WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT OUR CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

WOW!!! WHAT A BIG DAY AT ASBURY ON FEBRUARY 3RD, 2008 !!!
        
Artist Rendition & Blue Prints of Renovated Sanctuary ... Click on image for full view

It is the kick-off of our new Renovation Fundraising Campaign, and here's what you need to know:

Feb 3:   BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! Catered lunch following church, and then the renovation plans revealed and discussed. Don't bring food this week. We will have it for you! Extended nursery care will be provided.

Feb 5-7:   You will receive a packet in the mail at home with lots of good information AND your pledge card which you will fill out and return.

Feb 10, 17, 24 and Mar 2:   Informal Q&A after church each week with members of the Renovation and Fundraising Teams to get answers to any of our questions. Beautifully framed architectural renderings will be on display during these weeks. Also, folks will be available to collect your sealed pledge cards.

Mar 9:   CELEBRATION SUNDAY! This will be a very special service of dedication to our campaign and to Asbury. You are encouraged to turn in your cards this Sunday if you have not done so previously. This will end the formal period of the campaign, but fundraising will run through December 2010 or until we meet our goal!

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. How much will the renovation cost?

In today's dollars the estimated cost is $1.5 million to completely renovate the sanctuary from wall (and windows!) to wall and floor to ceiling, including lighting, HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning), design changes and more.

2. Should we put money into a building we don't own?

�The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church� states that all church properties belong to the United Methodist Church. As a result, we the congregation are entrusted with the property and are called to a level of stewardship that requires us to maintain our church and to create a space conducive to a positive worship experience. Any congregation wishing to improve their property or to purchase new property on which to build needs to raise the monies themselves.

3. Should we put money into this property as opposed to building a larger church somewhere else?

This question has multiple answers. First of all, as stated above, the church owns our property. To purchase more property at another location would take a great deal of time and much more money to pursue. We have worshiped at our Waters and E. Henry location for almost 100 years. Many of those years the members of the church did not have the energy, membership and resources to maintain the building properly. Now we have that energy and are in a position to properly create and maintain our church facility. And because of its age and years of neglect, our sanctuary needs attention NOW even if we were to move at a later date. Also, it is our vision and part of our outreach mission to provide stability in our neighborhood and to create potential space for programs serving our neighbors in the immediate community. By improving and creating a flexible sanctuary we are able much more easily to use this space for larger and more varied church functions and as well as for hosting community events.

4. Will this give us the capacity for worship for another 50 years?
    If not, for how long and how will we address the capacity issue?

The intention of this renovation is to make some necessary structural, cosmetic and functional changes to our existing sanctuary. Making these changes will result in some additional seating capacity. Future capacity and growth answers are difficult to pinpoint exactly. What we do know is that today, prior to any renovations, the sanctuary can accommodate approximately 400 people at a weekly service. The changes in the design will allow for approximately 500 seats, an increase of 25%. Even if we were to eventually outgrow our sanctuary, the issue is we have needs NOW that must be addressed to accommodate our current needs, i.e., heating and air, lights, sound, repairs, etc. Based on our past growth patterns, we would hope that this renovation could take us through another 5-10 years. However, all additional growth will ultimately be determined by future conditions, i.e., pastoral decisions, congregational needs, worship service needs, etc.

5. Is the sanctuary structurally sound?

Based on professional consultations with our contractor, architect and structural engineer, the sanctuary is structurally sound.

6. I have heard that we are doing away with pews. Why?

There are several reasons for this consideration. 1) Using chairs gives us much more flexibility in the space for both worship and non-worship related activities. Due to the highly creative nature of our services, it is necessary for us to consider using our space in more creative and functional patterns. Also, if we are going to the expense of a renovation, it is important to be able to use the space for other than weekly worship services. Using chairs allows us to create flexible space for other activities such as meetings, weddings, youth activities, theater opportunities, music programming, etc. 2) Many churches undergoing renovations and updating (some in the Savannah area) are doing away with pews in favor of the more flexible chair arrangements. Many of the old, old cathedrals in Europe led the way by being among the oldest and first churches to use chairs. Chairs can still be used in the traditional row format when needed. And having the opportunity for more comfortable seating will be a benefit to all. 3) Our current pews are in very poor condition. Many are beginning to split and/or buckle causing increasing concern for congregational safety.

7. Where will the hymnals/Bibles go without the pews?

A: There will be a space underneath each chair for them and you will access those things from the chair in front of you.

8. Will you say just a little bit about the chairs and what they look like?

A: The chairs are all oak, hand-made by an Amish company in Ohio. They are very sturdy and have cushions, so they will be a lot softer to sit on. We are incorporating things from our sanctuary into the chair design. The design will be cut out in the back � one of our Asbury designs that you see in the communion rail and other places throughout the sanctuary.

9. What is going to happen to the pews? Are we going to try and recycle them or sell them?

A: Yes. We may be able to sell some of our pews to congregations. However, our pews are not in the best of shape and are missing some supports. There are some discussions of and idea of selling a pew to individuals as part of the campaign project. We are not going to burn them.

10. Are the two bathrooms back behind the altar staying? And also, could you explain some of what is going to happen behind the altar area?

A: That's gone through several evolutions in the design process. The bathroom closest to the outside door we use to come into the church is going to be removed. This will allow more entry space into this area. The wall at the back of the altar area (in front of the organ) will move back almost all the way to the wall beneath the stained glass window � about 4' in front of the window. There will be hallway that will connect the two side spaces to each other, allowing any movement from one side to the other. The other bathroom will remain and become part of a �green room� set-up � not a major renovation but just cleaning it up, changing fixtures etc.

11. During the actual renovation, will there be any time when we will not be able to meet inside the sanctuary.

A: Absolutely.

12. Where will we meet?

A: Finding a temporary space should not be a problem. One of the great things about being United Methodist is we're a connectional system so we work together very well. If we share a space with another congregation temporarily, we may not be able to meet at 11:15 on Sunday's and may have to adapt our time. But we won't have a problem getting a home for a month or two � or however long we need it. We'll make it work.

13. If we meet in another church's building during renovations, would we be part of their services or would we do our own service?

A: We'd have our own service but we may have to have it at a different time from their services.

14. I have a question about the chairs. Some of us are not so skinny people and I'm wondering if the chairs are going to come in a variety of seat widths?

A: The chairs are very wide and very sturdy. We don't have an actual chair here today but do have a cushion and as you can see it is a very nice size. The fabric will be a commercial grade and very durable.

15. Will the chairs be connected?

A: It is our goal to have locking mechanisms to keep them together, but will allow us the flexibility to it off and move the chairs into any configuration we would like.

16. Can you share some of the LEED certified parts of the design? How �green� is this renovation going to be? What steps are we doing to make it an environmentally friendly renovation?

A: Our architect is LEED certified and really supports the whole green movement. The finishes we have discussed in the church are all green finishes, low VOC paints and the different types of floorings are all rapidly renewable. There was some discussion about geothermal as a possibility for the HVAC system. Being green is also being practical � not throwing out things before their life. We have a chiller that was purchased about 4-5 years ago and still has another good 10 years of life in it. The heating and air system � the HVAC for the sanctuary is going up on to the roof next door. And at a later time you can change out the chiller for the geothermal and still adapt both the HVAC for the classroom building and for the sanctuary when we are ready to replace the chiller. But to go ahead and do the geothermal and throw out something that has that much life left may not be in our best interest. The rest of it as far as the materials being used, limiting off-gassing, the HVAC system that we will be using will bring in a lot of fresh air into the sanctuary to make it a much healthier environment with a large crowd or it the volume of air can be adjusted by the amount of people that are here. So that makes us much more energy efficient. We will be insulating the entire attic � the whole truss system at the roof level so that the attic space actually becomes inside space. So your main trunk lines from your ducts will actually be inside and be a much more efficient system and much quieter. We're trying to replicate some of the detail that we have on the side walls � those would be much larger � those would be the trunk lines for the AC and heating ducts and the grills and so on will be very less noticeable than if we have an open grill in the ceiling. So those are the things that we are trying to do as far as energy efficiency, a healthier environment, and products that are rapidly renewable or recyclable.

17. Site lines in the sanctuary are not always ideal. Is the height of the stage area being considered with respect to this?

A: The height will be about the height of the present dance platform.

18. In a concert hall, our chapel is so live with sound. How are you addressing the acoustics of the space?

A: We have brought in an acoustician to address these problems. When you don't have an amplified sound, the church is wonderful. But as soon as you bring in amplification, things start bouncing all over. The acoustician came in about 2-3 weeks ago. He did some testing and has made some recommendations as to where to dampen the sound and has made some drawings. There is a meeting this Thursday to talk about the general sound issues and looking forward at designing the whole system, including acoustic panels. Most of the acoustic panels, as recommended by the acoustician, are on the new balcony surface which could mimic the panels on the side and back walls. They did tell us that there is a great deal of bounce, when you're sitting at the back of the church � that sound bouncing off the back wall is very difficult. There was also recommendation for some panels on the side wall above where the piano currently is placed. You'll notice in the drawings, we are actually mimicking the columns throughout the church. The acoustician had an acoustical panel mimicking the windows in those areas. And that's basically to deal with the choir and music bouncing in this direction. That is less of a problem than what is happening at the back of the church. The study still needs some fine tuning. We certainly don't want to deaden the sound in this church. There is a budget in the renovation project for the sound system.

19. What is the flooring going to be?

A: There is still some debate. What we have been looking at, and particularly with the drawings, is cork flooring which will soften the sound a bit, is easier to maintain and could work for multi-use space. There are other products like that � cork floors that have laminate surfaces on it and other surfaces that we are looking at.

20. I see a new door. Is this new doorway to bridge us to the other building?

A: The doorway will not be a main access door � but will be an access as needed especially in rainy weather. The door will empty out under the stairwell right where the food pantry is currently housed.

21. Are we including some of the repairs on doorways � to cut down on the breeze that flows through the narthex?

A: Yes, we do have it in the budget to re-fit those doors and do some work in the foyer to make it a little more energy efficient and more comfortable.

22. Is the balcony going to extend out and is it the idea to leave the window open and exposed:

A: Yes, the plan is to extend the balcony beyond the window but not cover it.

23. Since the balcony is extending out, will there be any external supports or will all the support be against the walls?

A: Structurally, it will be supported by a beam that is free supported. We may need to reinforce the walls at the two columns on the side with some surface steel � but they will be built into the columns. It's difficult to see in the drawings but we may be adding some details to the columns themselves that pop them out a bit. We're showing some sconce lighting on the columns and in order to get the wiring in, we're building out the center of the column a bit. So all of that steel could hide in that extra detail that we might add to the column.

24. Could you talk a little bit about the sound system and how that is going to be improved and located?

A: Most sound people prefer to be dead center, at the lower level. We compromised and put them dead center in the balcony. There will be a new sound table there � it will look like a roll top desk that can be locked up and they'll be situated in the extension of the balcony on the second floor.

25. Why should we remove � or not use � more pews up in the balcony?

A: The pews, themselves, are the wrong proportion for the layering that we've got up there. The balcony has to slope down and if you go up there now and see the pews and how they're up there, it's really not a very safe or a very practical to maximize the seating up there. If you wanted to do pews, you couldn't do these pews. You'd have to do custom make something that would fit better in the balcony configuration. Also, there are a lot of �art� things that go on up in the balcony space (i.e. hand bell choir, regular choir, etc.) that needs the flexibility that the pew do not offer.

26. How will the enhanced video components, mega screens, etc. be used during the service? Will they detract from the solemn part of our services?

A: I think we are all aware of that concern. But we think we'd rather ere on the side of having the flexibility to do artistic things. Will we use them for all of our hymns as far as having all the words up there? There are certainly strengths to that...that people don't have their head in their hymnal. It's always a balancing act with managing the line between worship and just plain entertainment.
One of the reason we started doing three dimensional drawings of the sanctuary was to see where that balance is between the technology and the existing feeling of the church � that one doesn't overtake the other. That's been very much in the forefront of the committee.

27. Could you address how the ADA or disability accessibility is going to be improved with the renovations?

A: In the plan, we do have a lift that brings someone up on the platform/pulpit area. It will be on the right side of the altar � the side where the choir will be seated. There are plans to eliminate the step outside in the hallway and it would become a ramp.

28. If the sanctuary is going to be used for other multi-purpose type events, where will the chairs be stored?

A: Fortunately, these chairs are stackable. Depending on what it is that will be happening in space, they will be more than likely just stacked along the wall. Unfortunately, we do not have the space to dedicate a �storage� area just for the chairs.

29. What is the seating capacity now and what will it be with the chairs?

A: In its current configuration we can comfortably see approximately 420. With the renovations and use of the chairs we will be just short of 500. Keep in mind; this is a renovation project not an expansion project.

30. Is there a date when we will start seeing some of these renovations happen or do we wait three years until we have all the money we need?

A: The renovation team has been working on phases of the renovation all along until we have run out of money. We are kind of down to the short rows here. About the only thing left that we can do at this time without being really disruptive is the windows. So we are going to have to raise these funds, sooner rather than later, in order to get started. If we are going to really commit as a faith community to this big project and do this together will have this fabulous space in which to worship but to also use other times as well. It would be nice; with spending 1.5 million dollars renovating room we'd like to see it used more than a couple of hours a week. And this would certainly give us the opportunity to do that. I'm seeing concerts and neighborhood events and I'm seeing kids coming in, I'm seeing youth activities. It's so exciting to see how much planning has gone into this space and how we are going to be able to use it.

31. Is it possible to sell bonds for this capital campaign?

A: Generally, 1.5 million would be too small an amount to be able to sell bonds. The other thing is that there would not likely be any tax-exempt bonds that we could issue but it is something we could look at. But the other thing with bonds is that it's something you'd look at paying off over a long period of time. To get the cost benefit of having the upfront cost of doing a bond � it generally has to be something in excess of 7-10 years for a bond issue. Again, the size of the amount that we would be borrowing would make it fairly difficult to cost justify that. From the standpoint of how we will finance the renovations, because it's my understanding that we're asking for 3-year pledges � that would mean that we would need to borrow some money on a fairly short term basis for several years to finish the project then await the payment of the pledges. There are institutions around on the local and national level, some that specialize in churches that we've been talking with and we'll pursue that mechanism. There's a limit as to how much the church could actually borrow based on some of the national criteria. We would not be able to have a loan of more than $1 million. So that would mean that as we get our construction going, we have to be able to have enough funds available to start the construction � roughly I guess you'd say one-half a million dollars to be in the bank.

32. You mentioned the flooring � cork flooring. Is there some place we could see what this will look like? The hardwood floors � are they pretty much ruled out on refinishing? And was carpet ruled out?

A: We talked about flooring � we talked about cork, carpet, wood. The floor in sanctuary now is actually a sub-floor. This is not like a finished floor that you'd see in your home or office but is just to support something else. The cork flooring we like because it's renewable (green), the beauty of it as well as it is very soft to the touch as far as walking on it. We haven't picked out the exact flooring, but we will have samples here for you. As for not using carpet, it has to do with the flexibility of the space. Also, the carpet does tend to absorb sound. The cork is better for the acoustics of the church.

33. Where will the organ be in this plan?

A: The plan is for the organ to be on the main floor near the choir area. We're bringing everything down to the floor level with all the musicians being in one area. The organ speakers will most likely stay where they are behind the cross woodwork and along the back wall.

34. Is there any thought as to elevating/slanting the floors so the congregation/spectators could have a better view?

A: The sanctuary floor will not be angled, however, the balcony will. The floors will remain at the level they are. The platform area will be higher and will be about the height of the current dance platform

35. How about lighting? Will there be other lighting for our stage?

A: In our budget, there is money allotted for sound and lighting with much more flexibility than we currently have. Additional lighting will be installed for not only the platform/pulpit areas but also the sanctuary.

36. Will there be microphone access?

A: Absolutely, with outlets place around the platform and choir areas.

37. Question: Will we have separate offertory envelopes, or should we just enclose our checks for this fund with our monthly offerings and mark them separately?

A: We are ordering yellow CtJ (Celebrate the Joy) pew envelopes which should arrive this week to replace the green KTJG (Keep the JOy Going) ones in there now, so that is one option. They can also include their CtJ payment with their monthly offerings but will need to mark it separately so Tonya will know what to do with it.

38. Is there an informal plan or thoughts of after the sanctuary of doing other sections of the church?

A: We have discussed the need to improve the educational building but have not started making any plans. We are however doing small things through the Trustees i.e. the recent upgrading of the restrooms and a new stove for the kitchen. We are also in the process of trying to get a grant through the green team to replace all the ceiling tiles.

39. In the worst case scenario and if there are not enough pledges to fund the project, is there a back-up less expensive plan? And if so, what is the plan?

A: Best case scenario and much more cost effective would be to complete the project at one time. However, if we see we are unable to reach our goal, the project can be divided into smaller projects.... such was windows, staging, balcony enlargement, sound/lighting, organ...etc.