Your Board of Directors and UCOP Staff are so incredibly excited about the movement being experienced within our church community. We have officially welcomed Rev. David Mosher as our Interim Senior Minister, and he will be with us part time (the first 2 weeks of the month) until sometime in late September or October, when he is completely finished with his interim ministry in Springfield, IL.
And, we have found our next church setting, at Cleveland University (known generally as Cleveland Chiropractic College). We made the announcement on June 24th, and, of course, the details are numerous and have been a bit challenging to get out to everyone! So, here are the most important details about our upcoming move:
- We officially move from our current space to Cleveland University (formerly known as Cleveland Chiropractic) at 10850 Lowell Ave, Overland Park, KS 66210 on July 30 and July 31.
- Our first Sunday service at the Cleveland space will be on Sunday Aug. 5th at 10:00 AM.
- We will officially be moving to one Sunday service every Sunday at 10:00 AM, in part because we must always be out of the building by 2:00 PM, and because we will be working to ‘un-pack’ church each Sunday morning and ‘pack up’ church each Sunday afternoon as long as we are in this setting.
- We will purchase a trailer to store all items necessary for creating church services each Sunday.
- We officially have a contract to rent this space from Cleveland University until Dec. 31st, 2018. We have asked if we might be able to rent on into 2019. For now, we are getting used to this arrangement, and the amazing people at Cleveland University are getting used to us being there… so no information yet to share about what’s in store for 2019.
- The Board will continue to seek other settings which may meet our needs on a more long-term basis. As we learn about concrete options, with genuine possibility, we will continue to keep everyone informed and provide opportunities for questions.
- Cleveland University is open Monday – Friday from 9 AM until 4 PM. If any congregant would like to see the space before the first service on Aug. 5th, feel free to look! The building is open to the public and you can go look around.
- There is plenty of space for our Youth and Family Ministry programs. We will have a nursery space, an elementary education classroom, a Uniteen and Y.O.U. space. If more space is needed for our elementary classes, we may be able to accommodate those needs.
- We do not have offices on site at Cleveland University. We are in the process of working on a contract for office space in Corporate Woods for our staff members: Rev. David, Rev. Keri, Jane Sauve, Deb Filby and Fred Albers. We are beginning the process of seeking a part time Youth and Family Ministry Director, and that position will also office with the staff in Corporate Woods. Our First Voice Team will continue to be of service to our community.
- There will continue to be Hospitality after the Sunday Service. We do not have use of a full kitchen, but we will have coffee, hot tea, water and our normal refreshments offered after church. Discussions about how to manage Community Sunday (or having a full pot-luck meal after church each month) are under way. There is plenty of space to sit, talk, and gather with one another before and after Sunday Service.
- We will not be able to take our beautiful Grand Piano to the Cleveland setting. However, we are working to seek the very best way to store the piano, including the possibility of having it moved to a private residence. We have no plans to sell the piano. We appreciate this gift and hard work is in place to ensure it is treated properly and lovingly.
- Our UCOP band may be functioning differently than we are used to. Please bear with us as temporary changes are seen in our music program. We will still have Fred Albers, and an amazing vocalist, though we may be seeing some changes in the number of musicians each week as we get used to this setting, and get accustomed to the set up and break down of church each Sunday. We will continue to have heart opening music which feeds our souls.
An enormous Thank You goes out to each and every congregant who is part of this incredible community. Thank you for every prayer, every affirmative thought, every kind and encouraging word, and every pat on the back. We have all (Staff and Board alike) needed it at some point over the past year!
Many Blessings,
Your Board of Directors
