This presentation is intended to offer the information necessary for members of Riverside Presbyterian Church of Jacksonville to consider in advance of replying to an online survey.

1. Holy Conversations
Dreams Committee
Spring 2016

2. Dreams
Committee
 Members
 Bud Para, Chair
 John Adams
 Deana Greene
 Amy McGeorge
 Susan Pardue
 Jim Riley
 Piper Spohr
 Purpose
 Address Four Questions
 Educate Congregation on Issues
 Invite Feedback
 Listen
 Report to Session What We Heard
 Make Recommendations to Session
 Session Will Make Decisions

3. Background
2008 Long Range Plan Priorities
The Sanctuary
“Begin to explore a physical rearrangement of the sanctuary to better
reflect our present-day theological and cultural context while
maintaining its architectural integrity.”
Community Life Center
“…we encourage the people of Riverside to affirm the vision and
explore the feasibility of establishing a Community Life Center that
can:
 Provide a conduit for establishment of additional missions for both
the main church community and RPDS through the joint use of the
space. Examples include:
 Serve the church and day school needs.
 Serve the community by providing a safe, well-supervised
indoor space for basketball and other sports, after-school
play and social activities.”
The Organ
“We affirm that the people of Riverside Presbyterian Church enjoy
high-quality worship services that include traditional liturgy and
music.”
Organ Restoration Study Jan 2015
“Most of the mechanical elements are at the end of their useful life,
emergency repairs are temporary, interruptive and costly. As they
become more frequent, the organ will become less available for
services.”

4. Online
Survey
Goals
 Offer an alternative to
presentations and large group
meetings for those who would
like a different forum
 Allow individual responses using
technology for those who prefer
this approach
 Provide the same information on
four questions for the future of
RPC as that which was presented
in the larger meetings
 Gather more input

5. Four
Questions
 Community Life Center
Should we move forward, with RPDS, to fund
the building, oWiperations and maintenance of a
Community Life Center?
 Offer(s) on “Harden” Property
Should we sell this property or retain it for future
needs?
 The Organ
Should we move forward with replacing the
organ and reconfiguring the pipes?
 The Chancel
Should we make changes to the chancel?

6. FACT SHEET
The Organ
 Our organ is at the end of its useful life and
is malfunctioning
 Originally installed in 1927
 Rebuilt in 1973
 Used console installed in 1999
 Pipe configuration is acoustically undesirable
 RPC Committee studied options and
delivered Jan 2015 report
 Repair is impractical
 Replacement is the sensible option
 Four proposals received with range of costs
from $1.0-1.5m
 Donor has pledged $750,000
 Timeline is 18-24 months to start
 Installation will impact the sanctuary for 3-6
months (but will not displace worship services)
 Budget $2,000/year for ongoing maintenance
and tuning

7.  Opportunity to make chancel enhancements
may include
 Address significant acoustical issues
 Reconfigure choir to face congregation
 Upgrade acoustics
 Improve choir worship experience
 Redesign pulpit/lectern
 Center pulpit?
 Other designs?
 Relocate organ console
 Expand space for multiple uses
 Install multi-media capabilities while
maintaining traditional beauty
FACT SHEET
The Chancel

8.  RPC owns the “Harden” property at Oak
and Post St.
 Consists of unpaved lot on corner and building
with parking lot next to Richard’s Sandwich
Shoppe
 Building is in poor repair and sits empty
 RPC paid $407k for Harden property in 2005
and now owes $210k
 RPC’s only other debt is $270k on Block 17
(paved lot next to Rice Sports Zone)
 RPC’s current Endowment value is $6.4m
 There is an annual withdrawal of about 5% from
the Endowment to fund operations/ministry
(2015=$356k)
 Possible RPC Uses
 Parking
 Community Life Center (property swap)
 Other RPC Missions
 Several investors have expressed interest at
a level that would pay off the debt
FACT SHEET
“Harden”Property

9.  Vision would be to serve the Day School
needs and the broader community
 Classrooms
 Sports Programs & After School Play
 RPC Youth Basketball League
 Fellowship & Social Activities: Movie/Popcorn
Nights, Quilters, Yoga
 Mission: RBI, Lunch Buddies, Scouts
 Based on recent construction, a new
Community Life Center--with a gym--
would cost somewhere in a range of $3-5m
 Ortega Methodist $1.8m (gym only)
 St. Marks’ ??
 Hendricks Ave Baptist ??
 RPDS is also considering long-term facility
needs
 Dreams Committee is well connected to these
activities
 Community Life Center would need to be a
partnership between RPC/RPDS on capital,
operations and maintenance
FACT SHEET
Community Life Center

10. Provide
Your Input
Input Opportunities
 Complete the Online Survey
 Contact Committee Members as needed
 Email Comments as needed
 DREAMS@RPCJAX.ORG

11. Next
Steps
 Keep asking questions
 Share your thoughts with each
other and the Dreams Committee
 Your input will inform
Committee’s recommendations
to Session in May
 Pray for Session as they decide
the way forward