Captial Campaign

Capital Campaign Announcement
Tuesday, June 30, 2020

To the Members of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church,

Typically, the following information would be shared with you at a special congregational meeting. Because of the coronavirus, it is impossible to predict when we might be able to gather in a large enough group to make such a meeting possible. Because our congregation’s council does not want to delay necessary actions, we have decided to implement a mini- Capital Campaign (“mini” in comparison to our last campaign). This one will be less than a quarter of that in total expenditures.

Before sharing details, I would like to issue a call to action on the formation of a 2020 Capital Campaign committee. If interested, you are cordially invited to express your interest in becoming a member of this committee. Not everyone expressing an interest will be selected; we need a group of people reflecting our congregation’s demographics, as well as folks with specific areas of expertise.

Please let us know if you are motivated, want to be proactive, offer your leadership, and become a part of something that furthers our abilities to advance our mission of welcoming all people and spreading the word of God. To become part of this campaign, please contact the church office to apply (use the contact info on our letterhead).

Please know, as we proceed through this process, we will observe all safety and social distancing requirements. Meetings will be held on Zoom and when folks meet in person, masks will be required.

Our last capital campaign was in 2014; your generosity raised roughly $433,000.00. This money went towards the maintenance and renovation of our pipe organ, enhanced nave lighting, fellowship hall and kitchen window replacements, outside marquee signage, audio-video ministry technology, an accessible entrance and drinking fountain, and restroom remodeling.

What will the 2020 campaign accomplish? We need to raise approximately $85,000 to fund 3 major projects that will improve our church HVAC, increase our online streaming capabilities, enhance our technology in Fellowship Hall (including being able to live stream our worship service there) and utilize a refurbished Steinway piano in Fellowship Hall.

1. An anonymous donor will contribute one third of the renovation costs for the Steinway piano in Fellowship Hall. Restoration will bring this piano back to its original condition, allowing us to use Fellowship Hall for worship, concerts, recitals… it makes this space an option for events we used to only do in the sanctuary. The cost needed for this project is approximately $34,770 (about $11,475 is to be covered through the generous donation, which leaves about $23,300).
2. Our HVAC system needs servicing. Two of our boilers are not working; there is some water leaking. All four of our boilers need to be overhauled to find out what further work is needed. This maintenance will obviously keep our facilities in good working order. This project is estimated to cost approximately $25,000. Truth be told, we will not know the actual cost until the overhaul is completed. Because of this unknown, you will notice a slight increased discrepancy in our campaign goal when totaling these projects.
3. Our digital and sound systems are aged with some of our hardware being 20 years old. Making this technology current will improve our capabilities to stream our services and give us new technical options for teaching, worshiping, and meeting in Fellowship Hall. An upgrade should keep us compatible through the next 10- years. It is estimated we need approximately $25,000 to bring our systems to current levels and remain compatible.

After the Capital Campaign committee is formed, we will make a conscience effort to keep our website updated. Information, as it becomes available, will be published regarding specific details on each project.

I thank you in advance for your consideration and support of this campaign, and these projects.

Christopher J. Wysong
President
Our Savior’s Lutheran Church Council