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St. Luke's
Growing In Faith Goals
St.
Luke's Facilities Master Plan
Each generation of leadership at
St. Luke's has adapted the building to meet current and
future ministry needs. Shortly after the congregation was
formed in 1914, the members undertook the building of the
bungalow church on Euclid. In the 1920s, the congregation
decided that a major new building was needed and built the
present church at Prospect and Cedar. The congregation of
the 1930s made bold decisions and sacrificial financial
commitments during the years of the Great Depression to pay
for the building that they had envisioned for St. Luke's
mission and ministries. The congregation of the 1960s
experienced the dramatic growth of Park Ridge during the
Baby Boom years and made the decision to build the Fox Hall
addition to accommodate the mission and ministries within
the growing community. Forty years later, it is our turn as
the congregation of the 2000s to embrace the vision and make
the changes that will give our children's and
grandchildren's generations a solid foundation upon which to
continue Growing in Faith.
The Facilities Master Plan as
shown in the concept design provides a comprehensive vision
for St. Luke's facilities that could be accomplished on the
existing land owned by the congregation. By reconfiguring
our building in this way, we can better accommodate the
variety of ways that the congregation's ministries and the
community are served. The Biblical text chosen for this
campaign reminds us that there is a time for everything:
For everything there is a season,
and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born,
and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up
what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time
to break down, and a time to build up; . . . Ecclesiastes
3:1-3 NRSV
It Is Time
For more than a year, St. Luke's
has undergone a process of self-reflection. This reflective
planning will offer direction as we redevelop and revitalize
current ministries, as well as expand the facilities that
will be needed to best serve our congregation and our
community in the coming years.
It is time for St. Luke's to make
the bold decision to prepare our facilities for the
ministries of the next decades. It is time for St. Luke's to
make our facilities reflect our vision of a Christian
community that invites and values all people. It is time for
St. Luke's to make a significant financial commitment to
change our facilities to meet current and expanding needs.
Expanding and Strengthening Our Ministries
Reconfiguring St. Luke's building
by tearing down a portion of the building and replacing it
with a new three-level structure would expand and strengthen
our ministries by:
Creating Space for Hospitality
and Welcome
- Street-level access to the
building from Cedar Street
- Atrium/Convocation Space (click here for image) with
room for fellowship and information about congregational
and community ministry opportunities
Improving Accessibility
- Indoor ramp and steps on
Cedar Street side of building
- Elevator providing access to
five levels of the reconfigured building
- Increased restroom size,
capacity and accessibility
- Accessible entrance to the
building from the North parking lot
Developing a Multitorium Space
for
- Large group meals
- Stage presentations
- Volleyball, basketball and
other floor activities
- Different activities in the
two halves of the room by using a room divider
Creating Additional Rooms to
Provide
- Quality gathering spaces of
different sizes for educational activities for all ages
- Music rehearsal spaces for
simultaneous use by more than one group, and expanded
instrument storage space
- Adequate office and
administrative space for both staff and volunteers
- Flexibility to accommodate
new ministries for both the congregation and the
community
Reconfiguring and Improving
Spaces for
- Nursery and education for
young children
- Youth and Confirmation
Ministries
- Spaces for specialized uses,
such as Sunday School Arts and Crafts, Quilting, Card
Ministries and other groups requiring supplies, storage,
and good lighting
With these changes, St. Luke's
will be able to hospitably welcome new persons to our
congregation, nurture growth with God and with each other,
and expand the facilities that will be needed to best serve
our congregation and our community in the coming years. It
is time for Growing in Faith.
1. Improving
Accessibility
When people
enter St. Luke's current building, they must climb steps or
enter using an exterior ramp. Once inside, many areas are
accessible only by stairs.
These stairs
make it difficult for individuals living with any form of
impaired mobility, either temporary or permanent, to use any
of these rooms. The Illinois Accessibility Code will
require these changes at the time we make a significant
financial investment in our building. Even without such a
legal requirement, we want to make our building welcoming
and accessible to all. Click here to view the plan for the modernized main floor.
2. Updating
Existing Structure
The minimal
necessary improvements have their significant costs. While
St. Luke's has maintained our building systems well,
construction codes and community standards have changed
during the past forty years. If St. Luke's were to address
each of the identified changes individually, we would need
to spend $1.5 - $2.0 million during the next ten years just
to meet these standards.
Some examples of
these changes include:
- Increase
restroom size and capacity to meet accessibility
requirements
- Add an
elevator
- Extend
central air conditioning to replace inefficient window
units
- Replace the
roof on Fox Hall, which has outlived its 20-year life
expectancy
- Replace
deteriorating exterior concrete steps and ramp
- Add
fire-suppression sprinklers, enclose open stairwells
with fire doors, and move rooms for children under age 6
to above grade
If we were to
choose this method to maintain our structure, we would lose
space for current ministries and programs. These
improvements can be accomplished in a more cost-effective
manner if they are incorporated into a comprehensive
building and expansion program.
3. Increasing
Usable Spaces
St. Luke’s is
home to many ministries of the congregation and to many
community groups. Our current building structure makes it
difficult to accommodate our current congregational
ministries, limits our vision for expanding ministries, and
restricts the space available to community groups. After
consulting with architects and reviewing several
alternatives, the Master Plan Task Team recommends tearing
down a portion of our present building and replacing it with
a new three-level structure.
By reconfiguring
St. Luke's building in this way, we could better accommodate
the variety of ways the congregation's ministries and the
community are served. |
