In April 1994, the Session of First Presbyterian Church voted to appoint a Centennial Facilities Planning Committee to study priority issues and solutions which our church should address as we approached the 100-year anniversary of the foundation of the Chapel and 123 years of congregational life in downtown Boulder.

Over the next year and a half, this committee and others conducted extensive study and consultation with many groups among staff, congregation, and the community, including a review of the decision to stay downtown.

In December 1995, the congregation was asked to vote on the implementation plan for a Master Redevelopment Plan prepared by the Centennial Facilities Planning Committee in concert with the architectural firm of Merriman Hold of Houston, Texas. The vision approved by the congregation at that time included the following elements:

• A church that is open both internally through large, multi-functional fellowship and meeting spaces and externally through inviting, uninhibiting entryways with deliberate welcoming features
• Choir rooms related in size and function to the large ministry it had become
• A youth facility (the Annex) that serves the programmatic, recreation, and outreach needs of the most compelling multi-year developmental ministries for Christian youth in Boulder County
• Service to needs of a downtown community including a youth drop-in center and greater Deacon and local-mission outreach ministries
• Multi-use adult classrooms in a variety of spaces
• A consolidated administrative floor level
• Elevators and thoughtful, easy access
• Enhanced worship spaces which make the most effective use of the Sanctuary and Chapel seating potential

An unusual and key element of this plan was a mission tithing commitment: Session would dedicate 10 percent of all received capital improvement campaign funds to the construction and support of other churches, 70 percent in the Third World and 30 percent within the U.S.

The original redevelopment was to take place in four phases, the elements of which changed over the months as with a ceremonial ground-breaking study suggested cost efficiencies and more appropriate interlinking of projects. On a snowy November 9, 1997, the action began with a ceremonial ground-breaking for what was now an $8.2-million project known as Phase 1 1/2.

Completion of Phase 1 1/2

This first redevelopment phase, which increased the square footage of the church facility by 44,000 square feet, has affected nearly every area of the church, either in actual construction or in disruption to everyday patterns, from the relocation of the business offices to storage of parts of the library holdings. For five months, services were held in the Boulder High School auditorium.

The first element of the redevelopment to be completed was the renovation of the Sanctuary. Seating capacity was increased from approximately 850 to about 1,050, with easier access through the pews and a larger, more open balcony. Other enhancements included clearer acoustics and a spectacular stained glass window that enriches the space and draws attention to the cross above the chancel area. A first-of-its-kind digital enhancement to the fine existing organ in the balcony links it to a new console on the main level, thereby enabling a greater variety of music support for services and much better communication between choir director and organist. The Sanctuary was dedicated on November 22, 1998, in a ceremony that included the sealing of a time capsule to be opened by members of the First Pres congregation in 2098.

A two-story Christian Education Wing adjacent to the Sanctuary, opened in February 1999, houses the nursery and children’s Sunday school rooms, music rooms, and a basement with space for the long-neglected mechanical plant. A light and spacious atrium provides a central gathering space for fellowship between services and for special celebrations. The refurbished Robert Oerter Fellowship Hall expands opportunities for community events and study areas, and re-structured parking and entryways provide more defined, inviting, and accessible approaches to this complex church facility.

Mission Support

While our church construction project has progressed, so has the number of mission activities benefiting from the construction tithe. Among many beneficiaries, the D. Gordon Memorial Hospital in Malawi received $30,000 to build more patient space and an out-patient clinic in Livingstonia. Wanless Hospital in Mirzj, India, was awarded $20,000 to upgrade essential laundry facilities. In Boulder, Habitat for Humanity received $9,000 for an Adopt-a-Home project. A Bible School in Mizan-Tefari, West Ethiopia, received $20,000.

Next Steps

What comes next? The Phase 2 Building Committee, created by Session in the fall of 2003, is charged with overseeing the next phase of the First Pres Facilities Master Plan development. Specifically, the Phase 2 Committee will shepherd the building process through the congregation’s ministry areas for input and suggestions, work with architect Tom Zimmerman in obtaining city approval, and communicate with the entire congregation every step of the way. The major elements for the proposed next phases are the Annex and associated youth program facilities, and renovation of the existing Geneva Wing along the northwest portion of the main building to expand and update conference and library areas, adult classrooms, staff offices, and add a “downtown” fellowship courtyard.

Whatever decisions are made in the coming months will grow out of much prayer and study, founded on the faith expressed in Psalm 48:14:

"For this God is our God for ever and ever;
He will be our guide even to the end."