Hi Church Family! It's Aaron, writing a blog post to share some of the plans that have been made to make it possible for us to keep worshipping at Lytham Rd. during a majority of the renovations.
Timeline:
We have gotten permission to use the Fellowship Hall during renovations for one year. After that year there will be approximately four months where we will not be able to use Lytham at all, as the finishing work on mechanical systems is completed.
We have already begun preparing the building for renovations, and for our temporary worship setup in the Fellowship Hall. August 5th will be our last Sunday in the sanctuary before renovations begin. On August 13th both campuses will gather in worship at Mill Run. Then on August 20th we will begin worship at Lytham in the Fellowship Hall.
Setup in the Fellowship Hall:
We will enter the Fellowship Hall through the external doors that face the Northside parking lot. That entryway is getting reworked to be easier to navigate, and to have a covered walkway.
We will be setting up the pews in the fellowship hall. The chancel will be on the south wall of the gym, with the pews in two rows facing toward the chancel. This will mimic the long-and-narrow feel of the sanctuary. Our goal is to do what we can to make the fellowship hall feel like the sanctuary. We will have access to the kitchen, and will continue coffee ministry. There will be space in the back of the fellowship hall for chairs and tables. We will have access to the restrooms in the back hallway behind the fellowship hall.
Plan for Kids' Ministry:
We are working on finalizing plans to rent an educational trailer, like the ones used by schools to handle overflow classrooms. This trailer will be right next to the entrance, making drop off and pick-up easy for families. We will be able to continue offering nursery at both services, and Kids' Church at the modern service. Continue praying for the details of this work - we are in the process of securing the necessary permitting.
Plan for Other Ministry at Lytham:
Most weekly ministries that typically meet at Lytham have moved to Mill Run. However, we intend to continue doing some of the all-community events, like Trunk-or-Treat, in the Lytham parking lot. Pickleball will also be able to continue in the south parking lot. It is our hope to continue to do some of our congregational life outside of the building, as a witness to our on-going activity and presence in the Lytham neighborhood.
Please keep praying for all of these details and for the many people who are working together to make all of this possible. These are exciting times for UALC!
--Aaron