Building for the future of our congregation
Your Building Committee is working diligently to prepare for our upcoming Congregational Meeting. Part of our preparation is to communicate with you as much relevant information as
possible, so that you can make your best decision.
The Building Committee took your dreams, recommendations, and visions and worked with the architecture firm of Alcorn & Benton, to create the plans and a model worthy of your support. The model on display in the Narthex is the representation of your vision. The Building Committee then oversaw the steps and modifications required to obtain approval from the City of San Diego. The City finally approved all of the plans after a delay in the review process due to the COVID-19 shutdown.
With the completed plans and City permit approved, the Building Committee solicited contractors to bid on those plans. We received five bids and after a review of those submissions, including costs, ability to build a project of this size, interest in the project, and timely communication with us, we narrowed the field to three and eventually to a finalist.
At the congregational meeting you will be asked to vote on the Building committee’s recommendation to accept this contractor and its bid for the project.
We also recognized the important necessity of a temporary, minimal food service space when the kitchen in the Fellowship Hall needed to be closed. Through the generous support and
expertise of a member of our church, we were able to quickly and efficiently renovate Luther Hall Room 2 to meet the needs for a such a space. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic
has forced us to cancel all gatherings for the time being.
The approaching congregational meeting has been a long time in coming for a variety of valid reasons. But we are now on the cusp of making decisions that will shape the future look and feel of our church campus for decades to come. We as a congregation will decide if we will move forward and sign a contract with the
recommended contractor, then proceed with the demolition of the current Fellowship Hall. Shortly thereafter, the long anticipated construction of our new Fellowship Hall will
begin.
Perhaps more important than a recap of the tremendous amount of work that has been done to date is the recognition we need to
discern what lies in our collective hearts now. I write that because life and circumstances have changed for all of us in the four years since our first pledge drive in 2016. We grieve for those who have passed from this world into the arms
of our Heavenly Father. Many of those loved ones contributed both emotional and financial support during our first pledge drive. Those members, their families and close friends
made a commitment to build and sustain the future of Clairemont Lutheran Church. The church received 87% of the pledged funding from the first (2016-2019) drive.
The Building Committee has always believed in the commitment of the congregation to this milestone project. And we have worked very diligently and consistently to match and honor your commitment. With that same faith in your commitment and
wisdom, we need to hear from you now. What questions do you have for the committee? What don’t you know that you need to know before our meeting? We want you to be prepared. We have
worked for years to ask all the right questions and get the right answers for you. There will be more communication via our various technologies to help answer your questions, but we need to hear those concerns.
The most effective and meaningful way to communicate with me is via phone. I can be reached on my cell phone (available from the church office or online member directory). The church also has an email specifically established and dedicated for questions
concerning the Fellowship Hall project:
Building Project Costs
Total Cost of the project to date is $261,504 - consisting primarily of architect, consultant fees. Included in the total is the remodeling of Room 2 into a temporary food service space, which was $40,000. Also included were Miscellaneous Costs of $5,170.
Building Project Income
We’ve had two fund raising drives: The first drive was 2016-2019. The pledged amount was $597,815, of which 87% was
received. The second fund raising drive is for 2020 -2022.
The pledged amount is $96,780.
Please Consider
What do you believe you can commit to? Our faith, and the answer to this question will chart the future of our congregation and this building project.
