On December 6th, fire heavily damaged a portion of our church building.  While the fire was mostly confined to the conference room and office areas ... there was heavy smoke and soot damage to the rest of the building.

Luckily, there was no one in the church at the time of the fire.  

Our thanks go out to the firemen from Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Mount Prospect, Palatine, Prospect Heights and Rolling Meadows for their professionalism and concern.  We are truly lucky to have such wonderful public servants

And thanks, too, to all those who have reached out to offer whatever assistance they could ... from friends and strangers near and far to the neighbors all around us...

because after all ... our church is not about the building ... but about the people of the church.  We shall rebuild stronger and more faithful than ever.

An Update From Your Moderator ... March 25th

Hello, friends. It is a pleasure to share a few more gratitudes with you. It appears we may be able to get Jordan Hall occupancy for two of our tenants by Easter. There are a couple of necessary “tweaks” and one more Village inspection, but our contractor, Steve, is confident that can be accomplished by the end of next week. One of the “necessaries” is that the Village will not approve two stoves in the kitchen without a hood over each. For now, one stove will be removed temporarily and the area capped. In this way, we can get Jordan Hall and the restroom hallway approved. There will still be no access to the Sunday school wing and east end.

We’ve received a preliminary plan from the interior design folks, which the team has just started to review. There’s a lot to digest, and we are grateful to you for sharing your thoughts and ideas. They are helpful, not just to the designers in their planning, but certainly to the R&R Team as we discuss.

I am pleased to share the ComEd Energy Efficiency Program has reserved $2,146 for replacement of the lighting in the Sunday school classrooms. The program is intended to support customers in completing saving energy projects. Funds are not guaranteed until they receive supporting documentation of equipment installed. However, as it was our contractor who brought this to our attention, we’re confident of a positive outcome. The fixtures we ordered should be installed next week.

One of the more overwhelming tasks we’ve faced is reviewing and editing the contents inventory done by Bob Jones of Greer & Kirby. Each one of the team has been carefully scanning each revision. What one person sees missing from the narthex inventory, another recalls items that were in the communion room. And so it has gone. There are three separate lists to review: church-owned property, contents owned by our tenants and the contents of Allie’s office. Any of you who have been in her office will understand the enormous undertaking it was just to inventory her 1,000 or so books! I think we are “almost” satisfied, and our goal is to be able to send the approved inventories to the insurance company by Monday. My kudos to Bob Jones for his talents and gratitude for his patient accommodations.

We’ve received questions regarding significant items you haven’t heard about. Unfortunately, it’s because we just don’t have answers yet. I promise, every comment, question and concern is respected and considered. As soon as we have definitive and accurate information, it will be our joy to share with you. With a grateful and humble heart for your trust, support and prayers, — Donna