Possible Basement Renovation

APRIL 30, 2026 UPDATE:

Save the Date

HUMC Congregational Meeting May 17th After Church Service

Meeting to Discuss Possible Basement Renovation

We will have a meeting following the church service on Sunday May 17th. The sole purpose will be to share an update and facilitate a discussion with our church membership on the potential renovation of the basement.

We are nearing a decision on whether to move forward on the project and need to ascertain feedback from the congregation. While this meeting will not entail a formal vote on undertaking the project, this is an important meeting. We encourage you to bring your questions and suggestions, as your feedback will help guide our final decision on whether to proceed with the renovation.

Since our last meeting, we have engaged several general contractors to review the space and the preliminary plans from our architects that designed our sanctuary. This lengthy process confirmed our earlier estimates of an all-in $650,000 aggregate cost (including construction, architectural fees, other soft costs, appliances, and other finishes). Thanks to a generous anonymous donor's cornerstone gift, we are closer to making this project financially feasible.

Importantly, it led us to a preferred general contractor that we believe has proven experience with a broad portfolio of quality projects and detailed cost proposal to complete this project on time and on budget.

This is a significant investment to provide a multi-purpose space that could be utilized for a 150-person seated event and have a dedicated food serving capacity. It can serve as a space for a wide variety of church and community activities, in addition to seated church events including wedding receptions.

We will share more specifics on the components of the costs and the financial support needed from the congregation in conjunction with the May 17th meeting.

Thank you for your input and support as we evaluate this facility enhancement.

Pastor John Bell

Zed Francis (Chair of Finance)

Bob Hooks (Chair of Trustees)

FROM SUN MAY 4 PRESENTATION TO THE CONGREGATION

We had a well-attended meeting to share recently received preliminary feedback from the architects that designed our sanctuary on their recommendations for a potential renovation of our basement space. While in the early stages (and no decisions have been made on whether to proceed with any alterations), we plan to form a small HUMC task force led by our Chair of Trustees (Bob Hooks) to evaluate the opportunity and gain insights from our members, and will incorporate the perspectives of our incoming Pastor Bell.

If we move forward, we will require a fundraising effort to close the gap between our current targeted funds ($200,000 from a generous and anonymous donor and $200,000 from Trustee reserves) and the current estimated cost of $650,000.

Thank you for your input and support as we evaluate this possible enhancement in concert with our over-arching strategic plans to grow the church and attract new families in the community.

Zed Francis (Chair of Finance)
Bob Hooks (Chair of Trustees)

Architectural Renderings