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Memorial Garden Deconsecration Service - Saturday,
April 5 Many of the families whose loved ones rested in
the Memorial Garden at HW met for a deconsecration service as the first step of
moving it to the Redeemer property. Dinner followed the service.
Latest Update on
New Building - March 2007
View Drawing
Email:
newbuilding@ucpreston.org
Congregation Approves Plans For Sale of Hunters
Woods - By Craig Palmer
The congregation enthusiastically endorsed plans to sell the Hunters Woods
property and move the Memorial Garden, voting approval by ballot at a special
congregational meeting June 11, 2006. The congregational vote, 84 yes and one
no among UCP members voting, supports: the sale of HW property for $6
million to Atlantic Realty Companies to develop mid-rise active adult housing
that is age-restricted, and plans to move the Memorial Garden from the HW
property to the Redeemer site.
The Parish Board called the meeting to offer the congregation the opportunity
to speak to plans that are moving right along to build a new church in Reston.
The congregation heard from Craig Palmer and Geoff Miller on those aspects of
the building campaign that involve sale of the Hunters Woods property and
relocation of the Memorial Garden and viewed initial drawings of Atlantic’s
proposed development.
Atlantic Realty Companies has a long and proud history of successful
residential, commercial and retail development in Northern Virginia and
Maryland, noteworthy especially for their shopping centers (Plaza America,
Hunters Woods and Tall Oaks) and other developments in Reston. The June
11 vote will support approval of the sale by the National Capital Presbytery,
one of our four denominational partners and title holder for the HW property.
The contract is in negotiation.
Capital
Campaign Nears $1.2 Million
May
2006 was the beginning of the giving period for the Capital Stewardship
Campaign. We thank you for your pledges totaling $1,191,000. As of
mid-May, when we wrote this article, actual contributions totaled
$94,000, including pledged and non-pledged amounts. We encourage
you to continue supporting our commitment to being "Transformed
by Faith, A New Season of Ministry." Also, please note that we
continue to welcome pledge cards from those of you who missed the March
deadline.
During
the next three years, the Follow-up Team will be keeping you apprised of
the status of the campaign. The team’s mission is to track progress
toward our goal, communicate this information to parishioners, and plan
continuing campaign promotions. You will see regular reports in Parish
Life, follow progress on a graphic display in the narthex this summer,
and occasionally hear testimonies from members who feel they have,
indeed, been transformed by faith as a result of the campaign.
We
welcome additional members to the Team, either for long-term roles or
for one-time efforts. If you are interested in assisting, please contact
Joan Braxton, joanbraxton@comcast.net;
Jerry Hebenstreit, hebens4ucp@comcast.net;
or Jim Burton, jburton2002@comcast.net. |
The
Building Committee information presented at the May 21st Congregational meeting
is available in the narthex at Redeemer. All
Building Committee meetings are held on the 3rd Wednesday of every month and
are open to the congregation.
Members
of United Christian Parish voted Nov. 20, 2005 at Redeemer to build an addition to
Redeemer and to renovate the existing structure. They did so by
approving the accompanying ballot with an amendment stating the sale of the
Hunters Woods property cannot be finalized without congregational approval of a
plan to move the Memorial Garden.
The UCP Board recently approved (12-0
vote), and now brings for congregational ratification, a recommendation
from the Parish Building Committee to move forward to:
•Approve general design features which entail about
23,500 square feet of new construction, significant renovation of
current Redeemer site (11,000 square feet), sanctuary capacity of 350
people with expansion capability of 200.
•Total Project Cost of $9.5 million.
•Sell the Hunters Woods property, including commercial use (an asset value of $5.7 million
anticipated).
•Proceed with a 3-year Capital Funds Campaign
beginning in a few months anticipated to raise at least $2 million.
 NOTE: The UCP Board approved the Parish Building
Committee’s recommendation with the assumption that the money raised
from the sale of the Hunters Woods building, the Capital
Stewardship Campaign,
and the balance of the South Lakes building proceeds (approximately $1.8
million) would be sufficient to handle the total projected costs of this
project.
NOTE: The interior and exterior portions of this
project are not finalized and will not be considered final based on a
vote to approve the above. The Board, Building Committee, Ministerial
Team and Ritter Architects are still listening. For more info contact: Eric Hochstrasser -
newbuilding@ucpreston.org
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