Every month at our Council meeting, we are encouraged to write something for the monthly newsletter. I have good intentions to do this, but the deadline rolls around, and another month goes by. The last year or more has been challenging, frustrating, and rewarding for the SUMC Trustees. We have seen many major issues that needed to be addressed, not surprisingly, in this nearly 200-year-old church.
In late June 2021, most of the basement was flooded. After the cleanup was completed, it was observed that the floor tiles were starting to come loose. It was further determined that the tiles contained asbestos and needed to be removed before anything else could happen. After a lot of planning and work, the asbestos abatement was completed, as well as new carpeting and tiling installed. Along with the moving process, both to and from the classrooms and nursery, a lot of time was spent going through things and purging of a lot of clutter and items no longer needed. It was a long and arduous process, but what came out of it was a safer, revitalized, fresh space.
Last fall, the exterior wood trim of the stained-glass windows was painted, and masonry work was done on the exterior part of the church. A grant was applied for and received to help pay for work on the church roof, which will start this fall. The parsonage porch roof is in the process of being shored up and repaired. In the spring, new, larger, more powerful ceiling fans were installed in the Simpson Room, which has been a great improvement in helping to keep that room cooler. One of the walls in the Simpson Room was repaired, and all the walls were painted. The ceiling of the Simpson Room will be painted later this summer. The church office wall facing the parking lot was repaired and painted.
Over the course of the heating season, we had many old pipes burst and need to be replaced. The boiler system has had extensive work done on it, replacing parts and pipes. More work will be completed before the next heating season begins to address what was determined to be the cause of the flooding.
In the spring, eight exterior security cameras were installed, allowing the guardians to see the full exterior of the church via the new security station in the back of the sanctuary.
These are all major projects, but there are always smaller things that come up on a weekly basis and are taken care of by the Trustees. All of these things are the physical aspect of the church but play an important role in the spiritual aspect in creating a beautiful atmosphere to worship and praise God.
Respectfully yours,
Jenine Furry
Chair of the Trustees