Today before a storm blew in, I walked around to the front of the church and admired the concrete work that has happened in between snowstorms. The support walls, ramp surfaces, plaza level cap and part of the new stairs are all in place. The next step will be re-facing the brickwork.
This photo was taken two weeks ago, when forms were in place but the concrete had not yet been poured. You can compare it to earlier posts to see how the ramps have taken shape.
The contractor has brought brick samples for matching to the church exterior. None of the old facing brick on the plaza could be saved and used; it had started to disintegrate. Soon we will see the bricklayers, we hope, if the weather co-operates.
The indoor phase of Compton Cares is almost complete! The new kitchen- ette is fully furnished with appliances and ready to use. The stove, counter top, and several of the cabinets were donated by members or friends of Compton. Remember what this looked like last September? It's beautiful.
The new accesssible bathrooms are easy to access from the hallway. The signs make them easy to find.
By January 28 the new restrooms were open for business. The sink, mirror and one of the dividers in the women's room are shown here.
Yes, it's OK to flush. These new restrooms provide comfort and privacy that the previous facilities on this level sorely lacked!
Meanwhile, concrete work goes on outside when the weather permits. These photos were taken on January 20, when the forms were in place to begin the ramp to the sanctuary door.
Since these photos were taken, support walls for the ramps have been poured, but on Feb. 3 everything was swaddled in tarps and covered with 8 inches of snow that fell on Feb. 1. This week is milder, but wet. We hope to have an unveiling of the ramp progress soon.
Anyone who has ever tripped over the uneven pavement through the north garden to Flora Place can rejoice, because the sidewalk has been repaired as part of the project.
The main indoor project remaining is to create a new doorway from the hallway into the sanctuary for easier wheelchair access. More dust, noise and disruption, but the contractor says it will be done between Monday and Friday and all will be cleaned up for worship. We will keep our fingers crossed and our prayer caps on!
Our new sign includes a mosaic from pottery and glass donated by members. Julia Krovicka, an artist who is a Friend of Compton, created our new sign. To visit our church web site, just click on the photo.
Compton Cares has made our building more accessible and welcoming for ministry by renovating the Grand Boulevard entrance to the sanctuary, and adding accessible restrooms and a functional kitchenette on the main floor. Construction started Aug. 29, 2007 and was completed in early May 2008. We celebrated and dedicated the new facilities on June 14, 2008.
Loans for construction did accrue interest, driving up the total cost. A campaign for renewed pledges and new gifts in order to retire the remaining debt of approximately $31,500 (at 3%) concluded in December 2009, with enough in pledges to retire that debt by Oct. 31, 2012. However, as of December 1, 2011, we have enough contributions on hand to retire this debt either by the end of this year or in the first month of 2012! Thanks be to God for this blessing!
Fund Raising
Our goal has been to retire our remaining debt on the Compton Cares project by Oct. 31, 2012, when the 3% loan rate expires. To hasten this process, we have held various fund raisers that everyone could take part in, regardless of their financial situation. Here are totals from these fundraisers to date:
GoodSearch/GoodShop $627.00 eScrip $450.78 (eScrip now benefits the CHCC budget) Change Bank $964.54 Aluminum cans and scrap $595.72+ Gypsy Caravan 2008: $1,133.00 Gypsy Caravan 2009: $969.00 Bazaar 2009: $1,362.65 Bazaar 2010 $1,748.10 Mini-Bazaar 2011 $102.00 Bridgeton Fund Grant: $6,500.00
GoodSearch , an Internet search engine, donates part of its ad revenue to the charity of your choice. Clicking the link in the list below will take you directly to the page for Compton Heights. This site also includes GoodShop, easy to use without registration. New businesses are added to GoodShop weekly so check to see if your favorites are there, or e-mail the GoodSearch folks and they will add one for you! Please check to make sure that Compton Heights Christian Church St. Louis is in the Who do You GoodSearch For? window! Thank you and please keep searching and shopping!
eScrip earns from 1% to 5% and more of purchases. Schnucks Markets is a St. Louis area participant, as is Macy's. Enrollment cards are available at church or at Schnuck's grocery stores. Simply give your eScrip card to the checker to scan every time you buy groceries! All income from eScrip now goes into the church operating budget!
A Change Bank brought in a significant contribution to Compton Cares for 4 years. In 2011 we redirected the change bank into a challenge to help fund a mission trip to India by 4 of our members.
Cans (aluminum only) can be deposited in a large container in the hall opposite the choir room. Please bring them rinsed. When we get 100 pounds collected, the price we receive doubles. At least $600 has been raised for Compton Cares. After the loan is paid off, the can collection will continue, and a new recipient for it will be indicated.
Today before a storm blew in, I walked around to the front of the church and admired the concrete work that has happened in between snowstorms. The support walls, ramp surfaces, plaza level cap and part of the new stairs are all in place. The next step will be re-facing the brickwork.
This photo was taken two weeks ago, when forms were in place but the concrete had not yet been poured. You can compare it to earlier posts to see how the ramps have taken shape.
The contractor has brought brick samples for matching to the church exterior. None of the old facing brick on the plaza could be saved and used; it had started to disintegrate. Soon we will see the bricklayers, we hope, if the weather co-operates.
