Summary of email below: 

• We voted 89% in favor of the Visionary plan at our last all-congregation meeting

• All feedback is important, so no pews would be removed, other designs are intact

• Financial Feasibility study was incredibly positive about our potential

• So your Board approved a proposed Capital Campaign goal of $2.2M at this historic moment

• Will we vote to approve this proposal to build towards our future together! 

• Please join the many scheduled conversations about what a Capital Campaign means!

Dear UU Nashua members & friends,

             I am so excited to be writing to you all today to inform you of a special congregational meeting taking place on March 5th, 2023 at 12:00pm.  At this meeting, we will vote on whether  to officially launch a capital campaign to raise funds for the renovations to our church campus. .This will be  an historic moment for our congregation, as we have not embarked on such an ambitious fundraising and building project in at least 60 years. The Board of Trustees knows that this will be a learning process for all of us, and will continue to keep you all informed and involved every step of the way. 

 At our congregational meeting in November, we heard your feedback about the three plans, and were excited that 89% of the congregation voted to support the Visionary Plan (you can be reminded of the details of that plan here). In December, , Mark Ewart from Stewardship For Us Consulting completed a financial feasibility study for us. The Board received that report in late December, and we are thrilled to share that his report and meetings with us were incredibly positive. With the results of that report, your Board voted to approve a  fundraising goal of $2.2 Million. With these funds, our goal is to move forward with  as much of the visionary plan as possible, with one exception: the removal of some of the pews. We heard the feedback that many folks feel strongly that pews are important to the historic feel of the sanctuary, so we will be leaving them, while seeking to move forward with other renovations to the sanctuary. Given the costs of construction materials and other varying factors, we are still working on the details of the exact scope, but will be sharing more about that in the coming weeks. We are working with our architects to see where some cost cuts can be made from the original $2.36 million Visionary Plan while keeping the priorities of the congregation at the forefront.

            We are excited to keep talking about these plans, and what it means to embark on a capital campaign as we move towards the March congregational meeting, and so will be offering opportunities to listen and share after church throughout the month of February. Rev. Allison will be leading a service about the project on Jan. 29, as well as a time for conversation from 11:30-12 that day. Each Sunday in February, we will take some time during the service for leaders from the congregation to share about different aspects of the project, and there will be a chance for reflection and conversation after the service. All of the after church conversations will be from 11:30-12:30  in the Fellowship Room, with the option to join on Zoom. We will also have childcare available in an effort to make the meeting accessible to everyone. The Board really hopes you will join us at one or more of these conversations! 

             I so appreciate your trust in this process and encourage any and all questions. If you have questions, please reach out to a member of the Board or to Rev. Allison. This is a new and exciting time for us to make history as a community. We look forward to your continued engagement in this process.

In Faith,

Brenna Woods & the Board of Trustees
Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashua