 The congregation at Zion Lutheran Church in Mount Pulaski voted to
build an addition to the school -- a gym, new kitchen and
classrooms, and in the process a narthex will be constructed on the
south side of the church, creating a new main entrance. (A narthex
is a front hall, a wide and open foyer between the entrance and the
nave, or sanctuary).
On Tuesday, subcontractors reviewed plans before submitting bids
on electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning, and a fire
suppression system. The schedule calls for the groundbreaking to
begin next week. The target date for completion is August 2012, in
time for the 2012-2013 school year to begin in the new building.
"It is an ambitious plan but one we believe is doable," said
building committee chairman Randy Awe. "This whole project has been
full of odd happenings -- serendipitous things that have provided a
light for our path. There have been so many things to make us
believe we are going in the right direction."
It may be almost surreal, but the committee thought it was
fitting when one of the contractors who bid on the job was John
Moses, with the name of the biblical figure who parted the Red Sea
and led his people to safety.
"That isn't exactly why we chose him," Awe said, "but you have to
admit this is like being led to a better place, and what better
person to lead you?" General contractor Moses is with P.J. Hoerr,
construction contractors from Normal.
"Last year when we were still trying to decide what to do, why to
do it and weigh our options, Pastor Christopher Decker came to us,"
Awe said, "and the project really took off. He could see our vision
and our needs. His encouragement and enthusiasm was a spark that had
not been there."
Awe said Pastor Decker sat with the committees, leading members
in prayer before and after the meetings. He listened to concerns,
but allowed members of the committees and the congregation to reach
their own conclusions.
The decision to build a $2.5 million to $3 million addition was
not taken lightly. It has been an 18-month ordeal of discussion,
prayer, weighing the odds and repeating the process.
"We have been working on this by meeting at least once a week for
16 to 18 months," Awe stressed, "and it has gone through several
committees, each with a different purpose -- strategy, finances,
planning and finally, a building committee. We didn't take anything
for granted.
"It has deepened our relationships as a congregation," he
continued. "The committee members have become closer, as friends. We
have learned things about each other we didn't know before, just
from spending so much time together. It has strengthened our ties."
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In speaking with a valued member of the congregation who spent
several years as an elder and volunteer at Zion Lutheran in Mount
Pulaski, this reporter was told about a gift the church received
that is a dream come true for any church or school.
"One thing that made the decision to build easier," Allen Schaal
said, "is a wonderful gift from the Rupp sisters, two lifelong
members of the church and the community who left a large sum to the
church."
But it doesn't mean the construction will be free and clear.
"There will be a payment on the new addition," Awe said, "because
the committee didn't want to spend the majority of the gift and not
have something to maintain the church and school long-term.
"We met with an individual from the Lutheran Missouri Synod who
gave us guidelines and a financial process to follow. It included
the plan to use a portion of the donation and take on a payment the
congregation would be responsible for. Then there is ownership in
the building and not a total write-off. We will work harder and work
together, if there is a commitment."
The congregation approved the plan. Members have already made
donations and will raise funds in order to contribute a percentage
of the cost of construction.
Last Sunday the Zion Lutheran congregation conducted a
groundbreaking ceremony with shiny new shovels with "ZION" painted
on the front. Pastor Decker and the building committee broke ground
and invited children and teachers to repeat the action. A potluck
dinner followed.
Next Sunday the congregation will have its annual fall festival
-- a reward for working hard.
While members of all the committees are satisfied with the final
decision, some members have a special reason to feel a sense of
pride in their involvement. The original church was built in 1851.
In 1958 the congregation voted to build a new wing. Randy Awe's
grandfather and a great-uncle were on the building committee for
that project. Two other members of the current building committee
also had grandfathers on that previous decision-making group.
"It makes you feel that you know them better," Awe said slowly,
"and it puts you closer to them because you're sharing the same
experience, just at a different time in history."
[By MARLA BLAIR]
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