We hope you will say YES to a visit!

As always, if you have any questions, please reach out to Co-Chairs Dave Johnson or Kaki McGeary.

https://www.fccej.org/v5/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Artboard-9@3x-80-1030x652.jpg 0 0 Andrea Sharp https://www.fccej.org/v5/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Artboard-9@3x-80-1030x652.jpg Andrea Sharp2018-04-18 06:14:362018-04-18 08:37:06Week 10 – Signs of Spring?!

Week 9 – Wow!

April 13, 2018/in Capital Campaign /by Andrea Sharp

God is great! Did you feel God’s love in Fellowship Hall last Sunday when our congregation came together to officially kick off the Our Home, Our Future, Our Time Capital Campaign?  We did! Special thanks to Cathy Shearer and her team of volunteers for making the kick-off so much fun – Myrna Doney, Phyllis Willey, Beth Warren, Betsy Weischedel, Sue Conti, Jim Glatz, Rob & Maureen Evans, Allison Wermer, Tom Shearer, Josh Simon & Mark Mendes. And thank you Lester Nutting for making our beautiful thermometer!

On Sunday April 8th, we announced that we have raised $650,000 of our $822,000 goal…79 percent! And the number keeps growing. For the latest updates on our progress, be sure to visit the Capital Campaign page on our website at www.fccej.org (there is a Capital Campaign tab at the top, far right). Special thanks to Andrea Sharp for her excellent work on the website. (Please note that the next fundraising update will be after April 22nd due to travel schedules.)

Everyone should receive a special mailing about the Capital Campaign this week. Inside you will find information about the Campaign, the many restorations and improvements we are raising money for, and details on how you can help support the Campaign. We hope you will take some time to review the materials and think about what Our Home, Our Future, Our Time means to you and your family. If you didn’t receive a mailing, please contact the church.

A word about visits…

One of the most important goals for this Campaign is to help people feel even more connected to our church and one another…after all, this is Our Home! Everyone in the church will have an opportunity for a group or individual visit with one of our trained “Campaign Visitors,” people who have volunteered to meet with folks to talk about the Church, listen to stories about what it means to our members, and answer any questions about the Campaign before confidential pledges are made. We want you to know that the home visit is NOT about asking for specific amounts of money – that is for you to decide and the details of your pledge are confidential. We believe you will enjoy getting to know someone better (or making a new friend), while you learn more about this important step we are taking together in the life of our Church. We hope you will say YES to a visit!

As always, if you have any questions, please reach out to Co-Chairs Dave Johnson or Kaki McGeary.

Peace & Blessings!

https://www.fccej.org/v5/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Artboard-9@3x-80-1030x652.jpg 0 0 Andrea Sharp https://www.fccej.org/v5/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Artboard-9@3x-80-1030x652.jpg Andrea Sharp2018-04-13 05:47:582018-04-13 05:47:58Week 9 – Wow!

Week 7 & 8 – Come…See what God has made possible!

April 4, 2018/in Capital Campaign /by Andrea Sharp

We hope everyone will join us this Sunday April 8th for the all-church Capital Campaign Kick-Off Celebration. We will make a very exciting announcement about how much money the Campaign has raised to date and unveil our special Campaign “thermometer.” PLUS we will have food, a scavenger hunt and children’s entertainment by the Big Blue Trunk. Please remember that we will have only one service that day (at 10:15), with the party to follow from 11:15 to 1 p.m.

One of the most important goals of the Campaign is building an even stronger church community, so we hope that ALL AGES will come to celebrate this important milestone in the life of our church…together! Come…see what God has made possible!

This Kick-Off marks a big milestone in our Capital Campaign. Up until this point, we have been quietly raising funds from an initial group of church members. Now is the time for the entire congregation to come together and help us reach our goal! Be on the lookout for a special mailing about the Capital Campaign in your mailboxes next week…inside you will find information about the Campaign, the many restorations and improvements we are raising money for, and details on how you can help support the Campaign.

As always, if you have any questions, please reach out to Co-Chairs Dave Johnson or Kaki McGeary.

Peace & Blessings!

https://www.fccej.org/v5/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Artboard-9@3x-80-1030x652.jpg 0 0 Andrea Sharp https://www.fccej.org/v5/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Artboard-9@3x-80-1030x652.jpg Andrea Sharp2018-04-04 12:25:072018-04-04 12:25:07Week 7 & 8 – Come…See what God has made possible!

Week 6 – Be Our Guest!

March 19, 2018/in Capital Campaign /by Andrea Sharp

Get ready for a party! You’re invited to the all-church April 8th Campaign Kick-Off Celebration. We will make an exciting announcement about how much money the Campaign has raised to date and unveil our special Campaign “thermometer.” PLUS we will have food, a scavenger hunt and children’s entertainment by the Big Blue Trunk.

One of the most important goals of the Campaign is building an even stronger church community, so we hope that ALL AGES will come to celebrate this important milestone in the life of our church…together!

Please remember that we will have only one service that day (at 10:15). For information about volunteering with set-up, or to donate a baked good or appetizer, please contact Cathy Shearer at shearercf@gmail.com.

See you on the 8th !

https://www.fccej.org/v5/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Artboard-9@3x-80-1030x652.jpg 0 0 Andrea Sharp https://www.fccej.org/v5/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Artboard-9@3x-80-1030x652.jpg Andrea Sharp2018-03-19 06:39:252018-03-20 16:20:06Week 6 – Be Our Guest!
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