What are we planning?, Why are we doing it?, and Why Now?

Last week’s letter on our Building Program outlined the vision for what we as a Congregation are embarking upon. With this letter, we would like to address three questions we have been hearing from the Congregation on the Building Program: What are we planning on doing?, Why are we doing it?, and Why now? We will also provide some details on the upcoming Feasibility Study.

What Are We Planning On Doing? - The scope of the Building Program is as follows:

1) Addition to the Current Parish Center – A 6,747 sq. ft. one and two story addition is to be situated to the rear and south side of the current Parish Center. The 4,727 sq. ft. first floor will contain a fellowship hall to accommodate 150 people, handicapped accessible restrooms, a small commercial-type kitchen, storage areas, and one classroom. The 2,020 sq. ft. second floor will contain five classrooms. Due to the six foot change in height from the Church to the first floor of the current Parish Center, there will be both interior and exterior handicapped ramping provided.

2) Modifications to Field’s Hall – Field’s Hall is to modified to provide for a handicapped accessible restroom, an enclosed area for Nursery School storage, an enlarged Food Pantry, an enlarged vestibule for easier access to/from Field’s Hall, a more private Sacristy area, bells & chimes storage, and a small room for Parish Nurse or nursing mothers usage. Field’s Hall will still have an open area to be used for Coffee Hour, small gatherings, and as a Nursery School play area in inclement weather. There will also be a small lounge/kitchenette area for use by the Nursery School teaching staff and for Coffee Hour preparation

3) Modifications to the Current Parish Center - The current Parish Center will continue to be used as offices and meeting room/classroom space. The “public room” area on the first floor will be enclosed as a small meeting room. A stall shower will be installed in the 2^nd floor bathroom. The kitchen/bathroom area in the rear of the first floor will be demolished to make space for the planned addition.

Architectural drawings and elevations detailing the above were presented at information meetings held on February 10 and are posted on a bulletin board in Field’s Hall. A very preliminary cost estimate by our architect, including a contingency factor, projects the Building Program cost at $2.3 million. There will be the opportunity to phase certain aspects of the Building Program.

Why Are We Doing It? – The answer is simple; we need the space. We are blessed to have a robust Christian education program with over 130 children and teens in Pre-K thorough Grade 12, plus the Adult Forum, Confirmation and Bible Study programs. As many of you are aware, Sunday School is a time of controlled chaos due to our limited classroom and meeting space. The Junior and Senior Youth groups currently do not meet on Sunday mornings due to the lack of space. The planned Building Program will provide the space we require to meet our Christian education needs.

Field’s Hall currently can fit about 80 people for Church social events and meetings. Our average Church attendance on a Sunday morning is around 150. We are designing the new Fellowship Hall to meet the needs of our current Congregation.

Finally, churches should have an important role in the communities they are in. A review of historical records in preparation for our 250^th anniversary has shown that Zion was frequently used for Long Valley community activities. With the growth of Long Valley, we no longer meet the space needs of many community organizations and we do not have the space to fully participate in certain community programs (e.g. Food Pantry). We believe the Building Program will help reestablish the role of Zion in the heart of Long Valley.

Why Now? – Prior generations of Zion congregation members have provided the facilities we have today. One hundred and seventy six years ago, when Long Valley was a small farming community, Zion members had the faith to build the current Church. In 1861, at the start of the Civil War, they added the Narthex, Bell Tower and Steeple. During the Great Depression they committed what must have been limited resources to build Field’s Hall (1938). Finally, in 1967 they had the foresight to add the Education Wing, which helped to accommodate the growth of the Church during the explosive growth of Long Valley over the past four decades. As outlined in the prior section, there is a need for the Building Program. Others before us had the faith and commitment to build what we have today. As we near the 250^th anniversary of Zion Lutheran Church, it is our time to add to the legacy of prior generations and to have the faith and commitment to build for the Congregation of today and for those generations that will follow us.

There are also practical aspects as to why now. Although we have 10 acres of land, environmental regulations greatly limit the buildable space. New environmental regulations, doubling the setback from the river, eliminate almost all options for growth. Our planned Building Program is grandfathered under the old regulations. Finally, the need for additional space has been recognized for many years. There have been several Building Committees formed over the past 15 years. As outlined in last week’s letter, we have made very significant progress with the granting the NJ DEP permits and the approval of the Washington Township Historic Preservation Commission. The time is now to continue to move forward.

Feasibility Study – The Building Committee has brought the Building Program a long way over the past 2 ½ years. Your involvement and commitment over the coming months is now critical to the success of the Building Program. We are embarking upon a Feasibility Study to be conducted by Kirby Smith Associates. The purpose of the Feasibility Study is to obtain your input on the Building Program and to get a preliminary idea of the financial resources you are willing to commit to this important project. “The Time Is Now” informational meetings will be held on Wednesday, May 14 at 7:00 PM and Sunday, May 18 at 9:15 AM. A sampling of the Congregation will be personally interviewed by Kirby Smith on May 18-21 and all other Congregation members will receive a written survey (all individual survey results will be kept confidential by Kirby Smith). A report on the results of the Feasibility Study will be issued by Kirby Smith around July 1. You will be hearing more on the Feasibility Study over the coming weeks, and we thank you in advance for your help and support.

In closing, we would like to say that we understand that a project like this takes a great deal of faith, commitment and courage.

Please contact us by phone at : (908) 876-3547 or via Email at : zionlongvalley@comcast.net