Our Needs

We have a beautiful church that has served our community for many years. As time has passed, there are issues that need to be addressed to allow United Church of Christ (Congregational) to be a warm, welcoming place for our members and guests.

Stained glass windows –a major focal point of our church on both sides of the sanctuary as well as above the balcony. Having no maintenance for over 10 years means the lead that holds the windows together has loosened, leaving them ever more fragile. Weather and water damage has eroded the building structure that hold the windows in place.
Roof – over 20 years old and in need of attention. Water can cause major structural and interior damage and a leak near the organ pipes has been sealed temporarily. The main building’s shingle roof is cupping and falling apart. Roof damage will continue if we don’t replace it in the next year.
Front Steps – the church entrance makes a statement to the community and represents our hospitality. The steps are deteriorating, uninviting, and getting worse, causing a safety concern for our congregation and guests. Repaired every year, the chips in the steps have become bigger and it no longer makes financial or safety sense to keep repairing them. A member or guest could easily trip and fall causing harm to themselves or someone else.
Doors – four front doors, two east entrance doors, and the kitchen door need to be replaced because they are damaged, old, and do not operate properly. When windy, the wooden doors make a loud whistle sound that disturbs our services. The doors are so heavy members and guests have difficulty opening them and they also close quickly, which can be dangerous for our children and elderly members.
HVAC/Boiler – this aging system and pump keep breaking, which has become costly to maintain. We need to end the many years of inefficient heating and cooling and be conservative and efficient with our energy usage. We want our congregation to be comfortable and have good air quality.
Elevator – our congregation uses the elevator regularly but its leaks have caused water damage. These leaks need to be repaired to limit further damage to the structure and to ensure the safety of our members and guests.
Bathrooms – outdated and smelly and moldy from water damage. The bathrooms in both the education and elevator wings need to be updated.

Religious Education Space Needs
Our religious education classes are a very strong part of our church community. The education wing was built in 1962 and has since served thousands of children throughout the years.

Classroom, Nursery, and Choir Rooms – outdated and dreary, the need to update and modernize these room has become a concern for our church. We need our children to have the tools to grow in faith community and have an education space they want to continue to come back to.
Accessibility Needs
Parking and accessibility for our members are concerns that need to be addressed. We need additional parking so that we can accommodate our own membership and have ample handicapped spots located near each entrance. Also, the first floor of the religious education wing does not have an accessible entrance. Every church member needs to have access to all service areas that our church provides.
Parking – we currently share the parking lot with the library and many members must park on the street and walk to the church. During the snowy cold winters getting to the building can be treacherous. Also, we need handicapped parking located closer to the main entrance.
Religious Education Wing Entrance – there is no accessible entrance to the first floor where many of our ministries and meetings are held. The wing houses the choir room, nursery, a classroom, lounge, and restrooms and we need every member and guest to be able to access these areas.

Administrative Needs
The Annex has served as our administrative office for many years. The building is old and decrepit, and repairing and updating it for our current needs is cost prohibitive.

We need to have an efficient and modern office space that will allow all our staff to work in close proximity to each other. We also need a conference room to hold staff meetings and other small group work sessions.