Now, our Fellowship Hall is
showing its age with stained ceiling tiles, rotting windows, and scuffed paint.
Our forever space, the Memorial Garden, is being threatened by
aging water lines on the brink of failure.
The Now and Forever Project will update Fellowship Hall, the space our church cherishes now, and the Memorial Garden, where family members rest forever.
In 2016, we replaced the aging water lines on the east side of our church and built a new driveway. Just one week later, a major water pipeline failed and burst. That exact type of plumbing is currently running under the Memorial Garden, disintegrating and threatening the sanctity of that space every day.
To avoid a catastrophe and preserve this treasured space, we are draining and capping the deteriorating plumbing and rerouting a new system to completely avoid the Memorial Garden. The construction will not disturb the Memorial Garden and the new pipes will preserve the Memorial Garden for decades to come.
The ceiling in Fellowship Hall must be opened for the plumbing, so in addition to installing new ceiling tiles, we will upgrade the lighting to a more energy efficient type. The rotting windows in Fellowship Hall will be replaced with new, energy efficient windows, a new coat of paint will brighten up the walls, and fresh, new blinds will be added to windows on the west side of the building.
We are turning to our members and their families to help offset the estimated costs of $85,000. Your gifts, perhaps in honor of a friend or family member resting in the Memorial Garden, will help fund this project. If you are interested in the specifics of the project, there are links to the estimates and plans below.
Please enjoy the images below and consider making an online donation here or sending a check with Now and Forever in the memo line to the office:
Attn: Bookkeeper
First Congregational United Church of Christ
1047 Curtiss Street
Downers Grove IL 60516
