We are sincerely grateful for the service this past year of our Legacy Campaign Manager, Becky Lawlor, and we send her our best wishes as she moves on to other commitments. My name is Elaine Ball, and I will be working part-time with our Legacy Campaign Chair, Ed Dieringer, during the final phases of the Legacy Capital Campaign.

Our Legacy Capital Campaign began officially with a congregational vote on May 18, 2008. To date, we have renovated, repaired and re-painted sections of the front and steeple of our church building, preserving its’ authentic historical structure. Our church was first built in 1927! Parts of our building’s interior and exterior have been and are still in great need of repair and renovation.

Also since our campaign began in 2008, we have demolished the house that once sat on our north lot.  We recycled and reused as much material from the home as was feasible. This has made room for the expanded garden area and landscaping that now beautifies the area surrounding our church.

We hope to have secured our building permit by November, enabling us to update you on projected dates of construction projects! As we continue working to complete this phase of our campaign, we hope that you will contact us with any and all questions, concerns and comments at legacycampaign@slcuu.org.

If you missed the meeting, but want the info, here is a link to the info handed out or visit our Progress page.

Celebrating a 120 years and looking forward to building a legacy for the next 120!

We had a fabulous 120th birthday celebration on Sunday, February 20th.  A big thanks to Steve Hardy for an AMAZING cake.  Not only did he do a great job replicating our newly refinished steeple, and front steps and columns, but this cake was delicious to eat–yum!

Thanks to Steve Hardy for replicating our beautiful chapel and making a delicious cake!

We are pleased to report that the first stage of First Church’s renovation is nearing completion.

The steeple and bell tower renovation is now finished!  Areas of this structure that were expected to continue to have good integrity for the long run were preserved and painted.  Those parts that had experienced severe deterioration were replaced with materials that will hold up against Utah’s weather.  All original features were maintained except the faux windows just below the bell tower.  These were altered slightly to improve ease of maintenance for a structure so far off the ground.  The ladder inside the bell tower was repaired to improve safety.

The front steps were replaced with new cement. Water drainage problems on the NW corner of the sanctuary were remedied.  We have some minor piping to do this spring to finish this and the cement will be sealed to protect it from salt.  The railings on the front steps were carefully chosen to reflect the buildings historical look while meeting the city’s requirements for safety.

The front columns of the sanctuary were found to be in good condition, except for some minor deterioration where they meet their pedestal bases.  Mahogany pedestals will replace the old ones to keep bugs out and fiberglass molding will wrap the bottom connection to prevent future water damage. 

The windows, eves, and doors of the sanctuary and Eliot Hall have been repaired and painted. The windows that are expected to be replaced in the future were provided minimum maintenance to tide us over until that event occurs. 

We continue to raise capital funds while planning the next stages of the project.  These efforts include small gains in congregational pledges and combing the larger community for grant opportunities. With continued efforts, we hope to reach the $2 Million dollar pledge mark by mid-year 2011. 

BIG NEXT STEP: REMODEL OF ELIOT HALL

By June 2011, we hope to start the remodel of Eliot Hall!  This will result in a greatly improved gathering space that will be enjoyed on a daily basis by our members, friends and surrounding community for years to come!  We are very excited about this phase.  

To be fiscally responsible and conservative with YOUR money and to avoid any long-term debt for First Church, the Legacy Committee has decided to take a pay-as-you-go approach, meaning we will only take on projects we have the cash for.

To this end, we recently hired Hughes Construction to help us develop the staging of the remodel to fit our budget over next couple of years as we continue to collect on pledges and grants.  This staging will help us keep all operations, including CCNS, on premise and running while construction ensues.   

We NEED EVERYONE’S ONGOING SUPPOT to reach these goals!  If you have not yet been contact about making a pledge or your financial situation has changed allowing you to stretch and increase your pledge, please contact me or Becky Lawlor, Legacy Campaign Manager at 582-8687, ext 7.

We appreciate everyone’s support,with an especially big thank you to band members: Lou Borgenicht (harmonica and vocals), Ken Critchfield (standup bass), Jim Poulton (guitar and vocals), and Paul Rasmussen (guitar, mandolin and vocals).

We hope everyone enjoyed the show! 

In 1927, when the congregation of the then First Unitarian Church decided it was time to invest in building our current facilities, they could not have envisioned what the future would hold. Yet, they had the faith and vision to believe that it was a worthwhile investment of their time, money, and energy.  Now, almost 100 years later, it is hard imagine what our lives would be like, indeed what our entire community would be like, without the First Unitarian Church standing as a “Beacon on the Hill” for the progressive voice in Utah.

But, let’s imagine for a moment what it would be like if they had decided NOT to build this beautiful chapel and social hall.  Imagine what your life would be like if there was no First Unitarian Church to go to on Sunday, no place to send your children for a liberal religious education, no choir filling our soul with their music, no community that shares your values, no church that is not afraid to stand up for human rights and equality for all.

Taking it a step further now, imagine what the greater Salt Lake community would be like if the First Unitarian Church had never been built. We provided the first home to Salt Lake Acting Company, hosted the first Salt Lake office of Planned Parenthood, provided and continue to provide a place for the Community Cooperative Nursery School.  We offer Jazz Vespers and other programming free to the public, we speak out on human rights and environmental issues, we help furbish homes for international refugees, tutor children at Mountain View Elementary School, make sandwiches for the Salvation Army, and so much more.  Perhaps some of these community benefits would have occurred without our presence, but many would not have come into being if the First Unitarian Church had not been built.

I hope that today, almost 100 years later, we can all find the same faith and vision of our forbearers.  This campaign is not about building a building; it is about so much more.  It is about a future we cannot yet see, but must have the faith and vision, as those before us did, to put our own time, money, and energy into creating.  Just think of the possibilities to affect positive change in our own lives, the lives of others, and our entire community if we take the steps now to protect, preserve, and improve our current facilities.

Yes, we will have a larger kitchen, a larger social hall with room for all, a building that won’t fall down if an earthquake hits, an elevator for access to upstairs, and solar panels on our chapel roof, but most importantly, we will have created a welcoming space for tomorrow, a space where the First Unitarian Church can continue to nurture and challenge the spiritual and intellectual journey for all generations and actively engage in building a progressive and just world.

Also in October, 2010 the front and exterior of our chapel received a much-needed facelift. Our steeple was repaired and repainted, the front steps and columns were repaired, and needed window repairs, painting and sealing were also completed that fall.

This part of our Legacy Capital Campaign has preserved and renovated our current chapel and original building.

This morning I got a letter from Bill Clinton asking (paraphrasing): “What
if you woke up Nov. 3rd and read that the Republicans had taken over the
House? Would you have wished that you’d done more?” Similarly, what if
you woke up on Sunday and there were no sermon by Tom or fabulous music by
David? Would you wished you’d done more? Together we can pull the yoke,
each of us doing as much as we can to make our much needed new sanctuary a
reality.