Friends in Christ, I wanted to share two (2) items of interest with you in regards to our church as they relate to financial matters.
First, to the best of our knowledge our church organ was purchased and installed in 1948. And there is no disagreement, that it is and continues to be an important part of our music and worship here at Immanuel. However, with time, in addition to routine maintenance, components of that organ are beyond routine maintenance and require upgrades or replacement of aging parts.
Recently, Dusti Watson from Watson Pipe Organ Company was nice enough to present us with a cost estimate on some of those aging components. The total cost would be $13,712.42. After consulting with Virginia and Lori, if we can get the New Stop Tabs & Pistons ($7,269.74) and Piston Additions ($4,479.56) we can extend the need for other less significant repairs. So total repair cost would be $11,749.30.
Certainly not a budgeted item for this fiscal year. But the Trust Fund has met and is willing to allow the Saints of Immanuel Fund to cover $7,269.74 of the cost. I will be addressing the Council at our next meeting in December to see if we can not pull some funds from other line items to help off set the remaining cost. Work would not be completed till next year and the organ would be unplayable for 4-6 weeks. Of interest, replacement costs for a new organ would be approximately $253,750.00.
Secondly, as members of Immanuel we are all aware of numerous leaks in our roof, that we continue to spend money on making necessary repairs. The truth of the matter is that within the next 5 years or less, we will need to replace the roof.
The Council has had numerous discussions about how this big of a project would be funded. At our last meeting we were given the following potential costs, so that we can begin our planning. Total cost of re-roofing the entire church with shingles would run between $55,000 – $60,000 and that would be good for perhaps 20-25 years. A second option presented, was to install a metal roof, at a cost of between $75,000 – $80,000 and would last a much longer time.
As we proceed with our discussion of how we can best raise the funds necessary, we will be communicating with you the members. In the meantime, we have established a roof fund and have began the processing of setting aside monies as it is available. If you following prayerful consideration would like to make a contribution to the roof fund or the organ repairs it would be greatly appreciated.