It has been quite a year for our church! Of the many things we learned, one is that not only were we able to find a way to worship outside, but we really enjoyed it! Many in our congregation have said that they would like to continue outdoor services once the weather permits. To that end, this letter is to inform you of an exciting undertaking that Church Council has been talking about the last few months.  Council has decided to investigate congregational interest in putting a permanent cover over the beautiful patio we have at the back of the church.

Going forward, this structure will allow us to be able to use the patio, not only for outdoor worship, but for fellowship gatherings and other events in the life of our church and its members. We propose that we build a permanent structure to be attached to the end of the fellowship hall that would cover the patio.  You will find a rendering of the proposed structure at the end of this letter. 
 
The plan is threefold. First, we find out what kind of interest our membership has for adding such a structure. Second, with interest in erecting the structure, we propose that we ask members for donations to build the structure, which will keep the cost to the church at a minimum.  Third, if we have enough interest, and funding for the project, we will move forward with obtaining the architectural plan to be approved by the town, and obtaining a builder as soon as possible.
 
At this point, we project the cost to be no more than $25,000.  Our goal is to raise much of that amount from interested church members. If enough interest and money are raised, we will proceed with the project.  To begin the process, we have asked Robyn Young, our Treasurer, to set up a separate account for us at Great Erie Credit Union.  From April 15-May 15 we will be running the “Patio Pavilion Project” campaign.  Anyone interested in making a donation can write a check to the church that notes the money is for the “Patio Pavilion Project” campaign.  It will be deposited into the separate account at the credit union.  As a council we approved a payment from church funds of no more than $7,000 to be used to assist in building the structure. This means that we must raise $18,000 or more to pay for the structure. If we do not have the interest or the funds needed to build the structure, the money will be returned to all those members who donated to the fund, and we will not move forward in building the pavilion.
 
There is one last bit of news to add to all of this information.  Ann and Dick Maul have purchased a large tent (20x20) that will be erected on the patio this spring.  It will remain in place until we are hopefully able to build the permanent structure so that outdoor services can continue even during inclement weather.  We are hoping to have a “tent raising” party outside on the first Sunday that the tent is installed.  This would be a safe way to have a time of fellowship, which we have all been missing.  We will let you know the date once plans have been finalized.
 
Finally, please take a look at the enclosed drawing.  If you have any questions or comments, feel free to give any of the Council members a call, or email your questions to one of us.  During this pandemic, our church has grown in attendees, and we feel our “Patio Pavilion Project” is an awesome opportunity to bring our church family together again. We look forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts and sharing our excitement about this proposed addition!

Merry Christmas Church Family! We wish we could all be together for Christmas Eve service, but the next best thing is this online service! A special thank you to Sandy, Lenny, Erin, Lissa, and the worship team for all their help putting this together. We are blessed to worship together even when we are apart!