Through our “Rooted in Faith, Growing for Tomorrow” campaign, we have prepared for the future. Thanks to the generosity of our congregation, we are now turning that vision into reality.
Looking for the Newest Updates?
Want to stay informed throughout the construction process? Be sure to visit the slat walls located in both the Main Building and the McKinney Center (MCMC). These displays will feature the latest construction updates, project timelines, progress photos, important announcements, and other news related to our building improvements. Check back often to see how your support is helping bring these projects to life!
Give Online
Online giving is convenient. Through the secure Realm Connect platform, you can make a one time gift, set up scheduled giving, edit scheduled giving, change your method of giving, and more.
Questions about Giving?
For questions about giving or for other ways to give, please contact the church office at (512) 863-2370 or office@fumcgt.org.
The Projects
Sanctuary Improvements
As part of this campaign, several important updates will be made to the sanctuary to improve accessibility, functionality, and long-term sustainability. The current pews have reached the end of their useful life and will be replaced. The new seating layout will provide additional space between rows, improving accessibility and ease of movement throughout the sanctuary. To further enhance accessibility, the steps in the southeast corner of the sanctuary, nearest the MCMC, will be removed. As a result, the sanctuary flooring will be replaced to create a more accessible and cohesive worship space. The exterior wood doors along Ash Street have also reached the end of their useful life and will be replaced. In addition, a stage expansion is will provide more working space during worship services and increase usable space for the choir and orchestra.
Office & Restroom Additions
To better serve our congregation and improve accessibility, a new restroom facility will be added within close proximity to the sanctuary by converting the current office workroom. This improvement will provide more convenient access for those attending worship services, reducing the distance individuals must travel and creating a more welcoming and accessible worship experience for all.
McKinney Center Updates
Our Contemporary worship service is currently held in the McKinney Center (MCMC), a space that often feels more like a gymnasium than a dedicated place of worship. While we value the flexibility of the gym for large receptions and special events, we also recognize the need to create a more welcoming and worship-focused environment. Planned renovations include reconfiguring the stage area, updating the lighting, and adding windows and larger entrance openings along the west wall. These improvements will help create a space that better reflects the purpose and spirit of worship.
McKinney Center Nursery Addition
Currently, our Nursery is located on the opposite side of our campus from our Contemporary service in the MCMC. In order to better serve our families with young children, we will add a nursery to the MCMC. This will be an extension on the northwest corner of the existing building. It is intended to be a single room, divided into two halves. At this time, it is expected to have a total maximum capacity of 24 children and will have its own restroom.
HVAC/Education Building Updates
The bulk of this project will focus on replacing three floors of HVAC system that is years past its service. The possibility of a pipe bursting and flooding the building calls us to make this a priority today. From the classrooms to the music mezzanine floor down to the offices and fellowship hall, this renovation will touch a significant portion of our day to day ministry.
We have engaged with an MEP (Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing) engineering firm who very recently completed a full analysis of those systems. For a large and complex system like this, there are multiple options for repair and future replacement. At a high level, those options include going back with a chilled water system or moving to one of several types of refrigerant-based systems. We will refresh the classrooms and meeting rooms in the Education building following the repair and replacement of the new HVAC. This is expected to be largely cosmetic updates to those spaces.
Have Questions?
Our biggest and most pressing key focus is replacing our failing HVAC system in the education building. Corroded pipes, the threats of bursts and floods, and inefficient heating and cooling are urgent issues that cannot be ignored. As part of this Capital Campaign, we aim to completely replace this system.
HVAC/Mechanical
Broken pews, uneven flooring, and limited accessibility to restroom facilities are just a few of the obstacles that many of our guests and members face in our sanctuary. As part of this capital campaign, we aim to remove these mobility barriers to create a worship space that is accessible to all.
Sanctuary Updates
As the center of our Contemporary Worship Service, our MCMC is reaching it's capacity. In this Capital Campaign, we aim to relocate the nursery from across campus to a more accessible location for our young families. In addition, updating the lighting, stage and seating will help to create a space that is more sacred and welcoming to new members.
MCMC Updates
THE PROJECTS
At the same time, there is energy and excitement around the growth of our congregation. One area of new growth is young families with children. These parents need easier access to a nursery. As we continue to add chairs in the contemporary service, we desire to update the MCMC gym to look more like a worship space. Our Sunday morning Children’s Worship needs dedicated space, and we hope to build a multi-purpose Prayer Chapel to assist with Sunday morning needs as well as smaller funerals and weddings. Church leadership named a building committee in November of 2023. Over the past year, they have worked to organize this growing list of needs and opportunities so that our facilities can be accessible for all. They received feedback from staff, engaged an architect and project management firm, and are currently in the process of completing a master plan of possible options for our ministry campus.
These preliminary cost estimates include construction costs as well as professional services, other soft costs, and several conservative contingencies. These figures also include $350,000 to finish out white Annex building at some point in the future.
