The
Trustees requested the Funding Committee to work with TD Banknorth to request
the release of the escrow to enable the completion of the critical work required
to allow us to re-enter the Church. Working with Jim Cooper and Steve Eaton, a
list of outstanding items and an estimate of their respective costs totaling
$35,000 was developed and presented to Ben Wheeler at TD Banknorth. This list
excluded the remaining audio visual system costs and the cost for installing the
organ. On September 6th we received notification from Ben Wheeler releasing the
escrow of $35,000 the Church had posted for construction loan.
The following funds have been received:
- Aluminum/metal re-cycling proceeds by the Youth Group.
- A very generous gift was received to purchase the kitchen cabinets.
- A very generous gift was received which allowed for the audio visual
system in stallation to be completed.
- The Children’s Fair made a donation to the Building Fund from their
proceeds.
- Donations to the Building Fund have been made in memory of Larry Ackerson.
Hopefully we will have enough funds from donations and gifts to fund the
installation of the organ ($16,000) in the very near future.
Pastor Wood and Mark Krook completed and submitted an application on behalf of
the church for a grant from the Master’s Mission.
The construction loan has converted into a commercial mortgage note for
$450,000. with the interest rate resetting after 5 years. This means we are now
paying both principal and interest at a rate designed to pay off the loan in 25
years. Your pledge and your donations to the Building Fund enables us to meet
this obligation.
There will be a concert held in the Church at 7pm, after Youth Group, on October
26th as a fund raiser. The group performing is Crossroads, a Christian group
from Ashby, MA. This event has been approved by the Deaconate. Please contact
Cindy Alzapiedi for additional information on how you can support this event.
There are only
299
monthly mortgage payments left to be made. If you are fortunate and would like
to buy one or more months, to shorten the length of the loan, after making your
commitments to the Church and to the Building Fund, please contact Bob Romeril
to understand your options.
Respectfully submitted,
Bob Romeril
New Ipswich church building from ground up
By NANCY FOSTER
New Hampshire Union Leader Correspondent
The New Ipswich Congregational Church has been a fixture in New Ipswich since the 1700s. When the first church building burned down around the turn of the 20th century, it was replaced with the ornate shingle-style structure that has been the congregation's home ever since.
However, in 2006, some issues with the church building became real problems. The stone foundation in the basement was leaking, and when an engineer was brought in to evaluate the building's condition, he found that the walls of church were dangerously bowed.
"The engineer said we shouldn't be in there, so we moved out," said Chris Lund, a member of the church building committee.
Since 2006, the church has been meeting at Mascenic High School on Sunday mornings, as the building committee worked out a plan for the sanctuary. The idea of tearing down the building was tossed around, but in the end, it was decided that the congregation would take on the estimated $750,000 price tag to save the church. Part of money will come from a loan through TD Banknorth, said Lund, and the rest is coming from donations that have been set aside for years.
"We were saving that money for a rainy day," said Lund. "It's not just raining €" this is a flood."
So far, Steve Curtis, the owner of Old Time Restoration, and his crews have put drainage around the exterior of the building and have fixed the leaking foundation. Yesterday afternoon, the workers were on site to finish putting a new roof on the building before this week's predicted rain starts to fall.
New insulation, a more efficient furnace, even an elevator for disabled congregants are part of the renovation. But inside the church sanctuary is where evidence of the most difficult work can still be seen. The building had to be raised half a foot on one end because it had sunk over the years, and the bowed walls had to be gently coaxed back into place by thick steel cables and come-alongs, Curtis said.
Though it's stripped down to its bare bones and many of the beautiful stained glass windows have been removed so that they, too, can be rejuvenated, the church has come a long way toward a new beginning.
Steve Eaton, an engineer and a member of the congregation who, along with Chris Cooper, is leading the project, said the church is set to reopen in early June.
"It's very exciting," said Lund. "We've been able to take a historic building, maintain its character, but also make it more efficient and more functional."
And yesterday, the church congregation welcomed their new minister, the Reverend Peter Wood, into the fold.
"It really feels like a new beginning," said Lund.
Special Meeting
There will be a Special Meeting after Worship on Sunday, February 10.
One motion is, "Request authorization for the Treasurer to use the $60,000
requested at the 2007 Annual Meeting from the church investments in the
following ways: $36,000 to be placed in escrow as one year's payments for the
loan to use to pay for the building projects, $24,000 to be used to pay for the
building project."
Thank you to all who voted at the Annual Meeting
Please return your pledge cards for the building as soon as possible.
Building Fund Pledge Drive - November
Please return your Building Fund Pledge as soon as possible to
Jane Cargill, our Assistant Treasurer. Your pledge is confidential and only the
total of all pledges will be shared with the bank and the Church. Please
don’t reduce your giving to the ongoing operation of the Church to make your
Building Fund Pledge.
Thank you to all who voted for the Building Fund. We hope that you enjoyed
the DVD that was played on January 6. Thank you to Valera Nichols who put
the DVD together.
Building for the Next 100 years
There will be a folk concert on Saturday December 1 at 7:00 pm at Mascenic High School. David Young is the inspiration behind this event and has arranged for 3 other groups in addition to his own group to perform for the benefit of the Church. The performers for this event are:
Teresa Storch,
a lovely young singer/songwriter from Cambridge.
http://www.teresastorch.com
Kevin Dremmel, an excellent singer/songwriter.
http://cartoonadventures.com/kevin.html
There is no admission fee but we will be collecting a donation at the door.
Refreshments will be served in the cafeteria.
We will also have a 50/50 raffle.
Proposed Plans for the renovation of our church building are available at the parsonage. Please contact Geri Nelson at 878-1327 to get a copy.
If you would like additional information, please contact Mark Krook at 878-1327
Aluminum Collection
As part of our ongoing fund raising efforts, the youth
of our church are
collecting aluminum to raise money. Please bring your cans to the Veeser's car on Sunday mornings, or contact us to schedule a pickup at 878-1327.
We will also take aluminum siding.