Presbyterian Church in Columbia, Maryland
Worship Every Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Ministry Expansion Update – May 2018

Dear Brothers and Sisters of CMPC,

I write to you with the exciting news for which we have all been waiting for years now: the Ministry Expansion Plan is about to get underway!
There are still plenty of details to iron out, but we are working closely with the architects and general contractors to begin the work in the preschool area and sanctuary as early as the day after Memorial Day—in order to get all of the work in the preschool done over the summer and before the school re-opens in September.
The work on the rest of the project should follow closely behind.  This, of course, means that many of our ministries and programs will be displaced at times throughout the project (which is expected to take 12-14 months to complete).
The first, big project is to remove all the asbestos from the current building and then to follow that work with the required demolition.  This means that we will need to empty the building of everything that isn’t built in or bolted down (and even some things that are bolted down—think “pews”).  To be sure that is a lot of stuff and will require a lot of hands to make it happen.  We plan to have large storage containers on site to store the stuff from the building, but we will need lots of folks to help move the stuff into those containers.  That work will need to take place over the course of the next couple months.
This is where you come in.  We will need all hands on deck to get our part of the work done as quickly and safely as possible.  Very soon the leaders of the congregation (i.e. committee chairs, staff, and others) will be reaching out to ask for volunteers to help clear out each section of the building.  Please prayerfully consider lending a hand to this effort.  As always: many hands make light (and more fun) work!
Furthermore, I ask for your patience, understanding, and flexibility as many of the ministries of our church (including worship) will be displaced and/or confined throughout this process.  We will need to think creatively about how to adjust to this reality.  We will need to bear with one another and care for one another.  As I have mentioned to many of you over the course of the last few years, I think of this as a grand adventure that we will one day look back on fondly.  Who knows what the Lord has in store for us during this time?!
So, keep your eyes and ears open for more information and for calls for help over the next few weeks and months.
What an exciting time for CMPC!  God is great!

Peace in Christ,
Pastor Scott