This Week at the Church of the Redeemer

Summer Worship Schedule

June 8 – August 31

9:00 am Worship Service

10:00 am Lemonade

Childcare Provided

summer church school

Come and join us for prayer, fellowship, and Godly Play! 

Summer Church School will take place on June 22nd, July 20th and 27th, and August 3rd at 9:00 am. 

Childcare will be provided every Sunday except for July 6th.

Vestry Notes

Heating/Air System

Dear Parishioners,

In an effort to conserve energy, reduce heating costs, increase efficiency, and bring some of the church’s utilities up to code, the Vestry voted at its meeting on June 3^rd to install a new heating and air system in the church.  The heating for the entire church building will be revamped, and the system will include air conditioning for the sanctuary.

The plan entails replacing the parish’s current oil-burning boiler with four or five smaller gas-burning high efficiency boilers which will alternate among each other.  This will enable smaller amounts of heat to be generated at various times rather than having to fire up the entire large boiler for even a small amount of heat.  It will also ensure that the church will always have heat since if one boiler were to break down, there would be others that could continue to work.

Both heating and cooling will use a hydro-air system which will work quietly through ducts in the undercroft feeding the air into the church.  All pipes and air will flow within the church building rather than having hot water lose its heat by going between the Old Parish House and the church as it does in the present system.  As a result of this change in the heat pipes, the water pipe that will continue to run between the OPH and the church will be lowered deeper into the ground to prevent it from freezing.

For added efficiency, the church’s water will be heated by an indirect water heater which will use the heat from the boiler to warm the water during the winter rather than always having to run a separate water heater.

The Undercroft and Choir room will be put on two different zones so that both rooms do not need to be heated when only one is occupied.

The system will be totally run by gas and eliminate all need for oil.  There are currently four oil tanks in the OPH, which is a violation of the present code (which allows for no more than 2 tanks).  These above-ground oil tanks will be removed.

The electric service to the church will need to upgraded from 400 amps to 800 amps.  The current system is not presently up to code.

The gas line from Suffolk Road to the church will need to be increased.  This is one area where we do not have a final estimate.

Humidification needs also still need to be finalized.

The cost estimates to date for this system are as follows:

HVAC                    $90,000

Electrical                  $23,600

Plumbing               $110,000

Other Contractors   $12,000

Gas                         $30,000??

Humidification                ?

Total                     $265,600

To be safe             $275,000 - $300,000

With the price of gas, Elton estimates that, with our current system, we will be paying approximately $40,000 next winter to heat the church.  The high efficiency boilers themselves should save us 20% per year or $8,000.  In addition, the current difference in price between gas and oil is approximately $1.25.  The church currently uses about 10,000 gallons of oil a year so the church should benefit from substantial savings due to this change as well.  Elton thinks this system will serve the church for at least 50 years and from the estimate in savings, should pay for itself in approximately 15 years.

The cost of the air conditioning part of the new system (which is included in the above numbers) is approximately $40,000 to $45,000 but would cost more if we decided to add it to the system later.  With an effort to build the parish’s summer worship, to be able to offer comfortable surroundings for those having summer weddings and funerals, and for those interested in recording in the church during the summer months, the Vestry felt that it was prudent to include the air part of the system at this time.

Accordingly, the Vestry voted to spend up to $330,000 to install this new heating and air system.  The plan is for it to be installed over the summer and be ready to operate for the next heating season in the fall of 2008.  Its installation should not interfere with summer worship in the sanctuary.

For a number of years, the Vestry has been encouraging parishioners to increase their annual pledges so that those pledges would cover the church’s annual operating budget and the endowment could then be used for capital expenses.  Last year was the first year that no money was needed to be taken from the endowment to cover the parish’s operating expenses.  While encouraging, this was somewhat deceptive in that the church was not funding a full staff that year.  Nonetheless, the Vestry would hope that pledging would continue to increase in such a way that funds from the endowment would not be needed for operating and in that vein, decided that this capital expense should be funded by the endowment.  The investment committee has done a wonderful job managing the parish’s endowment and after this expenditure, the value of the endowment should be approximately $6.8 million.  Steve Mead, Investment Committee chair, has endorsed this expenditure, feeling that because the equity market is currently in a trough and may continue to be so for awhile, this would be as good a time as any to spend the funds from the endowment as the church is not likely to be losing great gains from having it invested in the stock market.

We hope the church will benefit from this new system for years to come.  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

On behalf of the Vestry,

Suzy Westcott

Be-SAFE Summer Program Volunteer Schedule

WE STILL NEED A FEW VOLUNTEERS!! PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING.

To join this great crew of volunteers, please call Christina at 617-795-0917 or email c.wood.baker@comcast.net

Hunger in Massachusetts

With food prices rising sharply recently, there has been an estimated 20 - 40% increase in people in Massachusetts seeking assistance from food pantries.  Many of these are working families who can’t make ends meet, or have to choose between buying food or gasoline.  To help address this, there will be collection bins all summer for non-perishable food items outside the church office and on Amy and Rick Weed’s front porch (20 Malia Terrace, Chestnut Hill).  We will drop the items at the Newton and Brookline Food Pantries every other week.  Please pick up an extra item or two when you are at the grocery store to help address this growing problem.

Bible Study with the Rector

 The Radiant World:

Midweek Bible Studies for Ordinary Life

Over coffee at the Rectory, we will explore the teachings of Jesus.  Come, spend some time with a few fellow pilgrims, and fill the rest of your week with the grace of the Lord in the power of the Spirit.

 Men’s Bible Study, Wednesdays, 7:00 am

Women’s Bible Study, Thursdays, 9: 00 am

Both meet at the Rectory, 381 Hammond Street.

Diocese to celebrate fifth anniversary of

Barbara C. Harris Camp on June 22

A family kayaks on crystal-clear Lake Otter at the Barbara C. Harris Camp & Conference Center.
Image: Courtesy the BCH Center

 This June is the fifth anniversary of the Barbara C. Harris Camp & Conference Center, and coincidentally the birth month of Bishop Harris herself, so it's time to celebrate!  All are invited to the camp in Greenfield, NH, on Sunday, June 22 between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. for a day of fun: camp activities, food and fellowship in a relaxed and beautiful setting.

Activities and a cookout will run from 11 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., followed by a worship service at 3 p.m. Attendees may arrive at any time and are requested to RSVP to allow planners to get a head count; buses will be provided for those who need transportation.

For more details and to RSVP, please visit:  www.diomass.org/bcharris-camp-anniversary.

Brookline Food Pantry Needs Additional Volunteers 

This summer, the Brookline Food Pantry needs three additional volunteers who could give two hours per week serving our customers. 

The work involves helping our customers with their shopping and helping to keep the shelves stocked.

The pantry is open from 10am to 2pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays and volunteers are needed from 10 to 12 or from 12 to 2.  There are always two or three volunteers per shift.

Anyone who is interested should contact the pantry manager who is Jim Margolis at 617-901-0848 or jamargolis@earthlink.net.  The Brookline Food Pantry is located at 15 Saint Paul Street in Brookline.