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Dear Siblings in Christ,
 
This week, there is news to share about the Leadership Board meeting last week and the decision to bring property sale votes to the congregation at our upcoming All Church Conference. Since this is different from what was voted on last year, it will need to be voted on again this year. One ballot will be to approve the sale of the west half of the property to Habitat for Humanity, who will build 34 townhomes and a new parsonage. The other ballot will be to approve sale of the existing P Patch to GROW-NW, so it can continue to operate as a P Patch for the foreseeable future and be protected from development in perpetuity. The Board discussed and deliberated about the four options that were presented to the congregation. There was an effort made to understand all the comments we received and to address the concerns that were raised with each option.
 
To that end, the Faithland Team met with representatives from Habitat late in the week and learned a few things. One of the questions that I shared last week about the possible sale of the west half of the property to Habitat was about the land under the parsonage and what the length of the lease would be for that land and who would own the land. After discussing with our representatives at Habitat, we now know that the standard lease is 99 years and there is an automatic renewal built into the lease, which is designed to give the church security in operating the parsonage without interruption.
 
Another of the questions that came up in discussion with the congregation was about location of the parsonage and whether the sketch showing it facing 133rd St. NE between the church building and the new townhomes is final. As expected, Habitat is willing and able to work through design questions like this once we have a signed Purchase and Sale agreement and a Building Committee/Design Team is named for the church. The location of the parsonage is not final, nor is the orientation of the townhomes and parking for new residents. However, Habitat is able to include constraints about the parsonage in the PSA, such as that it must meet the requirements for a parsonage from the Book of Discipline and that it needs its own parking space. This safeguards the church’s interest and helps to build our relationship with Habitat in a way that meets the needs of both organizations.
 
Finally, we asked for a little more clarity about church parking. The representatives from Habitat said they could ask their architects to take a closer look at the church parking and possibly share with us a diagram of what church parking might look like, which will still be subject to design review by the church, but might help us picture options more clearly. In addition, we discussed what parking might be like during construction. While nothing is decided, the idea of prioritizing access to the church and church parking throughout construction made sense to everyone. It sounded like there may be short intervals on the order of a week when parking is limited but otherwise, parking would not be significantly restricted for construction.
 
Now that there is a clear direction, in the weeks leading up to the All Church Conference on October 25, the Faithland Team, the Leadership Board, and our representatives from Habitat for Humanity and GROW-NW will be working with our superintendent, the District Board of Church and Location, conference staff members, and the Bishop’s cabinet to hear any concerns they raise, answer their questions, and respond to their input. We will keep you informed as we learn more from our denominational leaders, both through the weekly church newsletter and at our next congregational meeting on October 11 after worship, where we will also conduct a “straw poll” to determine if we are ready for voting in an All Church Conference.
 
May we proceed faithfully with God’s grace in these ongoing discernment processes,
Pastor Laura