Please join us this Sunday, November 1 at 11:30 a.m. after the service when we will gather virtually on Zoom to share “coffee hour” together. Our new Music Director Kathy Harris will be joining us for an informal Q&A. Then we will break into small groups for a few minutes to...
As we go forward in this uncertain time which most likely will keep us physically apart for some time to come, the Board has decided to reach into our past and bring back a process that helped us communicate to the whole church on a regular basis. We will be...
May 11, 2020 A number of church members have raised questions about the Board of Trustees’ decision to agree to the Educational Enrichment Center (EEC) proposal to expand its operation into the library, Room 6, in order to provide infant care. Their expansion would require relocating the library to the...
The Board of Trustees, in collaboration with staff and other lay leaders, has made a decision to relocate the library to a reorganized space in the music room and to lease the library space to the Educational Enrichment Center (EEC), our long term daycare tenant, to allow expansion for infant...
On Sunday, February 16, 2020 we had a fabulous celebration to install Rev. Pamela Wat as our minister and we re-dedicated the new improvements to our building! See our gallery, below!
In Rev. Pamela Wat ‘s sermon in December, she mentioned that a solar team had reported its findings to the Board. The team had obtained bids from three established Delaware vendors and reported that the best approach was a rooftop array that would take care of about 40% of our...
It has been one year since we unveiled our new Audio Visual equipment! Hopefully, this has brought improvements in our worship experience and we know it has allowed up to expand opportunities for outreach and community engagement. We’ve had movie viewings on social justice issues and we’ve hosted meetings and...
While cleaning out the basement, we found dozens of slate tiles of various colors and sizes. With new flooring in the Sanctuary we no longer have a need for these replacement tiles. If you would like one or many, please help yourself by the end of January. (trivet? garden tiles?...
We recently did a punch list with the construction contractor and the blue tape marks areas that need attention. Please do not remove it, even if it is on the floor or on a wood surface. We do not yet have a date when the company will correct the issues,...
The lift is finished! The accessibility upgrades are now complete and ready to use: Mechanized Whitby front doors and vestibule doors Warner Room restroom Warner Room wheelchair lift portable ramp to sanctuary stage office hallway ramp to education wing Here are instructions for using the lift in the Warner Room/Garden...
Phase 1 of the Capital Improvement Plan is almost done! Chairs, floors, ceilings, lights, bathrooms, Warner room lift, office hallway ramp, carpet, front doors, window blinds, electric panels, rewiring, fans, and audio/visual nearly done. Phase 2 is the kitchen. The first kitchen bids were too expensive so we adjusted the...
The Executive Team (ET) is responsible for the operations of the church. The ET is made up of the Minister, the Business Manager, and lay members of the congregation. Each member of the ET has a portfolio covering operational areas of the church, including Worship, Facilities, Children’s Religious Education, Personnel,...
On Sunday, February 16, 2020 at 4:00 p.m., we will have a special ceremony to re-dedicate our building (following the completion of the strategic planning project) and to install our new Minister. All are invited to attend the service at 4:00 p.m. and join us for a reception afterwards. Stay...
We want to take a moment and say THANK YOU to Jon Claney and Dave Donohue for stepping up this weekend to improvise AV support for worship, despite serious technical challenges with our system. From climbing the 20 foot ladder to working Saturday and Sunday to find a solution, Jon...
This week we were able to wrap up work on the renovated bathrooms in the basement and the new accessible bathroom adjacent to the Warner Room. A few minor details still need to be completed, but the bathrooms are open for business.
We now have mail slots outside the church office for our groups and committees. Please feel free to use these slots to leave items for your committee or team members, or to check for snail mail that may have come for your committee. Slots are organized by name, alphabetically. If...
This week, we finally received our new seating for the sanctuary! Please join us on Sunday for the first service with our new chairs. Try them out for yourself! A special thanks to everyone that helped with set up: Mike McCabe, Randy Windle, Marty Peres, Jim Weddell, Ray Iannuzzelli and...
As part of the board’s long-term focus on securing our congregation’s future, the board has been exploring possibilities for the library property. Under no circumstances will the library property be sold. The board has now formed a task force under the auspices of the Strategic Planning Committee. The job of...
As our renovation project marches on, we will need to use an alternative worship space again this week, Sunday, August 11. Services will be upstairs in the Brunner Chapel, with overflow space in nearby rooms. Still full worship, full music and social hour, just in a different location upstairs in...
As our renovation project marches on, we will need to use an alternative worship space the next two weeks, Sunday, August 4 and Sunday, August 11. Services will be upstairs in the Brunner Chapel, with overflow space in nearby rooms. Still full worship, full music and social hour, just in...
Big changes in July and August! During the last week of July, we tore out the pews and began work on Parish Hall and the Sanctuary. The choir chairs and the loft pews are re-upholstered in our new fabric. The office hallway added mail slots and molding. Click here for...
As we prepare for our transition to flexible seating in the Sanctuary, the improvements management team has been trying to find a good home for our pews. For months, we’ve been advertising on a website specializing in used pews and on Craigslist. We’ve also alerted the local church community, contacted...
Because of our ongoing project to improve our church facilities, there may be one or two Sundays that we will not be able to use the Sanctuary or Parish Hall. Our Staff and volunteers are working on an alternative plan that will include a move upstairs, utilizing the Brunner Chapel,...
Our Project Team (Phil Krape, Linda Sanders, Mike McCabe) and friends are working closely with our Building Coordinator, Ernie Congo, and the construction contractors to keep the projects moving forward. Take a look on Sunday! Construction and destruction continue on our many improvements. Here are some photos of recent progress:
Thanks to our hardworking staff, our volunteer team, and our intrepid construction contractors, the projects continue. Don’t be surprised each Sunday! Things change weekly. This week the focus was in the Warner Room, the shaft for the wheelchair lift, and the new accessible bathroom. For a gallery of recent photos,...
Our Contractors are busy working on the construction that we hope to have completed by early September. Thank you to our generous pledgers to the Mini-Capital Campaign. We have received pledge payments from many of you already, thank you! Our vendors will want to get paid by the end of...
Our staff and volunteer construction support teams are working hard to facilitate the new building improvements approved by the congregation last year. The ramp is in place, waiting for the cement to cure before final finishes are added. The basement has been torn up to make space for the new...
Our Annual Meeting will be held on May 19, 2019 after the worship service. Please join us and exercise your 5th Principle! You can view the agenda and reports, here. You can view a summary of our financial condition, here. View the budget, here. A detailed version is available upon...
This week we started work on the ramp outside the church office. Lots of construction will be happening over the next several months. For some photos of the project, see below:
Work began this week on the installation of mechanized shades in the Sanctuary and manual shades in Parish Hall. A master panel will allow shades to be raised or lowered depending on outdoor brightness and those times of year when worship can be affected by strong sunlight. The darkening effect...
You can see that the AV contractor has been hard at work. We have new equipment being hung and wiring strung. Nothing is activated yet. The new AV equipment should be going live the second or third week of January. Please be patient as we deal with the final weeks...
Exciting news! The installation of the new Audio/Visual system is going well. Many components are installed, and our AV Team is training volunteers on using the new system. On January 6, we had our first service using the new equipment. Here are some photos!
One of the most exciting repairs we can experience here in the building is when we replace HVAC units on the roof. A crane, lots of helpers and the joy of a new, efficient system can make things lively around here. Our office HVAC failed inspection at a recent service...
The Special Meeting vote on the front doors and Sanctuary seating was adjourned at 5 p.m. on Friday, November 2. Over a period of two weeks, 187 Members participated in our first-of-a-kind process designed to encourage greater opportunity for review, discussion, and to increase the number of Members voting. As...
At our Annual Meeting on May 6, the Congregation voted to approve the Capital Improvement Plan with a commitment to later hold two votes as to: whether or not relocate the Park’s front doors to another part of the Church, and whether or not replace existing pews with flexible seating....
The Strategic Planning Committee will hold one more Q&A session on October 28, following the service, to update the Congregation about progress being made on the Capital Improvement Plan. As part of this update, and in support of the Congregational vote, the committee will present the findings of the subcommittees charged with...
As mentioned in the Special Meeting Notice dated September 28, the Strategic Planning Committee will be holding three Q&A sessions to update the Congregation about progress being made on the Capital Improvement Plan. As part of this update, and in preparation for the upcoming Congregational vote, the committee will present...
The four subcommittees charged with making decisions on the wide range of major improvements and upgrades have been busy at work since the congregation’s May vote. Improved accessibility (mechanized front doors, wheelchair lifts between different levels and ADA restroom off Parish Hall), as well as space utilization and flexibility (flexible...
The Board of Trustees has authorized a Special Meeting to be convened on Friday, October 19, 2018 at 5 p.m. and adjourned on Friday, November 2, 2018 for the purpose of holding a Congregational Vote on the two questions of whether to relocate the Parks’ doors or replace existing pews...
For an update on the Capital Improvement projects voted on at our May 2018 Annual meeting, please click here. The four subcommittees charged with making decisions on the wide range of major improvements and upgrades have been working hard.
The four subcommittees charged with making decisions on the wide range of major improvements and upgrades have been working hard since the congregation’s May vote. Improved accessibility (mechanized front doors, wheelchair lifts between different levels and ADA restroom off Parish Hall), as well as space utilization and flexibility (flexible seating...
To view our 4th quarter treasurer reports, please click below: Treasurer Report June 2018 Profit and Loss Report June 2018 Balance Sheet June 2018 Stewardship Campaign Report July 5 2018 Questions? Contact our Business Manager, Marina at marina@firstuuwilm.org or our Treasurer, Steve, at stevec@firstuuwilm.org.
To view our 3rd quarter treasurer reports, please click below: Treasurer Report March 2018 Profit and Loss Report March 2018 Balance Sheet March 2018 Budget Presentation April 29 2018 Questions? Contact our Business Manager, Marina at marina@firstuuwilm.org or our Treasurer, Steve, at stevec@firstuuwilm.org.
On Sunday, May 6, 2018, at noon, we will conduct our Annual Meeting of the congregation. You will hear reports from the Board and the Executive Team. Voting members will: Elect the Nominating Committee, Board of Trustees, and Delegates for 2018 General Assembly. Hear a report on our current financial condition. Vote on the Capital Improvement Plan and...
On Sunday, April 29, 2018, at noon, there will be: A Budget Information meeting where the congregation will be given details of the proposed Operating and Capital Budgets and a detailed Capital Improvement Plan presentation by the Strategic Planning Committee. A detailed version of the budget document is available on request, please email marina@firstuuwilm.org. A progress report on the...
The Nominating Committee for our church is in session! We will be opening up conversations with possible candidates in the upcoming weeks and months. This is an exciting time in our church, with building changes projected and a search for a new minister. If you are interested in knowing more...
As promised, we want to keep you up to date on activities following our World Café Live process of last winter. We are investigating the best way to utilize our existing worship and parish hall space, and have engaged the services of Leila Hamroun, Principal Architect with Past Forward Architecture....