Date: October 1, 2013
To: St. Matthew Congregational Council
From: St. Matthew Facilities Taskforce
Taskforce Members: Mike Barbaccio, Denise Boal, Rene Cherson, Barry Grahn, Kevin Hamblen, Faith Steinfort, Nina Thomas
In May of 2013, the congregation of St. Matthew Evangelical Lutheran Church was given the opportunity to take a survey regarding how the buildings/facilities at St. Matthew supported the missions of the church. The survey was broken into the following sections.
- Worship-sanctuary
- Education
- Fellowship (2nd floor Fellowship Hall)
- Welcoming
- Stewardship
- Service/Ministries
During the two week period the on-line survey was open, 114 people took the time to complete 26 questions about the buildings/facilities. Two people took the survey in a paper format.
In addition to answering the standard survey questions, many in the congregation took the time to submit written comments through the survey. (See pages 4,5,6,7,8,9,10, 11, 12, 13)
- Worship – 24 comments were made
- Education – 27 comments were made
- Fellowship – 25 comments were made
- Welcoming – 30 comments were made
- 106 total comments
At the end of the survey, the congregation was asked one final question: “Which do you feel are the most critical needs/issues to be addressed with regard to St. Matthew’s buildings and grounds? List in order of priority.”
For this question, 57 members of the congregation made a total of 105 comments which each person ranked in order of importance to them. (see pages 15,16,17,18)’
Summary:
A. It is clear from the overwhelming number of responses, the members of the congregation appreciate using the survey format to express their opinions to each other and to the Congregational Council. Compared to the attendance at the semi-annual congregational meetings (where participation numbers only 40-45 ), the survey had almost three times the participation rate.
B. Overall, the congregation is very satisfied with the buildings and grounds. Specific areas of concern were identified by the responses.
- 55.2% of the respondents found the toilet rooms to be fair or needing improvement.
- 76.2% of the respondents found energy stewardship to be important or very important
- 48.9% of the respondents found access and mobility to be fair to very difficult
C. Through the Comments sections of the survey, the following were determined to be the top 4 issues of those members who made comments.
- Accessibility
- Facilities Major Maintenance
- Toilet Rooms
- Air Conditioning
Note: Because energy stewardship was ranked very high in importance by the congregation, each of the major issues should include consideration of energy stewardship.
Recommendation:
It is the recommendation of the Facilities Taskforce that the Congregation Council focus attention on the four facilities issues highlighted by the congregational survey. These facilities issues should be shared with the congregation. It is further recommended that a separate investigative group should be formed for each topic. These investigative groups should research the options and feasibility related to the issue. The final goal of each investigative group should be an action plan and cost.
Respectfully submitted,
Mike Barbaccio
Denise Boal
Rene Cherson
Barry Grahn
Kevin Hamblen
Faith Steinfort
Nina Thomas