FAQ Comprehensive Campaign - Part One
October 8, 2020
Coming Together for Transformation
King Avenue Church Comprehensive Campaign
Frequently Asked Questions & Answers
Part One
Q: What is happening with the General Church? How will it affect King Avenue?
A: Please click here to read Pastor Keeny’s response.
Q: Why have we decided to do the campaign at this time when there is so much uncertainty?
A: The campaign was originally scheduled for the spring of 2019, but the uncertainty caused by the February General Conference decision forced us to put it on hold. With the hope of the new Protocol and General Conference in May of this year, we planned to revive the campaign in the summer. The pandemic forced us to delay again. It was determined to initiate the campaign this autumn for several reasons.
- Our needs continue. The urgency of tuckpointing and roofing the bell tower this winter highlighted the deterioration of our building. It was in bad shape. The condition of our infrastructure will continue to decline.
- The pandemic has emphasized the need to worship online. We are reaching not only our members but also new people around the state, country, and world. Online worship is here to stay, and we need to be technologically equipped and staffed to provide the quality worship experience people expect of King Avenue. The longer we put this off, the more we fall behind. This is an excellent opportunity to expand our ministry beyond our walls.
- Giving to King Avenue has been outstanding during the pandemic. Your faithful generosity has been exemplary. Clearly you believe in our ministry and its future.
- The Big Give this summer was the largest in years, and the stock market has recovered from its March plunge. These are encouraging signs for a campaign. Perhaps you’ve observed that other institutions are conducting campaigns. Without a doubt, some members will unavoidably not be in a position to support our campaign, but many will be capable of support. This is not a unique situation. A church is always edified in a variety of ways and means through prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. All of us contribute in our way to build up the body of Christ.
- This may be the most important. During the 1918 flu pandemic at the close of World War I, our ancestors held a campaign to rebuild our current building. We are in something of the same position. This is unquestionably a time of uncertainty. There is turmoil around the pandemic, schooling, family and job stress, isolation, businesses, Black Lives Matter, protests, sports, and the election. In the midst of all this uncertainty, can we be certain of anything? The Comprehensive Campaign is planting our stake in the ground and saying, “You can be certain of King Avenue Church. We will be here. Not only will we be in ministry, but also we will expand our ministry.”
Q: Could these projects not be done as needed, one or two annually, and so forego a large campaign?
A: In the summer of 2018 the air conditioning unit for the sanctuary and main floor died. At the same time the stained glass dome over the sanctuary was within less than an inch of collapsing. Fortunately, over the past ten years the trustees had set aside money in a Mechanical Reserve Fund. Unfortunately, the cost of the new unit left only $2000 in the fund. The dome repair was paid out of our building fund which currently has $200,000. This fund has gradually increased over the last ten years. The estimates for boiler replacement range from $160,000 to $240,000. This would exhaust the building fund. The big ticket building items of stained glass repair ($126,000), old building tuckpointing ($100,000), window and storm window repair and replacement ($240,000), and new building flat roof ($100,000) as well as smaller items such as women’s restroom expansion, door refinishing, sound system, hearing induction coil, and others would not have funding. Further advances in online worship and staff ($177,000) would not be funded. We would need to have a campaign to generate the resources. We could do that annually or in one large campaign. If done annually, we may not have the money when the need arises. We have opted for one large campaign.
Q: How will needs be prioritized?
A: Circumstances will dictate, however initially, we would want to secure the envelope of the building. We would start with the stained glass windows, tuckpointing, and flat roof. The boiler and online worship would be high priority.
Q: How will the tech pieces be operated? Do we have volunteers to do this?
A: Trinity UMC in Marblecliff has one of the best online worship ministries in the area. We have met with their personnel concerning operation, hardware, and costs. This ministry would involve a mixture of paid staff and volunteers. The estimate is $100,000 for three years of staffing. This is the amount we have built into the campaign.
Q: Has any attention been given to going “green”?
A: Yes. Preserving our historic buildings is one of the most fundamentally green activities we can undertake - "the greenest building is one that already exists." Energility, LLC performed an assessment of our building in the summer of 2019. You may have taken advantage of the home energy audits it offered in partnership with AEP to King Avenue members at that time. Four Energy Conservation Measures (ECM) have been proposed.
- High efficiency boiler – $240,000 ($3,200 annual savings)
- New ductless mini split system on the east side – $140,000 ($2,200 annual savings)
- Retrocommission mechanical systems – $31,000 ($1,700 annual savings)
- Upgrade interior lighting to LED – $92,500 ($3,700 annual savings)
- Rebuild existing windows and repair storms – $360,000 ($580 annual savings)
Q: Are projection screens to be installed in the sanctuary and Fellowship Hall?
A: This is being considered. Our current use of a projector and movable screen is cumbersome, and erratic and simply outdated. The core mission of a church is to help people know and be reconciled to God, which happens through people knowing God’s story and wanting to see themselves in it. It has always been the case that “a picture paints a thousand words,” but now more persons than ever identify themselves as visual learners. This is especially true of persons under age 40. It is important that persons sharing the gospel and teaching the faith, i.e., our worship leaders, have access to the range of communications tools that speak to different ages in an intergenerational congregation. Increased use of visual presentations via screens would also more easily allow worship to include the story of the congregation’s missions and ministries and, in effect, bring the laity of the church into the leadership of worship.
Using screens in the Sanctuary need not cheapen our sacred space, nor undermine the historic and traditional character of worship. Using screens in Fellowship Hall will not invade the easy-going intimacy of that worship, nor will it seduce us into simplistic theology via memes. If screens become part of KAUMC’s worship in the Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall, they will be incorporated with thoughtful attention to the architectural and stylistic integrity of those spaces and high standards of design and taste. Furthermore, visual enhancements in worship will be employed to make the inclusive message of God’s reconciling love more impactful. If we believe that King Ave has an inclusive message that others need to hear, it makes sense to use every means to communicate this message to as many people as possible, especially to future generations.
Thank for your interest and excellent questions. We look forward to the next installation.
Hope you are safe and well. Back