A lot has happened in the past several days regarding the mold situation. This memo is written to update you.

On 14Feb, we met with a group of insurance adjusters, engineers, and contractors to hear the newest report from Dr. Paul Pearce, the director of NOVA, who had run very thorough tests on Saturday, 2Feb. He told us that those tests indicate widespread toxic mold in the walls of the Christian Education building and the administrative offices. Although air tests already taken indicate no danger to those using and working in those areas, these in-wall tests indicate the necessity for thorough remediation. At the direction of Dr. Pearce, we are moving all activities out of the CE building and the sanctuary/office building.

ONE QUALIFICATION:

This morning, the NOVA tests are being assessed by a separate environmental testing/remediation company. This report is subject to change accordingly.

ACTIONS BEING TAKEN:

At this point the following actions are being carried out.

1. Our first priority if that of protecting the health of our church staff, members, children, guests, etc. Accordingly, we have given blanket permission to all staff members housed in the affected areas to work at home until new office space is available. Given that the molds and chemcals are VERY discriminating, i.e., they tend to cause the greatest troubles to young children, older adults, those with compromised immune systems and those with allergies-while having no impact on many others-some staff have chosen to stay/work at home while others have chosen to continue working at the church for now.

2. Our first programmatic priorities are a) congregational worship and b) children's/youth ministries. Accordingly, the furniture in the Church life center classrooms is being reconfigured for children's and youth classes. Children's Sunday School classes will be held in those rooms this Sunday and for the next few months. NOTE: all younger children's classes will be downstairs in order to avoid the need for the young ones to climb stairs or ride the elevator.

3. Children's worship will be held in Rooms 106a and 106b.

4. Adult classes will now consist of one large class in Celebration Hall plus one additional adult class in the parlor. The GodViews class (led by Ian Sutton) will meet in L207, the Shalom Room, on March 3, 10 and 17. The World Religions class with Juan Guerra will meet in the parlor (actually Juan will introduce his course in Celebration Hall on 24Feb and 3Mar-I will be preaching out of town on 24Feb.

5. The VISIONS program will be continue uninterrupted, with all its classes having been moved to the Church Life Center on 18Feb.

6. The Dayschool program classes presently meeting in the Church Life Center will continue to do so without interruption. The classes that had met in the Christian Ed building have been suspended for one week in order to prepare the way for those classes to resume on Monday, 25Feb. Accounts of those students will be credited accordingly, and the insurance company will reimburse the Day School for "lost business income."

7. Some outside organizations that presently use our facilities are being contacted to request that they secure other facilities for their use in the next few months.

8. All furnishings in the offices and Christian education building need to be treated as if they may be carriers of the mold spores. The remediation company can and will clean up all needed items quickly (a couple days).

Many other adjustments are needed, with various alternatives being considered.

1. We are investigating the costs of doing a minimal build-out of the south half of the second floor of the CLC, to provide a possible location for staff offices and/or classrooms

2. We are investigating the possibility of using/renting off-campus office facilities.

3. We are investigating the possibility of renting trailer(s) for office use on the lawn behind the Christian Ed building. Alternately we are looking into renting storage containers for that same lawn area in order to clear out the CLC attic (to facilitate #1 above).

4. If off-campus offices become available, we may move Shalom Ministries to such a facility and move the church offices upstairs into the Shalom area. On the other hand we may move the church offices off-site instead of or in addition to Shalom.

5. We are investigating associated costs for moving the network server, the telephone equipment, etc.

1. One obvious question comes to mind: Why spend so much money on the Christian Education building, when we'd probably be better off razing it and building a two-story building in its place? Answer: Contractors are in the process of preparing projected costs for the remediation. When those costs are presented to us and to the insurance company, we will assess all our options. We will be in touch with the architect who designed the Church Life Center to help us consider those possibilities.

2. As for the costs of the remediation/reconstruction: In general terms, the insurance company will pay for all remediation of the mold, and we will have to pay for whatever else may have caused that mold. To be specific, the insurance company will pay for the disposal of moldy wallboard, ceiling tiles and carpet; they will replace all such items; they will perform the disinfecting of all steel beams, floors and other hard surfaces. On the other hand, many of those infected areas have incurred the mold problems either due to raised bed landscaping that introduced moisture to the base of a building area or due to flaws in the roofing, gutters, or flashing at the edge of the roof; the church will need to re-landscape, repair and/or replace those items. We do not know, neither will we know for a few weeks, how much work will be needed. Accordingly, we have no idea how little or how much that will cost the church.

3. The cost of moving offices, classrooms, etc., including the payment of rent for such areas, is to be paid by the insurance company. However, that coverage is limited to $25,000, which will go very quickly. We are working doubly hard at cost containment in this regard.

IN THE MEANTIME:
Attendance in the church is up, and participation in the Teaching Hour is very high. The Spirit Alive event was thrilling. The Project Hallelujah campaign was a resounding success. God is working a mighty work among us, and we have much for which to be thankful. Indeed, the very timing of the mold discovery certainly has come by God's leading, when you consider that many insurance companies are cancelling such mold coverage. Praise God that the mold was discovered while we are still fully insured!!!

However, the giving to the church Ministry/Mission Budget since the first of the year has slipped from the level of last year's giving.

1. ...To rally in spirit around the many challenges standing before us in the upcoming months. Indeed, we will need all the more help setting up and tearing down chairs and tables. We'll especially need to cultivate a team spirit-"All for one and one for all"-t help sustain us through the changes we will be facing.

2. ...To encourage your church staff. The act of moving worship and church school classes certainly calls for enduring some inconveniences as church members. But such inconveniences affect the congregation just a few hours per week. For the church staff to move their offices to smaller, jerryrigged surroundings and for the weekday teachers to move their classes to new settings calls for an enormous, sacrificial adjustment by them. Please extend yourself to volunteer your time, effort and-especially-gestures of appreciation to help them through these days.

3. ...To promote the outreach ministries of CLPC, namely, Shalom Ministries, VISIONS and the Day School. Each of these ministries is providing superior care to their clients and students. But history teaches that moving service organization from place to place often causes a drop-off in clients and student census. Please encourage your friends and neighbors to utilize these ministries.

4. ...To stretch and extend yourself as much as possible in your financial stewardship to the church. We need your sacrificial giving more than ever!!!

1. It is important to remember that when circumstances unfold that are out of our control, whenever we feel that our choices have been limited, the normal, healthy response is one of anger and frustration. It is common to lash out at others, blaming them for "disregarding my needs, "leaving me out of the loop," "covering up," etc. While it is important to recognize that that the anger has legitimate basis in fact (in many respects we are NOT in control over this situation), it is equally important to avoid any blaming of others. We need to stick together! And we need to remember just Who truly is in control. ...God is faithful!!!

2. Along those lines, I will continue to publish everything I know as it becomes known. If the words seem scattered at times, and if a plan of attack changes from one day to the next, that's because new information is being discovered daily, and decisions are being made as rapidly as health considerations make necessary.

3. As stated above, our highest priority is that of providing for the health and welfare of our church family-including the staff. I wish that the actions we are now taking-particularly moving out of the offices and classrooms-could have been taken at the first sign of the presence of mold. But, frankly, we could not take such sweeping actions based upon our hunches and unmeasured concerns.

Finally, please do not hesitate to contact me directly with any concerns or questions you may have. We will get through this together. God will carry us. Let none of us forget that "God is working His purposes out as the waters cover the sea," or as scripture reminds us, the Lord is at work for the GOOD for those who love God and are called according to His good purposes!

Love you!

Jack

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