Thank you to everyone in the congregation who attended one of the two town hall meetings in June. We fielded numerous questions and received helpful input on the church’s facility planning process and the capital campaign that will fund the plan once it is finalized and approved. If you were not able to attend either of the town halls, John Sharp can provide a link to a recording of the first meeting including the Q&A session.

We will continue to develop our facility plan over the course of the summer and expect to host another round of town hall meetings in the fall to report our progress. One of the most pressing questions before us is what to do with the Manse. That building is in poor condition and requires either an extensive renovation or alternatively replacement with a new building. So far all of the information and analysis suggests that the church will be far better served to construct a new building. Both town halls began with a tour of the Manse which highlighted the challenges we face with the existing structure. To further explore the possibility of removing the current Manse and constructing a new building, we need to formally engage with the Village of Kenilworth. To start that process we must file a demolition permit.

We want to make clear that the filing of the demolition permit does not mean that a decision has been made regarding the Manse.  Rather this permit application will allow us to understand any issues and concerns that the Village may have, and to take that input into account as we advance our plans. We will report what we learn at the fall town hall meetings. Please rest assured that we are a long way from starting construction. We need to gather additional input from the congregation, finalize and gain board approval for our plans, and successfully complete the capital campaign. The earliest start date for construction will be the fall of 2023.

We look forward to talking again at the fall town hall meetings.  In the meantime we will welcome any questions or concerns that you may have.

Ann Carey, Jerry James, Meg Revord, and/or Peter Schaff.