Dear Friends and Neighbors of Community UMC, we are appealing to you to help us preserve and improve our property so that we can continue to be a vital part of North Muskegon. We know that now might be a challenging time to make this appeal as we all face increasing uncertainty about the state of the world and as we’re all thinking about our checkbooks with a little more caution. We also know that in the midst of uncertainty Community UMC is an anchor point for many of you, even if you don't worship here. We are a place that our neighbors have come to depend on over the years. You gather here, you find support here, you receive aid here. We are humbled by the role that you let us serve in your lives. When you celebrate, we celebrate with you. When you struggle and grieve, we struggle and grieve with you. You are the reason that we exist. But right now, we need your help. Caring for this aging property in a changing religious and social landscape means we have less support than ever to tend to growing burdens. We know that we can do the work that is needed so that we can continue to serve this community for many more generations. We just need a little help to make it possible. We have done our best to answer your questions below, but if you don’t want to read all of that, the short answer is that we need to fix our roof to make sure that this building remains safe for everyone that uses it.

Why now?

Despite the uncertainty that we are all facing, the repairs that we are raising money for need to be done sooner rather than later. The flat roofs over the educational wing of our building and gathering room were put on in 1995. To put that in perspective, that was before smartphones, social media, and GPS. We're actually past the time of needing new a new roof and suffering from leaks when it rains.

Why don’t you pay for it yourself?

The truth of the matter is that even though our worshipping community owns and cares for this space, in any given month the activities of the congregation account for no more than 25% of the events that are taking place in our building. If we were to start counting all the people who benefit from the use of this space, we would see that our congregation makes up a very small percentage of that number. We are happy to do what we can to support this communal space, but if this space is going to continue to serve this community for generations to come, we need you, the community, to help us care it.

So how much do you actually need?

We have done our best to be good stewards and received three quotes from reputable, local contractors. At this moment, the best quote is $49,900 to replace our flat roof. But --- If we are able to raise beyond that number, we have other repairs and updates we would love to make to keep this property in good condition. Some of those are mundane things like fixing a burst pipe to one of our bathrooms or getting our boiler in good working order for the cold season. Others are bigger picture goals like a meditation garden/picnic area in our grassy lot or renovations to the interior to make our space more inviting for events like birthday/graduation parties, baby showers, weddings, or art showings. The sky is truly the limit and we will do as much as we can depending on how this goes.

What are the risks? What happens if you don’t meet your minimum goal?

Well, that would be disappointing, but the answer remains that we will do what we can with whatever we receive. If we can get close to our goal that at least puts us in a position that we might be able to receive grants or loans to make up the difference. If we fall far short of our goal then our finance committee will have to have some conversations about how we can best honor the gifts that we have received and keep working toward our goals.