Capital Campaign

Capital Campaign 2024

In October 2022, the Session of Westminster (our governing body) commissioned an Organ Committee to assess the condition and future of our organ, particularly as it relates to worship and music ministry. After several months of study and input from experts, the committee determined that the organ is near the end of its useful life and that attempting to rebuild or refurbish it would be neither feasible nor financially responsible. At their July 2023 meeting, the Session affirmed that finding and charged the Organ Committee to research options for a new organ and appropriate enhancements to the sanctuary to maximize our experience of the spoken word and music. The sanctuary organ represents music in worship, an important aspect of our church’s life, but replacing it will entail a capital investment of several million dollars. This provided the congregation with both a responsibility and an opportunity to think beyond this specific need and focus on our overall ministry going forward in our neighborhood, region, and world.

Based on congregational input, the Session voted in October 2023 to continue developing a campaign between $4 and $7 million to include a new organ and acoustics, an accessible van or bus, an expanded columbarium, minor improvements to the Scout and youth rooms, a capital reserve fund, and a mission tithe of 10 percent. A facilities master plan, which includes a space utilization assessment to help us learn how best to use our existing space and how best to improve it, will be conducted from November 2023 to February 2024.

The Stewardship Campaign for the 2024 Operating Budget, will be conducted from October 29, 2023 through January 31, 2024, with the budget being adopted that day, as is our normal pattern. The Capital Campaign will begin around March 1, 2024. We are grateful for the congregation’s participation and input to date, and look forward to even more involvement as together we move forward with the ministry to which God has called Westminster in our community and around our world.

Capital Campaign Steering Committee

As specified by Session, Larry Hayward has appointed a Capital Campaign Steering Committee, which will serve as the administrative hub of the campaign, supported by Wayne Spaulding, our campaign director from Klote & Associates. We are grateful to all who have agreed to serve. The committee members are: Jane Ring (Honorary Chair)
Bob & Carrie Wood (Chairs)
Whit & Angela Ayres (Co-Chairs)
Alex & Janie Bryant (Co-Chairs)
Lanny & Susan Griffith
Madeline Ramsey
Debbie Wells
David & Melynda Wilcox

History

As part of Westminster’s upcoming Capital Campaign, the Session approved a motion on November 29th to contract with John Milner Architects to prepare an initial Facilities Master Plan study. This firm, located in Chadds Ford, PA, has much experience working with historic churches and renovations of public buildings and homes up and down the eastern seaboard. They have been selected by a small task force chaired by Session Member Spencer Dickerson.

The study will include the following:

Provide an opportunity for Westminster to articulate our vision for ministry
Assess space utilization
Provide further information, visuals and pricing estimates, based on ideas from the recent focus groups
Provide possibilities drawn from current expertise on security, technology, and environmental issues.

The study will enable the Session:

To refine and finalize elements for inclusion in the public phase of the Capital Campaign
To share with individual donors, in future years, who express interest in funding a specific project
To plan for future campaigns as determined

This process begins immediately and will involve input from various groups in the church as well as from the congregation at large. It will conclude toward the end of February and will help determine the scope of elements to be included in our Capital Campaign in the Spring.

The Architectural Search Task Force (Spencer Dickerson, Susie Helm, Steve Denne, and Jordan Taylor) are diligently involved in a search for an architectural firm to lead our process of master planning; they plan to have a recommendation for the Session for this week’s meeting, with a firm whose work will begin almost immediately thereafter.

The Organ Committee, chaired by Whit Ayres, is working with Ben Hutchens to develop a list of organ builders to research and interview for presentation to the Session when the Session is ready to enter a contract, after funding is secured.

We held nineteen Focus Groups between September 17 and October 15, 2023. Each group will was led by an elder supported by Wayne Spaulding of James D. Klote & Associates, a financial consulting firm assisting us in our assessment and planning. Thank you to all who participated in the focus group meetings, sharing your vision for Westminster and your feedback on the Session’s work.

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