Case Statement

Why do we need to repair our house?

Our beautiful church home is in need of immediate attention.  We have put off basic property maintenance and upkeep to the point that our campus is tired, worn and in some cases, hazardous to members and visitors.  Yet none of this represents the truly urgent need.  In its current condition, our church home is unable to support the many ministries and mission programs housed under its roof.  Our commitment to God and those in need is met in our buildings, through the dreams, ideas, worship, meetings, and planning that take place here on our campus and venture outside our doors. We were left with a sacred gift by the founders of BMPC, who built our beloved Sanctuary and campus buildings, enabling a legacy of service to others.  Today we have an obligation to maintain and preserve these gifts from God so that this work can carry on and be sustained by BMPC members long into the future. 

Why now?  Why not now?

The decades have taken their toll.  Our boilers are antiquated and our heating systems wasteful. The church tower is leaking and dangerous.  Our stunning stained glass windows – created to glorify God – are buckled, broken and cracked.  We cannot afford not to make repairs – and we must make them immediately.  Our Property Committee has undertaken considerable study and analysis and has concluded that if we do not perform this work now, we will lose the use of some of our spaces.  We have no choice.  We have been blessed by the visions of previous congregations who included us in their dreams.  Now it’s our turn to envision the future for the generations to come and accept responsibility for the resources God has bestowed upon us.

Vision for Meeting the Need

In April 2011, the Session gave its approval for a capital campaign with a goal of $15 million.  Approval from the congregation and the Presbytery was received in May 2011.  The campaign goal reflects costs associated with all of the capital projects identified through the work of the Property Committee.  These costs, particularly those associated with the new heating and cooling system, are significant. In addition, as we consider what we are doing on our own property, we are compelled to think of others elsewhere and how we might serve them. Thus key elements of the campaign will include:

HVAC

The first step is already underway.  After lengthy and careful study, the Property Committee and Trustees recommended a plan, which Session approved, to replace the old boilers and add air conditioning units where we have had none or have been using window units.  We will modernize the existing heating and air-conditioning systems, resulting in an arrangement that is energy efficient, less expensive to operate and maintain, and much more friendly to our environment.

The upgrade to the HVAC system could wait no longer and so a loan in the amount of $6 million has been secured to allow the work to proceed.  The loan will be repaid through the fundraising campaign. 
 

Mission and Outreach

BMPC has been committed to mission and outreach since the late 1800’s.  Our congregation is faithful in service, with many of our members involved in mission and outreach activities, and a percentage of our budget supporting our ministry efforts beyond our own walls.  Yet the church’s historic and passionate commitment to giving has been tempered by the challenging economic realities of recent years.  With this campaign, we will endow two funds within the BMPC Foundation.  Ten percent of the monies raised will be directed toward the funds in equal amounts.  Income from one of the funds will support Worldwide Ministries, and income from the other will be applied to Outreach benevolences.  Our dream is that the money will help to create long-term financial stability for vital ministries at home and abroad, on which so many people depend. 
 

Stained Glass Windows

BMPC’s stained glass windows are a physical manifestation of our founders’ hopes for a church home that reflects God’s glory and provides inspirational and contemplative worship space.  They are also treasures of historic and artistic value in their own right, fabricated with some of the finest glasses by Philadelphia’s Willet Studios and the studio of Louis Comfort Tiffany.

The goal of the stained glass project is to restore deteriorated windows in accordance with standards set for historically important buildings, to correct original design deficiencies, and ensure that further major work will not be needed for the next 80 to 100 years.  For the windows of the Sanctuary, this translates into the releading of many of the windows and correcting poorly installed metal supports and improper settings of windows in their frames.  At the same time, degradation of the adjacent masonry and roof systems must be corrected to address water incursion that is damaging walls and contributing to the deterioration of many windows in the Sanctuary, especially in the transepts and chancel.  Finally, given the exceptional value of the magnificent Tiffany windows in the Chapel, replacing their protective glazing is warranted and required.  One independent consultant who studied our stained glass windows in 2007 rated most of them as priority windows and urged that they repaired and restored within three years.
 

Tower and Building Envelope

During the months of January, February, and March 2011, design professionals from Levine & Company, Inc.; CVM Engineers; and KSK Architects Planners Historians, Inc.; visited our campus to observe and document the existing condition of our buildings.  The team concluded that there are major issues associated with our historic infrastructure, brought about by natural weathering and the inherent service life of certain building materials, as well as lack of maintenance.

The issue of greatest concern is water infiltration at the church tower.  Literally outstanding, this incomparable symbol of church life at BMPC requires a great amount of roofing and masonry rehabilitation work, made all the more difficult by the tower’s height.  Other major items include leaks at the Sanctuary windows; failure of window and door lintels in the Education Building; masonry deterioration at the east parapet, south bay, and north and south chimneys of Converse House; failed gussets, scuppers, and thru-wall flashings in the Ministries Center; corroded and inefficient steel windows in the Activities Building; and widespread detailing deficiencies in previous repair work performed throughout the church buildings.  The team recommends that roofing, masonry, and window repair and replacement work be phased in over the next one to five years.
 

Preserving Our Heritage for the Future

Bryn Mawr Presbyterian has a legacy of forward thinking.  Our present Sanctuary was built to hold 1200 people - twice the size of the congregation at the time. Clearly, our forefathers’ actions were grounded in faith and a belief that God had important plans for our congregation.  Today, we look to the future with great anticipation and faith in our program to update and repair our buildings, in the sure knowledge that our financial commitment would be applauded by those who founded our church and that together, past and present investments will continue to reap benefits for future Christians and those that we support.