A huge thank you to everyone for your generosity and support of our capital campaign. We’re off to a great start and are able to move forward with confidence because of your commitment to and faith in Hamline Church. The total amount pledged so far is $1,110,010. And to date, we have received $509,010. We are still a bit shy of our “Miracle Goal” of $1,250,000 in pledges, and we will continue to work toward achieving it.

Capital Projects Update:
In the meantime, we have contracted with MacDonald & Mack Architects to oversee the administration of the church’s exterior masonry restoration project (tuck pointing). Angela Wolf Scott, who is a member of Hamline Church, is a principal of MacDonald Mack and will be working on our project. MacDonald Mack works predominantly with buildings that have national historic designations and Angela was recently honored with the 2018 Young Architects Award from the American Institute of Architects. Bidding for the tuck pointing contract began in late February, with selection of a vendor expected in early April and work to begin soon thereafter.

The solar project planning is well underway. An in-depth analysis of the building in preparation for the panel installation found that it is necessary to update some of our electrical configuration. The Church Council reviewed three bids from electrical contractors and selected Kirtland Electric. The electrical upgrades include a new main switch and updating our older 208ph3 power configuration to a current standard one. To accomplish this will require new transformers for us and our immediate neighbors. The most visible change will be a new utility pole will be installed near the edge of the SPROUT garden, and the existing electrical cabinet in the SPROUT garden will come out and a new one installed at the foot of the new pole. Timing for this project will be coordinated tightly between the electrical contractor and Xcel Energy to take place on a Thursday – Saturday. The plan is to have a generator on site for the first two days then close the building with power off on Saturday. Full electrical service will be restored for Sunday services. While we wait for key information from all vendors on timing, our hope is to have this work and the solar installation ideally take place in mid-April or soon thereafter, to be completed no later than mid-June. Concurrently, we expect the masonry restoration to get underway and extend further into the Summer.

Fall 2017

Dear Hamline Church Family,

We are embarking on an exciting chapter in the mission and ministry of our church as we begin our capital campaign: Sanctuary for the City and Beyond.  It is a time of positive transformation at Hamline Church. There is energy and excitement around the church and you can feel the Spirit among us when you walk in on Sunday morning or on any other day of the week.

Last Spring we voted as a congregation to undertake a three-year capital campaign to restore and enhance our church in order to preserve our beautiful sacred space, accommodate our growing ministry needs, and better serve the community.

We are excited by the incredible people listed below who have volunteered to serve on the Capital Campaign Steering Committee: Jan Bajuniemi, Austin Crossman, Elaine Christiansen, Mark Krueger, Judy Hartman, Ray Faust, Richard Carrick, Amy Ireland, Roger Greiling, Diane Krueger, Kent Krueger, Betsey Hodson and Sharon Fields.

Our yearly stewardship campaign will be wrapped in with the capital campaign this fall. The campaign is being guided and organized by John Laster from Horizons Stewardship. A team of volunteers and our church staff are working extra hard to help our congregation be successful.

In the coming weeks and months, you will be receiving considerable information regarding the campaign through our weekly communications, the church website, and informational meetings. Additionally, you will receive a call from a member of our Prayer Team.  Part of their assignment for the call is to share information about the campaign, the vision for our church and answer any of your questions. Please spend this time reflecting on the blessings you have received and prayerfully consider how you will support our current ministries as well as the future of our community.

The days ahead are a great opportunity to shape the future of this church. It is our hope that we will come together in prayer and respond in such a way that we will see the hand of God in our work.

Grace and Peace,

Pete Theisen
Campaign Co-Chair

Gregg Dahlke
Campaign Co-Chair

Rev. Mariah Furness Tollgaard
Pastor

Our Capital Campaign has raised $1,112,846 in pledges and gifts, including over $450,000 in First Fruit Offerings!  Thank you all for your generous support and faith in Hamline Church.  This is a joyous beginning to the work we envision restoring and enhancing our beautiful sacred space, addressing our growing ministry needs, and better serving our community. We have already surpassed our success goal and hope to meet our miracle goal of $1.25 million.

The public phase of the campaign launched on October 29 and concluded on November 19 with Celebration & Commitment Sunday. The campaign process included meetings with individual donors, small groups and congregation-wide meetings.

The Connections Team, lead by Sharon Fields and Mark Krueger, will help to track individual pledges and contributions. They will send out regular statements and update the congregation about giving to date.

We are grateful for the individuals who gave of their time and energy in service to the Capital Campaign Leadership Team:
Gregg Dahlke co-chair
Peter Theisen co-chair
Jan Bajuniemi
Richard Carrick
Elaine Christiansen
Austin Crossman
Ray Faust
Sharon Fields
Roger Greiling
Betsey Hodson
Amy Ireland
Diane Krueger
Kent Krueger
Mark Krueger
John Laster
Mary Kay Olson
Rev. Mariah Tollgaard

Next Steps
In early January 2018 the Capital Projects Oversight Committee convened under the direction of the Church Council. This committee is tasked with determining project timeline, project budgets, bidding process, and selection criteria for contractors. Two of the key determinants of our timeline are cash flow and contractor availability.

The Capital Projects team is working with MacDonald & Mack Architects to request proposals for the exterior masonry restoration project and hire a contractor. The projected timeline is to secure a contractor in March and begin work in spring 2018.

The Committee will form other short-term teams to help facilitate other projects as they occur (like the kitchen).

Capital Projects Oversight Committee
Carole Anderson, Trustee
Gregg Dahlke
Jeffrey Dreisbach
Al Edgar
Sharon Fields
Roger Greiling
John Jakel
Diane Krueger
Barbara Leary, Trustee
Mary Kay Olson
Angela Wolf Scott
Peter Theisen
Mariah Tollgaard
Jeff Voshell, Trustee