Capital Campaign Q&A
Capital Campaign FAQ
Q. What is the background of our Capital Campaign?
A. The Build the Body of Christ for Ministry Campaign responds to the strategic plans of the last 10+ years; in fact, the first discussions of renovations to our current offices are over 20 years old. We’ve known that our facilities needed substantial renovation, and because we knew we would remodel, we deferred maintenance. Unfortunately, we were not able to build as quickly as we had hoped; our facility suffered. Today, we stand on the cusp of a new day of ministry together as we respond to God’s call to renew our commitment to God and Holy Innocents’ rich history.
Q. What will the construction accomplish?
A. When complete, our project will provide improved parking and accessibility, a prayer room or small chapel for 15, ample meeting rooms, a dedicated kitchen, youth classrooms and activity space, several conference rooms, a parlor, multi-purpose rooms, common areas, worship support, music rehearsal/performance rooms, a chapel for most weddings and funerals plus our Sunday evening services, administrative offices, and a nursery.
Q. Why aren’t we just remodeling program and administrative spaces?
A. Due to the disrepair of our current building, the cost of renovation would be almost as much as the cost of new construction and would not provide the additional spaces that new construction allows. Current HVAC is as old as 1962 and roofing and water issues are best solved with new construction. While it is hard to let go of some areas, especially the youth area, a Master Plan will be the most efficient and cost effective means to provide the ministry outlined in the most recent strategic plans articulated by the members of the parish. By developing a Master Plan and proceeding with Phase One now, we will be able to meet the current and foreseeable program needs of the parish.
Q. Where will the church offices be during construction?
A. Our reception, clergy, and staff offices will be relocated to the Parish Hall Building in rooms that held our nursery and some other classrooms. Those spaces for children are being relocated to areas within HIES. We appreciate the sacrifice our staff is making by relocating to these quarters, and thereby, reducing the costs of the campaign (versus rental of office space).
Q. How long will I have to fulfill my pledge?
A. We prefer that pledges be paid over a three-year period, from 2011 to 2013. However, realizing that some of us might need an additional year, we are accepting pledge payments through December 31, 2014.
Q. What will happen to programs and meetings that are currently being held in meeting space at the church?
A. We are currently reviewing each program and alternate space is being identified. Staff is working with available space at HIES as well as other venues offered to us, and hopes to accommodate most groups. Some outside groups may not be able to use spaces we provide. We are also exploring the use of virtual meetings through the use of online resources, such as Skype.
Q. What will happen to Sunday Formation?
A. Our children and youth formation classes will continue on a regular schedule. Rooms may change, but that information will be communicated well in advance. We will offer at least one adult formation class most Sundays in the Parish Hall.
Q. Will the Sunday church service schedule change?
A. Yes. Because of the logistics involved with a construction site and making the church as accessible as possible, we will be moving to a two-service morning schedule beginning May 1, 2011, with services being held at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. We will also continue our Celtic service, which will remain at 6 p.m.
Q. What will happen to the nursery?
A. Our Nursery space and 2 and 3 year old Sunday School will be relocated to the HIES Pre-School in March. Invitation to Wonder classes will join them in the fall.
Q. How much capital will we need to raise to complete the project? What will happen if we don’t raise enough capital to complete the project?
A. We hired the Atlanta firm of Alexander Haas to perform a feasibility study in 2010. Alexander Haas has helped hundreds of churches and other non-profits assess and raise resources to further their missions. Based upon their extensive study, specifically based upon interviews of our parishioners, they recommended a campaign goal of $8 million. We have planned renovations in line with this feasibility study. Should we not raise enough funds to complete the project, we will review the design and scale down areas, pushing them into Phase Two of our overall Master Plan.
Q. When will construction begin? When will the project be completed?
A. Construction will start at the end of May with the removal of our current facilities (other than the Sanctuary). The renovation will be completed in the Summer of 2012.
Q. Are we including outreach funds in this Campaign?
Unfortunately, times have changed in construction lending, and with the advice of banks, we cannot include outreach funds at this time. Because we will not have all cash in hand for our construction and will have to finance some expenses as we wait for pledge payments to come in, we must rely upon financing. With the scope of the economic downturn, the amount of lending is greatly reduced compared to previous years; including outreach funds would result in that amount being reduced further, possibly jeopardizing our project.
Q. Will we be able to have weddings and funerals during construction?
A. Yes. At this time, we believe that our nave will remain open throughout construction. Weddings and funerals will be possible, although available times may have to be pre-set for construction purposes and likely limited to Saturdays and Sundays. Because construction can interfere with these important services, we have made arrangements with several area parishes for those families who prefer another location during construction or more flexibility in planning.
Q. Will the Memorial Garden be affected?
A. Our Memorial Garden will be fenced during construction to prohibit any intrusion into this sacred space. There will be no burials in our Memorial Garden during the construction period. After construction, new columbarium spaces (niches) will also be available.
Q. What will happen to the kitchen during construction? What will be our future kitchen capabilities?
A. During construction, we will not have a dedicated church kitchen. However, we will have access to the Parish Hall kitchen. Our new space will feature a dedicated kitchen with commercial grade equipment that will support functions of up to 150 people.
Q. What is the school doing to help with our campaign?
A. We are incredibly fortunate that our School helped prepare the way for our building campaign. Over the last several years, the School and Church worked together to get a Special Land Use Plan (known as a SLUP) approved by the City of Sandy Springs. This process, which presented a unified vision for long range facilities at both HIEC and HIES, was a costly and time intensive process overseen by lawyers, architects, civil engineers, and many others. The School led and substantially funded this process, on behalf of the entire Holy Innocents’ community, over a period of several years. In addition, HIES has worked with us to address storm water run-off and to keep costs low for civil engineering on our upcoming project. Because of their leadership, our total project cost has been greatly reduced.