Covenant Presbyterian Church, Frazer, PA

Currently the lease would be $1200 a year with a 5-year lease. We just received a reduction from the original lease. There are currently approximately 25 other people in East Whiteland who lease from the railroad.

How wide is the corridor from the old Fellowship Hall back from the stairwells?

They are about 8 feet wide.

Is there going to be a kitchen area in the new teen area?

There will be a café and plumbing for a sink.

How many people will the new basement hold?

Currently the basement can hold 220 people and that is very tight. The revised basement will hold at least 350 people.

Will the water problem in the basement be fixed?

Yes.

Is there an existing sanctuary that the new sanctuary in being modeled after?

The new sanctuary will be modeled after a Frank Lloyd Wright sanctuary design that is just outside Chicago. The next step will be to show a scale model to get a better idea of the design.

What is the cost?

When we did very preliminary cost estimates a few years ago, the estimate was about $4.5 million.

What will the old sanctuary be used for after the new one is built?

The old sanctuary will still be used for service every Sunday as well as for weddings and funerals. However, if there is a large gathering, we will open up the new sanctuary.

What will happen to the current offices?

The office will remain where they are currently located in the current building.

Where will the classrooms be relocated to during the construction?

We are going to minimize any interruption during construction. The classrooms not be disrupted.

Any ideas on a time-line?

We do not have a specific time-line right now. It has taken a few years to get to this point with committees being formed and information gathering to pull this all together.

Has it been discussed about using the new sanctuary as a multi-purpose building?

Yes but most people felt that the sanctuary should just have one function.

Why can’t we do the construction in stages?

Doing the construction in stages will add about 10 % more onto the cost of the project. This would add an additional cost of about $400,000. The entire project in itself would take a few years to complete.

Have we received all of the zoning?

Yes, we have all of the zoning in place.

What are the next steps?

We need to refine the architectural plans, and complete a scale model. We have the community approval and have spoken to the scouts about archiving some Eagle scouts projects. The planning commission has to sign off on the project. We also need the congregation’s approval along with Donegal Presbytery.

How many parking spots will be available?

Approximately 260.

Any plans to use the ground currently used by the cemetery?

No.

What about a capital campaign?

We need to complete a few other steps before beginning a capital campaign.

Are we really over-crowded?

At times, the sanctuary has reached capacity and beyond. Although that doesn’t happen on a weekly basis, it does occur enough that parishioners do not have a seat or cannot sit with their families. A welcoming church becomes crowded at 70% capacity. Studies and statistics show this is when people start to become uncomfortable or feel put out when thinking about joining a church. Our weekly attendance figures show that we reach this capacity often, especially when most new visitors come to Covenant during holiday services.

Why do we want to make new attenders feel welcome? The mission of the church is outreach. We want to spread the Good News to all and we invite everyone to come and hear! We thank God for the opportunity to grow so that our mission giving will continue to reach more of God’s people.

Why not add another service for those times when we are over-crowded?

This idea has been debated for many years. When Covenant added its second service, there was concern that it would diminish the “cozy” feel that so many of our members enjoy. We were able to add this second service without interrupting our church school time and we maintained an inter-generational feel and consistency in both services.

Adding a third service would further break the congregation into more segments. One of the services would have to be far removed from the church school hour and could be disheartening to younger families. In addition, consideration would have to be made not only for the pastoral staff, but for the organists, choirs, ushers, facilities, etc.

Covenant needs to remain the church where LOVE has the run of the house.

Can't we add additional seats by expanding the existing church building?

The structural design of the building makes it impossible to expand the existing sanctuary.

Instead of building a new church, why don't we use that money to expand

In the short term, this may seem a good alternative, but over time, a new sanctuary, capable of welcoming more people, will allow God’s word to be heard by more Covenant members and Covenant’s mission of outreach to expand far beyond its current scope. We can do so much more with a larger facility.

Through Covenant’s history, there have been building campaigns to which the people have given as they felt called. Our operating budget remains separate from our building campaigns. Although everyone has benefited from our renewals and additions, not everyone has been able to give financially. We need spiritual contributions from all! Everyone’s financial and spiritual contributions are embraced and we praise God for all contributions. The congregation is asked to pray for what works for you and your family.

Can we afford this new building?

A detailed financial analysis of this building plan was performed using past church building campaigns as guideposts. While the scope of this campaign is large, based on the giving for previous renovations and additions, it is certainly within our ability to finance and fund this new church building. It will certainly take the commitment and prayers of the entire congregation, but it is within our reach.

Will we continue to have services in the old sanctuary?

Yes!

The old sanctuary will continue to be used for a variety of services and church events.

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