This summer, the First Church Facilities Team focused on preparing our campus for the upcoming season. While there is always an emphasis on the summer maintenance schedule, the team has been managing and coordinating several campus improvements. The most extensive change has been the much-anticipated Sanctuary lighting project! You will also see new stage lighting in CenterPoint, many new hurricane-rated windows and doors, and updated LED lighting.
Some major summer projects were replacing the Price Chapel roof, repainting the Sanctuary’s exterior, and renovating the main office and First Café area ceilings. These projects required significant coordination and management to ensure that the many contractors and subcontractors involved stayed on task while minimizing the impact across on-campus operations. Our Property Superintendent, Bill Gilmore, and the entire facilities team are working tirelessly to ensure all our major projects are complete ahead of season.
As we wrap up this summer’s projects, planning has begun to prepare for next summer’s list of tasks. Our Special Projects Manager, Tom Bunt, is working alongside First Church leaders, contractors, design professionals, and stakeholders to gather the necessary information to evaluate future projects, anticipated repairs, and planned maintenance. Tom’s over 19 years of First Church institutional knowledge is a blessing as we update and improve our campus’s multigenerational buildings and overall infrastructure.
So much of the facilities team’s work goes on behind the scenes. These tasks include constantly cleaning restrooms, setting and resetting tables and chairs for activities and events, daily maintenance and repairs, managing parking and traffic, and coordinating on-site security.
Incredibly, just six servant-minded and dedicated individuals manage all this work. Each team member brings unique skills and gifts to their work at First Church—as we read in 1 Peter 4:10, “each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others…” This Scripture reflects the spirit of the First Church Facilities Team. If the opportunity presents itself, please take a minute to thank Bill, Tom, Zach, Bart, Cecelia, and Hector who has recently retired, for their continued efforts and hard work in their service to First Church.
by Eric Weesner, Director of Operations
