Well it has been about six months since I updated our community on the Restoration Renovation Project underway at the Methodist Church. We have just about completed the exterior work and will then move on to the infrastructure and refinishing the inside. Our hope is to eventually have a well restored and renovated building where not only our church can meet and serve the community, but be a place where community events can take place as well.
In a nut shell, here is what we have accomplished in the last six months:
• Our gutters have been completely rebuilt and restored, preventing water from seeping into the walls.
• Engineers have examined the structure, reporting that it is in sound shape.
• Our Mason, Octavio Rodriguez, has repaired and repointed all the mortar joints in the marble walls and filled in the no longer used basement windows with matching marble.
• The soil around the building has been sloped away from the structure to prevent water from seeping into the basement.
• Our Painter, Mike Flores, repainted the entire exterior woodwork of the church.
• All the trees in the backyard have been professionally trimmed.
• We have a new digital sign created for us by the Prynt Shop.
• We have rebuilt the north wall of the old Scout Hut, now known as the “Grub and Grace Place' as well as upgraded the electrical system so it can now serve the community for those experiencing food insecurity.
• We have repaired and upgraded our playground in the back yard.
• And finally we are in the process of getting new tempered glass covers for our priceless stained glass windows.
This last item on the list we hope to have completed in the Spring as funding becomes available. Most of these windows were provided to honor a family in San Saba, and one way we are looking at funding this project is to contact those that may be connected to one of these families and see if they would like to help preserve it. If you know anyone that has a connection to the windows, please let us know.
Our primary Restoration and Renovation Fund effort will begin in earnest after the new year, once our interior comprehensive plan is completed. Our HVAC system needs a bit of overhaul to be more efficient. Most of our walls and the dome ceiling need refinishing and painting, as does all the wonderful woodwork throughout. Our kitchen and flooring need upgrading. There will not be any major changes to the layout as we are striving to keep it as originally designed.
One of our thoughts is to remove the wall at the front of the Sanctuary that hides the organ pipes. Since we no longer need the pipes, they will be removed as well, and the platform will be extended back to the original acoustic shell that surrounds it. This would provide a larger area for choir or band performances and greatly improve the sound projection.
Other thoughts include adding restrooms on the main level and updating the existing ones.
We have set up a Restoration and Renovation Fund to help us finish this project. If you have any questions about our plans or would like to help in any way, you can reach out to our Board of Trustees Chair, Jacqueline Carlson, at 361-331-8618 or our Pastor, Judy Swarts, at 512-871-8106. We also invite you to come worship with us any Sunday at 10:00AM. You can also find more up to date and detailed information on our Facebook Page - San Saba First Methodist Church; or our website firstmethodistsansaba.org.
Look for another update in the new year! Thank you for your prayers and support.
At First Methodist Church of San Saba our motto is and we believe that ABOVE ALL, CHRIST FIRST!