The church building has served us well for many years and is fundamentally sound.  However, changing times and our heavy use of our facility have brought us to a time when the building is hindering, rather than contributing to the support and expansion of our mission.  The building and grounds are in need of repairs lest we fall short of what God has in mind for us in the future.  We must update our facility in order to renovate and strengthen the many programs and services we provide.  To enhance our reach and keep us moving forward on our mission, making our church building dependable, workable, and accessible will be critical for future generations of Christians in Iowa City. 

Organ Preservation

The Phelps Organ is one of the finest musical instruments in eastern Iowa. It needs to be cared for if we want to ensure future generations will be listening to its joyful music.  Should we allow the instrument to fall into disrepair it would be difficult to replace it, as its current value is estimated to be over $1,000,000.  We do have an endowment set up to handle the routine maintenance of our organ. An instrument of such prominence and precision, however, periodically requires a greater level of care.  We are at such a juncture:  to protect this asset, we must take action.  Failure to take key maintenance steps will only make any deficiencies more noticeable and lead to more costly repairs in the future.

Crumbling Parking Lots

Our parking lots were installed when the building was built and are now at the end of their useful lives. The extreme temperatures of Iowa summers and winters have taken their toll. We have patched them a number of times to prolong their lives, but this strategy is no longer an option. They are becoming a safety hazard as the cracks and potholes continue to get larger. Winter plowing on the uneven surface is starting to be a challenge. There are also safety concerns due to poor lighting in certain areas of the parking lots. Some of the corners are dark, which makes it dangerous and difficult to walk on our parking lots as we cannot always clearly see where we are going.

Old Boiler and Air Handling Control Systems

As was the case with the parking lots, the boiler was installed in 1977. It is an inefficient gas fired Hartford steam boiler system. It is an “all or nothing” system, meaning that it is either on or off. This requires that we run the entire system even if only a small space needs to be heated.  This inefficiency is wasteful, not only from a budgetary perspective, but also in terms of our environmental footprint. 
The boiler is also on its last legs and our ability to repair it has come to an end due to lack of technicians and spare parts.  We will be replacing it on our own terms or after a catastrophic failure.  Waiting only increases our chances of disaster striking, especially if the boiler should fail in the winter. We could then face additional issues such as:

•    Our beautiful and historic organ could be damaged by prolonged exposure to extreme cold.

•    Water pipes could freeze and burst, damaging furnishings and electronics.

Due to parts no longer being made for it and the industry not training new technicians for this type of system, replacing the boiler is a high priority for us. The accompanying air handler, for which parts and technicians are still available, may be fixed simultaneously with the boiler although that is not as much of an immediate need.
Inaccessibility

Our building was built before modern ADA requirements were passed into law. The building is not easily accessible to all of our members or guests. Persons who are differently gifted, or who have significant trouble with stairs, must drive or walk completely around the building should they want to go from the upper level to the lower level of our facility. Some members would have difficulty serving in our choir as there is no way for them to access the choir loft. This condition is truly a disservice to our members and guests, and it does not appropriately depict the open and inviting atmosphere we strive for here at First Presbyterian. Our programs, especially our ability to open our building to all types of education and mission events, have been hampered because of the lack of easily accessible – and therefore usable - space.  Finally, sole reliance on stairs also makes it difficult to get furnishings, instruments and equipment between levels, especially up the steep, narrow stairs to the choir loft.

How we empower the worship of God for God’s people has been changing since the inception of our church over 175 years ago. Making worship accessible to persons with disabilities or who are challenged by aging arose as a priority when a broad sampling of our members was interviewed recently. Furthermore, we currently utilize a tremendous amount of resources on a weekly basis by printing worship bulletins chock-full of information.  Some members find the amount of extra paper to be a distraction.  While there is no plan to install large screens at the front of our sanctuary, a lack of suitable assistive technology in our sanctuary has left members feeling excluded, distracted, and unseen. 

Ryerson Fellowship Hall is central to our congregation’s life, both in education and fellowship.  As we continue to expand how we utilize this space, however, we become ever more aware of the lack of technology provided for this space.  With a building built in 1977, we lack many of the simple conveniences we take for granted in more modern construction. Our audio equipment, for example, is serviceable for presentations by a single presenter, yet dependable visual equipment is lacking.  After worship, and during the day, it is virtually impossible to use a standard projector in this room because of the daylight, yet that is the only way visual media can be presented.  Families with young children may not feel comfortable in the Sanctuary during worship.  The current equipment makes it impossible to effectively broadcast the worship service from the sanctuary into Ryerson.  Finally, some of the exciting, new plans our Equipping Educational Ministry is now creating, including Sunday morning intergenerational ministry in Ryerson, assume and require updating our technology. 

The pews also pose an accessibility problem for some of our participants. They are fixed and narrow, making it difficult for some members to get in and out of them. They also can be hard on those with bad backs. This situation makes our worship services too challenging for many of our people. A further complication is that because the pews are secured to the floor, we are limited to the types of space we are able to create for worship and other events.

Outdated Kitchen

The kitchen connected to Ryerson Fellowship Hall is outdated and not entirely functional for some of our members. The prep areas are limited and are difficult for our members to use since they cannot sit as they work.  We lack adequate storage areas for many of the small appliances and other materials. Inefficient traffic flow and the location of work stations make it difficult for large groups to work together in meal preparation and clean up. The current dishwasher is also a large problem as it is difficult to use and only a few of our members even know how to operate it. As it has aged, replacement parts are becoming hard to find. It is large and takes up a significant amount of space in the small kitchen that we have. As one member remarked recently after a celebration where she worked in the kitchen for the first time, “I finally grasp why it is so critical for us to renovate our kitchen!”

The Larger Mission

God calls, gifts and empowers us to share the realm of God. We are blessed with an abundance of resources, and to help those less fortunate is a responsibility and opportunity we take seriously. The blessings we take for granted here are luxuries not found throughout the world, including in parts of our own community. As a congregation that has been active in missions at the local, national and international levels, we want to continue that effort as a part of this campaign.