The roofing crew began work bright and early on Monday morning to repair
and replace the church roof. By the end of today, they should be completed
with the flat roof over the annex. In a week or two they will return to
put new shingles on the sanctuary roof. Everything seems to be going
according to plan!
It will cost a little over $34,000 to pay for this work. Thanks to many
people's generosity, we have $25,000 in hand. At its meeting last night,
the session talked about how to cover the difference of $9,000.
1. We will take $3,000 from the Major Repair Fund, which was set up for
such purposes. Each month, our treasurer moves $200 from the General Fund
to the Major Repair Fund to build up a nest egg for when we need it.
Because this is the fund that the property committee uses for regular
maintenance as well, the session decided to leave about $1,300 in the fund.
2. We are applying for a $2,000 grant from the presbytery, which just
established a new program to help congregations dealing with capital
improvements. This is the maximum amount that can be requested. It is
only available for a limited number of churches, but we hope to receive it.
3. The final $4,000 will have to come from the General Fund. Fortunately,
we have enough money in the General Fund to cover this cost, but it will
deplete the reserves we've been able to build up over the past couple
years. And because our collections are generally lower in the summer, we
will be cutting things a bit tight.
If you are able to give something extra toward the roofing costs, or to the
General Fund, it will be greatly appreciated!
Peter
--
Rev. Peter C. de Vries, Ph.D.
Pastor, Old Union Presbyterian Church: oldunionchurch.com
PeterCdeVries.blogspot.com
