On Saturday, January 22 the church’s boiler, which heats the sanctuary, upper level, and fellowship hall experienced a quick and complete breakdown. Fuel oil was leaked into the boiler room, a mild “puff” of an explosion occurred, and smoke filled most of the building. As you know, we have been unable to use our building because of the odor and lack of heat. We are now returning to all scheduled activities in our building.
The odor is nearly gone, and we are leaving doors open during the day this week to finally eliminate the smell. Because of the strong smell, Trish, our financial secretary, has not been able to be in the building to do her normal work. This is why there has been no financial updates in the bulletin, along with the reality that we haven’t taken up an offering in three Sundays. A gentle reminder—your giving and stewardship matter, especially at a time like this.
Many of you are interested in what happened and what is being done. Here’s a pastor’s explanation.
First, the boiler is older and it has been on the Building and Grounds radar to replace it soon. The boiler has been regularly serviced, and no one saw this coming.
Second, to repair the boiler now would cost in the neighborhood of $15,000. This includes work on the chimney, totaling about $5,000, which would have to be complete before the boiler could be relit.
Third, the Building and Grounds Team wants to gather quotes and plans for the best way to replace this equipment. Propane is a good option, and because of the higher level of efficiency with a new system we will not have to use the chimney and can close it off rather than repairing it.
Fourth, I don’t think it is in the church’s best interest to spend $15,000 to repair our current equipments for the remainder of this winter when it will be replaced in the coming months anyway.
Fifth, there is a chance that we will have some coverage from our insurance. The Board of Directors and Facilities Manager is working on this.
Sixth, we have put in a temporary heat source in the sanctuary at a very minimal cost that will keep us warm through the rest of this winter and early Spring. This enables us to stop the process of trying to repair our boiler and find a good solution that will work for the church for years to come. The sanctuary will be warm for worship and any other events that are planned there or in the fellowship hall.
This has been a major event for the Building and Grounds Committee, and they, along with Arlie, have worked hard to move this process forward. The Committee is meeting tomorrow night, and have already scheduled appointments with HVAC contractors to plan a permanent solution for the heating needs.
I hope this helps explain what has happened and the difficult process of finding a solution. Unfortunately the work of being the church is not always related to “Connecting to God, Each Other, And the World,” but we do know that in everything that happens God is working, even if it is in the background.