We are pleased to report that this past Monday evening the Village of Kenilworth Board of Trustees approved our church’s zoning application. This approval completes a 14-month review by the Village and clears the way to move forward with our much-needed facility improvements. Heartfelt thanks to our senior staff and the many trustees and members of our congregation who lent their support. An updated presentation regarding our zoning process, our planned facility improvements (including renderings, site plan and floor plans) and the project schedule going forward can be found here.

As previously reported, the Village zoning approval process resulted in a number of changes to our facility plan, including:

• A reduction in the size of the planned new wing
• Relocation of the Children’s Chapel from the second floor of the new wing back to Schmidt
• New restrictions on our use of church facilities, most notably relating to the proposed new wing and new driveway from Warwick Road

Notwithstanding these changes, we are pleased to report that our strategic objectives remain intact. The approved plan will allow us to:

• Improve building access for those with mobility challenges
• Enhance safety and security, especially for the children in our building
• Create more functional and flexible meeting and gathering spaces, especially for our Youth and Music ministries

In addition deferred maintenance work will be undertaken throughout the existing church building. We believe these improvements will support a vital and vibrant Kenilworth Union for years to come. Over the next few months our architects will update our construction drawings, and we will rebid the entire project. By early in the New Year we will have a firm project budget in hand. We have made great progress with our Capital Campaign and are profoundly grateful for the generosity of our congregation and the thoughtful management of the church’s finances by our staff. In January we will update the congregation as to the remaining funds required to fully fund the Capital Campaign’s objectives (which also include the repayment of a “loan” from our endowment for building repairs in 2019, the replenishment of our capital reserve, and the establishment of an endowment in support of our Music ministry). In the meantime the church’s annual Stewardship Campaign is underway. As you consider your financial support for our church, please remember that Stewardship remains our top funding priority, followed by Outreach (via your participation in the annual Outreach Benefit), and then finally the Capital Campaign (a “once in a generation” giving appeal).