By now, you’ve likely heard about the Cool & Green Initiative being launched at our church, but maybe you’re still a little fuzzy on the details. Cool & Green is about being good stewards of our house. For the past 150 years, our church body has made decisions to build, repair or renovate as the need has arisen. And as much as we’ve accomplished in recent years — and we have! — there is still work to be done, some of it quite urgently.
With that in mind, we’re asking you to prayerfully consider and meet with your family (if applicable) to discern God’s will for giving to the Cool & Green Initiative over the next three years.
Having done that, we ask that you fill out an “estimate of giving” card and seal it in the accompanying envelope to either be placed in a “Pony Express Bag” or returned directly to the church office as soon as possible.
Then please plan to attend a churchwide celebration at the East Texas Arboretum on Sunday, July 3. We will have an old-fashioned day of family fun, food and fellowship at the “Our Brrr Eatum” celebration. At the end of the day, we will announce the totaled estimates of giving. Our goal is to raise $1.25 million over the next three years. What part is God urging you to play in that effort?
An immediate priority is to replace our decrepit A/C system with a highly efficient, cutting-edge system. We also plan to realize measurable savings to our budget by lowering our energy needs through affordable and innovative approaches to energy management.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that the needs of our cooling system have reached the point of crisis. We are literally cooling on borrowed time. Consider:
* We’re already spending about $40,000 a year to repair our existing A/C system;
* Of our six compressors, two are beyond repair. The remaining four can work, though one of those often doesn’t;
* Of our three chillers, one is beyond repair;
* Even when our A/C system does work, during the heat of the summer, it is incapable of cooling sufficiently or evenly.
We plan to replace the old system primarily with an excellent energy saving system. The new system will be able to cool only the room(s) where cooling is needed (a huge advantage); it can be installed in phases; and it uses a technology that allows the compressor to work only as hard as needed rather than being “all on” or “all off.” New cooling systems in the main building and at the ROC will cost us about $750,000.
There are areas of our church campus in considerable need of renovation or repair. A number of people have taken falls while using the steps at the front of our sanctuary. We need to make this area safer and more accessible to those with mobility issues.
At the ROC: the outside rear and south-facing walls are deteriorating (go look!) and must be repaired; the parking lot needs resurfacing; and the gym floor is warped and needs replacing.
In our sanctuary, there are ceiling coves that should be sealed, and the attic requires insulation.
These projects will cost about $145,000.
Over the next 36 months, we must and will meet our debt obligations. Payments due over that period total approximately $355,000. We will work diligently as a church body toward reducing our debt and ensuring continued financial stability. Contributions to Cool & Green will be used to make our August debt payment and the next 35 payments that follow.
The amount of your estimated giving to Cool & Green over the next three years enables our church to map out a plan of action in all these areas of need. Every gift is important.
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. – 2 Corinthians 9:7