Capital Campaign
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN!
Our grand total as of our Capital Campaign Celebration on November 3rd was:
$1,060,017
Thank you for helping us reach our $1 million goal!
You will receive statements on a regular basis, and you may be asked for more information on your planned payment frequency.
CAN I STILL PLEDGE?
New pledges will be accepted in the office at any time.
If you have questions about payments on your pledge, please contact Vickie Doebele Finance@ucevanston.org. If you have questions about the campaign projects, please direct them to Janelle Brittain janellebri@aol.com or Sandy Danforth danforthsc@mac.com.
Again, thank you for supporting the financial health of your congregation. Together, we made the campaign an enormous success!
Capital Campaign News
New Sanctuary Chairs Testing Outcome & FAQ
Thanks to the 106 people who tried out the chairs we were testing and provided us with feedback. The winner is the Lumin chair (white one with the orange cushion). Please keep in mind we will not be using those colors, those were only sample chairs. However this is not the end of the story. We listened to some of you who had further concerns and questions. Here are our answers and actions.
Wood Chairs
There were questions raised about why there weren’t any wood chairs in our group. During our extensive research we found wood chairs, however the majority of them were too expensive or too heavy (30+ lbs). We are trying to stay close to 12 pounds because we move our chairs so much. There is one chair style that is a more feasible weight (16-18 lbs). And it falls within our price range. So we’ve decided to bring that option back to ask your opinion, so you can see how you like it from the aesthetics, weight and comfort point of view.
Another Chair Testing Opportunity
We will be asking your opinion in a comparison of a wooden chair style to the Lumin style. We will be ordering each chair style with arms & without. Each will have upholstery/cushion on the seat and back. This will probably be in late June.
Why Do We Need New Chairs?
Our chairs are 55+ years old and are breaking. Over a 7 year time span we repaired (glued) 132 broken chairs. There were more broken chairs than that, but we couldn’t afford any more repairs. During Covid, two of our members assessed all of our chairs. At that time, there were 57 which were designated as broken and 30 that were broken beyond repair. Chairs break while people are sitting in them. Some people have gotten injured. For the safety of our congregation and rentals, we need to have safe chairs.
Difference Between Capital Campaign Funds and Operations Funds
Four years ago we had a Capital Campaign Drive to raise money for 10 projects that were chosen for repair, renovation or completion by our congregation. New Sanctuary Chairs was one of those projects. The Capital Campaign funds cannot be used for or shared with our Operations Funds, which go for annual operations such as paying staff, utilities and other maintenance items. The Operations Fund is supported by our annual Pledge Drive, where the Capital Campaign is done every 5-10 years. Each fund has a different purpose. If you have any questions or seek further information, contact any of the New Sanctuary Chairs Team members: Janelle Brittain, Kristin Larson or Carla Williams.
Sanctuary Cooling System is in!: July 22, 2022
The UCE Sanctuary Cooling System is in! And we are ready for Chicago’s hot Summer.
Thank you to everyone’s contributions to the Capital Campaign which made it possible for us to install a cooling system for the Sanctuary and adjacent Social Area. We’ve been enjoying this system since the end of May. It simply “takes the edge off” the indoor environment by cooling the room and removing some of the humidity. The intention is to make the Sanctuary & Social Area more comfortable on oppressively hot and humid days in Summer. It is not UCE’s intention to have cold storage facility-like conditions. Instead, the goal is to create a space that will be more comfortable for the members, community members and friends of UCE as well as for renters, who approach to share or rent the Sanctuary and Social Area. We researched many options and chose the best one that balanced caring for the environment and costs. We are pleased with the results.
Here are a few details about our new cooling system. Like our gas-fired furnaces, the cooling equipment mirrors the zoning arrangement of the furnaces. These zones include the east & northeast portions of the Sanctuary, the west & north west portions of the Sanctuary and the South zone which is basically the Social Area at the back of the Sanctuary. We’ve retained our existing furnaces and retrofitted them with eight new indoor cooling coils. We’ve also added eight, new outdoor condensing units and had the systems filled with R410a refrigerant, an environmentally favorable refrigerant with an ozone depletion potential of zero and a low global warming potential value. R410a also has a low toxicity, is not flammable and has an A1 safety classification. The seasonal energy efficiency ratio, or SEER, of the condensing units is as high as 19. The new cooling systems are zone controlled by three Ecobee programmable thermostats each one paired with a wireless remote temperature sensor for accurate control of operation. And, as a plus, the systems can be controlled remotely via a phone app!
Lovely Upgrades to the Wing and Lobby
The Lobby and Wing Team of the Capital Campaign Implementation Team have been working steadily over the pandemic closure period to make improvements in the building.
When you visit UCE in person you will notice all new lighting and tiles in the Room 2 and the lobby area. Room 2 has undergone significant change with new, modern furniture, new carpet and shades. The solar shades were designed to offer light when raised (much like our old curtains that could be opened), but when in the down position they offer protection from the sun and cold. They are attractive and will work well to provide varying degrees of light. New ceiling lights and tiles were added to the room. Our goal was to provide a space where the lighting is more ambient for covenant meetings, small memorial services and wedding services, and other meetings where “high” lighting is less appropriate.
Room 3, the office and hallway have new floor tiles that flow beautifully into the lobby flooring to the north of the hall. Room 3 has the same shades and new ceiling tiles, as well as the flooring that matches the hallway.
Room 3 has a new technology set up which includes better sound and the ability to do live streaming and zoom for meetings and overflow from the sanctuary.
Coming soon . . . two new large monitors will provide up to the minute information on what is happening in the building and will promote activities and events we are involved in at UCE.
With every improvement we have taken into consideration the needs of users, you the congregants, and guests who will use our facility.
Lobby and Wing Improvement Team
Sandy Danforth, Gillian Lawrence, Johna VanDyke and Sandra Robinson
Welcome Back to UCE Capital Improvements – Lobby: September 3, 2021
When returning to our beloved church building in September and beyond, you will notice some differences in the lobby and wing spaces thanks to funding from the 2019 Capital Campaign and the hard work and dedication of the Capital Campaign Implementation Committee and UCE volunteers and staff. We wanted to highlight some of these exciting changes and talk a bit about how we made decisions about what updates to make. This is the first of three articles.
Our lobby planning involved a broad, human-centered design approach–a process that starts with the people you’re designing for and ends with new solutions that are tailor made to suit their needs. To do this, we gathered input from the groups that use the UCE lobby space, (hospitality team, membership relations, family ministry, accessibility team, and staff), as well as rentals, safety and security. We then analyzed and synthesized these inputs, and categorized them to create our organizing focus areas: furnishings, layout, technology, information, and signage. During this process we saw that some of the biggest areas of need were related to welcoming newcomers and families.
Over the next several weeks, we’ll be sharing with you various aspects of the lobby and wing projects so you’ll understand the thought process for each improvement area.
Welcoming Families
The first updates to the lobby space we wanted to highlight are related to welcoming families – and especially those with younger children. As Rev. Wiviott has mentioned in many of her recent messages to the congregation, we are working as a congregation toward being a truly multi-generational community. As part of this work we have taken special care to understand the needs of families – both current and new – and worked on ways to make our lobby space as welcoming and functional as possible for them. Here some things you will see:
Soon you’ll be hearing about our multi-generational outdoor space. It is coming along nicely as well and we can’t wait to welcome everyone to it soon. This is just a taste of what we have been up to – we are eager to provide you with more updates next week!
“New” Kitchen Celebration: September 19, 2021
Just as Covid shut everything down last year, our totally renovated kitchen was completed, so we didn’t get a chance to celebrate all of the wonderful changes and upgrades. So on Sunday, September 19, the Kitchen renovation will be celebrated! There will be a recognition in the worship service, followed by tours in the kitchen and outer area guided by Carol Nielsen and Sandra Robinson. Coffee and cookies will be served outside following the indoor gathering to celebrate with food. Our kitchen has always been a warm and welcoming gathering place before, during and after events for our congregation and for our rentals. These improvements are due to your generosity during the Capital Campaign.