The Church is not the building, but the people.
We hear that all the time, yet we are enamored of our buildings, forgiving of their faults, and it seems that our worship is enhanced by being in that special place. What we are–each congregation, each building, is unique—a gift.
As our congregations evolve into what shall be, we sometimes need less and less building. Do we walk away? Do we “go down with the ship,” that is, do we carry on worship in a building that has issues (plumbing, heating, electrical, roof, structure…) until it becomes unsafe? Or collapses? Or do we pour our worldly resources into a structure, no matter how beautiful, that is likely to serve fewer and fewer people next century or next decade or even next year? We know that we should worry about our ministry, and tailor building needs so that it assists in our focus on the spiritual. Unfortunately, most of us are not in a position to start over, to design a facility to do this. So what to do, what to do…
Wouldn’t you rather know if some problem lurks in the rafters so that some plan could be developed for addressing it, instead of finding out that a crisis has occurred?
The Albany Presbytery Board of Trustees is grappling with this problem. We offer some help in assessing the condition of buildings. The Trustees have contracted with Mark Vincent from MSV Roofing and Siding for the purpose of providing Property Maintenance services for the churches of Albany Presbytery.
MSV is available to the churches in Albany Presbytery to inspect and evaluate churches buildings and associated structures to help the congregation identify areas of concern and/or areas that are in need of attention. MSV will provide a detailed report to the congregation and will assist in identifying an appropriate action plan to remediate critical issues. This service is free to Albany Presbytery churches.
If your congregation would like to have your buildings inspected, call the Presbytery Office at (518) 273-4991 or email Don Drew, drewd3@rpi.edu.
- MSV will monitor vacant churches and associated buildings.
- MSV will respond to emergencies. He can be reached at 518-857-9468.
