The Gift is in the Giving
Thank you for your faithful giving!
We depend on your donations to maintain our building, programs and ministries.
Sharing to Build, Building to Share…
See the New Vision for Fellowship Hall!
If you missed your chance to attend an informational gathering back in October 2022, we invite you to look over our exciting new plans now. Just click on the link below to see our color brochure, and if you have questions, they may be answered in our "Frequently Asked Questions." We invite you to think creatively about how to stretch your giving (with the "Creative Strategies for Giving" brochure below) so that we can continue to grow above our $750,000 goal and move forward with construction in summer 2024! Giving cards are available at church, so that we can know your giving goal over this 3-year campaign, or you can email your estimate of giving to our Office Administrator at office@uccb.org, or use the giving link (above) on this website. We celebrated the official start of our giving on First Gifts Sunday, December 18, 2022 and we voted to move ahead on the project on January 8, 2023, authorizing the first $55,000 for permitting and plans.
  Brochure |  FAQ |  Creative Giving |  Video |
Because we are CCB, we have fun whenever we gather! Even as we worship each week in our historic Meetinghouse, fellowship is at the very heart of our church life and we believe Fellowship Hall should be accessible to all. We invite you to contribute as generously as you can and help us extend God's extravagant welcome to everyone, "no matter who we are or where we are on life's journey." Whether we walk or roll, we seek to follow Jesus together!
"Sharing to Build, Building to Share" Campaign
It has been amazing to see the response from the congregation with our Fellowship Hall campaign results, as the first round of pledges were dedicated in worship on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. Each gift is a blessing; whether it was completing a giving commitment card, making an initial monetary gift or giving an entire pledge up front. Thank you all for participating, believing in our vision for this important project and showing your support! It truly shows the need and want for a fully accessible, updated Fellowship Hall, as it has been talked about for years.
We set out to raise $750,000 and the total amount committed, over the next three years, is $781,420. And as of spring 2024, the amount given has increased to more than $500,000. What a generous church we are!
On January 8, 2023 the congregation voted to continue with the next steps determining how much the project would cost, spending up to $55,000 of campaign monies for any permits and architectural plans. The next congregational vote was the one on June 2, 2024 to authorize our Moderator Rodger Wutzl to enter into contract with our design-builder Dave Cole and move forward with construction. Regular updates will be provided to our members and shared space users via email, through this website, and at both worship services.
There are several teams working with campaign leaders and Church Council to help move us forward: the Financial Task Force, the Beautification Task Force and the Project Team.
The Financial Task Force consists of Jim Sugden and Laurie Matson as Campaign Co-Chairs, Rod Wutzl (Vice-Moderator), Michael Matson (Investment Advisor), Ken Arifian (Project Chair) and Monica McInerney (at-large member, with years of experience on various committees). They are tasked with managing the finances of the campaign including cash flow for the initial $55,000, and researching various options for a financial plan. The task force voted and has paid back the $32,500 borrowed from the Building and Grounds Fund in the spring of 2022, which was used to hire Tom Melzoni with Horizons Stewardship as our Capital Campaign Consultant.
The Beautification Task Force consists of Eleanor Loesch, Carol Ryan, Sue Ronan and Mary Gallagher-DeLucia. They have already sent out a survey to users of Fellowship Hall (both to CCB committees/groups and to outside users) to determine their wants and needs. This will help identify what beautification and aesthetics are needed to make our Fellowship Hall updated, warm and welcoming.
The Project Team continues their pre-planning work with Ken Arifian (Chair), Amy D’Alessandro, Jennifer Whipple and Laurie Matson. Currently, Dave Cole, our Design Build Contractor, is meeting with town officials to get the final needed permits and zoning variances needed before we break ground... we hope sometime in July 2024!
There will be many developments as we learn more about this big and exciting project, so please stay tuned. Jim Sugden or Laurie Matson are happy to help answer any questions regarding any aspect of the campaign. Please feel free to reach out to them or contact the church office.
Thank you again for your commitment and belief in making our church truly open, welcoming and accessible to all!
Laurie Matson & Jim Sugden, Campaign Co-Chairs
Giving is an act of worship, of love and gratitude.
In case of inclement weather:
On snowy or icy Sunday mornings, please use your best judgment about driving to church. We will cancel Sunday Worship when officials advise non-emergency vehicles to stay off the roads. Our policy for cancellation of mid-week activities is to do what Brookfield Public Schools decide, on their website at www.brookfield.k12.ct.us or on their phone message 203 775-7700 (x3). If there is power, weekend event cancellations get posted on this website and/or answering machine (203 775-1259).
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