Next Step Committee
Chapel of the Cross
Jan. 9-10, 2005
Attending: Committee members Paul Carew, Martha Dill, Terry Eason, Linda Rimer, Barbara Schutz, Rob Sullivan, Ted Vaden. Ex officio, Stephen Elkins-Williams, John McGee. Absent: Jay Bryan, Robert Wright, Dick Taylor.
The Next Step Committee met Sunday, Jan. 9, and Monday, Jan. 10, for site visits to neighboring churches. We visited University Presbyterian and University Baptist on Jan. 9 and Church of the Good Shepherd on Jan. 10. Here are capsule summaries:
University Presbyterian: Session Clerk Rickie Howard led us on a tour. About 5 years ago, the church added new space for fellowship, classes, elevator and HVAC and renovated the fellowship hall. Cost was $2.3 million, which was $800,000 over budget. HVAC alone was $750,000. Rickie said there were mistakes, including the architect’s under-bidding the cost, poor acoustical design in new fellowship space, and carpeting that shows spills. The renovated fellowship hall is adequate to accommodate meals for the full congregation. Membership is about the same as Chapel of the Cross, as is annual budget. The project was funded through a 3-year capital campaign, and the total included a tithe of 10 percent for outreach. Architect was WWKW of Charlotte, with whom they were well pleased. Contractor was Riggs-Harrod of Durham. Don Jewell, Chapel Hill landscape architect, led through the Chapel Hill Town Council special use permit process, which took a year, and did a good job.
University Baptist: Senior Pastor Mitch Simpson led us on tour. U Baptist added 18,000-square feet in a two-story building with office and classroom (for nursery through age 5) on the first floor and a nice fellowship hall with kitchen on the second floor. The second floor connects with the sanctuary on the same level. The fellowship hall accommodates 400 for a seated meal, which they do every Wednesday evening. Cost of the project was $3.5 million, half raised and half debt. Architect was WWKW, same as University Presbyterian, and contractor was CC Woods. They were pleased with the architect, less so with the contractor because the job supervisor changed at the start of the project. Excellent kitchen, equipped on the counseling of congregation members who operate restaurants. University Baptist is a smaller congregation: 600 membership, 300 Sunday attendance, $700,000 annual budget.
Church of the Good Shepherd: Rector Bob Sawyer led our tour. Good Shepherd just opened a new 42,000-square-foot, three-story addition that includes office space, lobby, choir suite and nursery on first floor, classrooms on second and fellowship hall and chapel and classrooms on third. The separately chartered Shepherd’s Table community kitchen is in basement, along with parking for 12. Beautiful building, but access to parish hall is inconvenient. Total cost is $6.5-7 million, raised among congregation in two campaigns over 6 years (i.e., everyone was asked twice). They used campaign consultant (SSI of Texas). Architect is WGM of Charlotte, one of the firms that responded to the CotC request for proposals. Good Shepherd is smaller than CotC – less than 1,000 communicants, $850,000 budget. New fellowship hall seats 240, and that space fills when they serve meals. They will market the space for public use. Clancy and Theys was the contractor, and Bob was pleased with both the architect and contractor. The building was lavishly appointed and furnished, we felt. Good Shepherd had a tight security system that requires visitors to be buzzed in. (So did University Baptist).
Next meeting of the Next Step Committee is Saturday, Jan. 29, when we’ll visit St. Paul’s Winston-Salem and St. Peter’s Charlotte.
Next meeting of the Next Step Committee will be Sunday, Dec. 19, 2004, at 2:30 p.m. Note that the time has been changed from 1:15 p.m. for this meeting only.
Last updated: February 18, 2005
