A series of articles on why we do what we do here at St. John’s.

What’s up with all of these projects at church and school?

When it comes to projects to maintain and improve facilities, each congregation is organized differently. Some set an annual budget for repairs and improvements, including major projects. Many hire outside contractors who do most of the work on equipment and buildings. Unfortunately for some, repair and maintenance, especially major projects, get set to the side because of the lack of funds or people.

Since coming to St. John’s, Pastor Albers has made no secret of his intention to not only maintain but also to dramatically improve the facilities that previous generations of church members have provided us. Since our “newest” building is 50 years old, it’s been quite a challenge!

Fortunately we are blessed with plenty of talent and financial resources. Over the last several years many projects have been proposed by congregational leaders (e.g. Project Welcome and the Preschool Play Area) while others have been the result of equipment failure (e.g. HVAC units at school and church).

Over the last several years we have funded “projects” rather than increasing our annual budget for repairs and maintenance. Significant projects have been funded in part by grants available through the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, the Health Foundation of La Porte, and the First Source Foundation. YOUR donations have made the work possible and will continue to make work possible in the future.

Many people have been involved in the progress made. Pastor Albers is an extreme “DIY’er” and he has enjoyed working with our church members who have the same DIY spirit. Others have provided financial resources to underwrite the projects. Still others have helped as they have time and ability.

The next several months will include work in several areas:

• Attending to a couple of projects tagged by the La Porte Fire Inspector (including the replacement of a small electrical load panel in the church boiler room)
• Bringing “Project Welcome” to a close with trim work in the chapel
• Finishing the picket fence around the Preschool Play Area
• Installing a new retractable gate for the gym parking area
• Improving drainage around the church foundation and on the school’s roof
• Expanding the security infrastructure at the school and (if a grant is approved) at our church building as well

All of this is in addition to the ongoing maintenance that is required, especially mowing and trimming the grass, replacing light bulbs, spring/summer cleaning, and much more!

See a project that needs attention? Bring it to the attention of the Board of Trustees or Pastor Albers, or another congregational leader.  Have a skill you want to put to work? Let us know what you can do, and we’ll put you to work!

Next month: Organizing for our School’s Ministry