Grounded in God’s love =
and a
long Christian presence in the community, we seek to discern God’s wi=
ll
for First Presbyterian Church in this time and place. We will:
·
Acknowledge
that every person is a unique gift from God.
·
Provide
a compassionate Christian community that welcomes and celebrates God’=
s diverse
people.
· Create many possibilities for worship, fellowship and study of God’s Word. <= o:p>
·
Nurture
spirituality and foster a personal and corporate understanding of God’=
;s
example for the world.
·
Reflect
Christ’s light in the community through a dynamic ministry of compass=
ion,
social justice and service.
·
Commit
our time, talent and treasure to our ministry.
·
Kindle
the vision of First Presbyterian Church as a light to our community and to =
the
world.
The Purpose and Usage of the Church Facilities =
The church building of Fir=
st
Presbyterian Church in
The building is intended t= o be a place that enables ministry to happen as the congregation fulfills its miss= ion as expressed in the Mission Statement.&nbs= p;
In this spirit the Session declares that the building and facilities of First Presbyterian Church are = for the purpose of this Christian faith community as it seeks to “reflect Christ’s light in the community through a dynamic ministry of compass= ion, social justice and service.” <= /span>
This means that our buildi= ng is for ministries initiated by the congregation and for expressed needs that reflect the wider ministries and concerns of the congregation, the Session,= and its various committees. This = means that we wish, whenever possible, to extend the usage of our building to the community and especially when such usage is applicable to the Mission Statement.
The Building Use Policy
1. The Session authorizes the Pastor, Head-of-staff (or designee), to approve building usage for up to 3 times in a calendar year by outside groups under the guidelines.
2. Any group using the building = on a regular basis (more than 3 times in a calendar year) shall be approved by t= he Session, prior to granted permission for the regular usage.
3. All requests for building use must be approved by the
Pastor, Head-of-staff (or designee) 14 days prior to use date. Future usage of the facilities may=
be
canceled by Session, the Pastor, Head-of-staff (or designee), with 14 days written n=
otice
to user.
5. The use of the church facilities shall be limited to=
those
activities that are compatible with the Book
of Order and all other restrictions which may from time to time be plac=
ed
on usage by Session.
6. All activities that could be considered as partisan
politics must be presented to the Session for approval or disapproval at le=
ast
30 days prior to such events.
7. Users are responsible for any
damage to church property and/or equipment. Known property damage must be repo=
rted
to the church office within 24 hours after use of the facilities.
8. Users agree that they will no=
t use
the premises for any unlawful purposes, and will obey all laws, rules and
regulations of all governmental authorities while using the facilities.
9. In any advertising or promoti=
on of
the event, user may not publish the church phone number as the number to ca=
ll
for information about the event or use the church name as the sponsoring
organization unless authorized, in writing, by Session. In all advertising and promotion, =
the
sponsoring organization's name will be displayed more prominently than the =
name
of the church. The name of the
church must appear significantly smaller than the name of the sponsoring
organization.
10. The church may not be used for any =
for-profit
activities, whether corporate or personal.
11 The use of organs and pianos =
etc.,
must be authorized by the Director of Music.
12. All meetings shall be scheduled on =
the
church master calendar through the church office manager.
13. All application records for building
usage are to be retained in the Church Office for 24 months.