Many of you will have heard that our Annual Meeting will include a vote on whether to authorize a capital campaign to raise $10,000 to build a 5-foot high fence with a gate along the eastern (walkway) side of our church property. We need to understand that a capital campaign does not draw from existing church funds. It is a fundraising campaign seeking donations for a specific purpose. If it is approved by the congregation, those donors who want to support the project will finance the project.
The proposal for this fence project was recommended to your board by the Health and Safety Ministry Team. (H&S) The proposal arises from the problems our grounds face from the effects of having uninvited visitors who camp out on our property. Some are respectful of our space. Many, unfortunately, are not – leaving trash, sometimes drug paraphernalia, and worse, on our grounds.
Our congregation has an established record of reaching out to serve the unhoused population, to advocate for services to house and treat them as needed, assist in transitions, and serve compassionately. Allowing people to desecrate our grounds is not part of that mission.
The fence recommendation from the Health and Safety Ministry Team is a response to the problems we face with unauthorized and sometimes dangerous use of our grounds. H&S proposes it as a deterrent. They recognize that a 5-foot fence will not be a barrier to a determined intruder. The proposal is to erect a fence that says that people are welcome here for church purposes, but not to defile our campus.
People who have heard of this proposal have also expressed concerns. Some note that a 5-foot barrier that does not encircle the entire open part of the property may not curb unwelcome trespassers, who can hop a fence or walk around. Some note that given our status as a church, a fence may seem counter to our status a a sanctuary space.
I have heard yet more opinions in favor and opposed, I believe that our conversation at the annual meeting will be a conservation among friends, some of whom may disagree, but that we will hold that conversation with love and respect.
Jim Merrill (he/him)