BEEMOCRACY

CONVERSATION

grounding

ourselves

in each space

THE

SPACES

A walk through spaces

offered at

North Shore Baptist Church

Worship Space

Nambu Chapel

• Basement location with central air
• Accessible (indirect)
• Regular seating capacity around 40
• Organ & upright piano would be removed so we could bring our baby grand back
• Exclusive worship use for Wellington 2x/mo; shared space beyond Sunday mornings; additional use = occasional at no charge / regular at extra cost
• Bathrooms nearby

Fellowship Space

• Small cloak room behind chapel or Library down the hall (for regular use immediately following worship)

Fellowship Space

Fellowship Space

• Access to water in kitchen
• No dedicated kitchen storage space or general use access
• Paid access to fellowship hall ($125) for events

Office Space

• Third floor location
• Elevator accessible (when working)
• Two classrooms for our exclusive use
• No central air; no internet; no copier
• Elevator lobby available as common space (chapel/meditation area)

Elevator lobby

3^rd Floor Hallway

Office 1

Office 2

Storage Space

• One additional space on the third floor (no central air)
• Built-in cabinets in

Nambu Chapel

(central air)

Meeting/Event Space

• No dedicated meeting or event space other than our offices. Occasional use of Library could be included at no extra charge when available
• Regular use of any additional space would involve more rent

ZOOM Technology

• Would need to provide our own internet service
• Have used slide projector and screen in that space previously
• Might need to upgrade our equipment (cameras, mics, TV, etc.)

NOTE: no internet connection is 100% reliable anywhere

A walk through spaces

offered at

First Church of the Brethren

Worship Space

First Church of the Brethren

• First floor location with central air throughout
• Accessible (direct)
• Regular seating capacity around 90
• Shared worship space with two other congregations
• Bathrooms nearby
• Use by Honeypot means possibly needing to move to a different worship space within the building once or twice a year

Fellowship Space

• Large conference room adjacent to offices on mezzanine level (shared space when not used by us)
• Small kitchenette with water across hall

Fellowship Space

• Access to kitchen and fellowship hall with dedicated kitchen storage included
• Fellowship hall may be

scheduled at no

additional charge

Office Space

• Mezzanine location (up short flight of stairs from front door)
• Lift accessible (when working)
• Pastor’s study and reception area exclusive use for Wellington
• Use of copier and internet included

Office Space

Office Space

Storage Space

• Basement space and classrooms available for storage
• Lift accessible (when working)

Meeting/Event Space

• Abundant meeting spaces included based on availability
• Choir rehearsal space separate from sanctuary

ZOOM Technology

• “Reliable” Internet access included throughout the building
• Able to share existing equipment (cameras, mics, large-screen TV, etc.)

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NOTE: no internet connection is 100% reliable anywhere

THE

MONEY

North Shore Baptist Church

$2300/month

$27,600/year + internet @$1800/year

rent according to spaces used

additional rent per additional space

Nambu Chapel = $700 ($350/use); Offices = $1300

Storage = $300; Internet = $150

First Church of the Brethren

$3000/month

$36,000/year

all inclusive

most spaces are available to schedule;

a few classrooms are exclusive use

of other groups

THE GEOGRAPHIC

LOCATIONS

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What we have to give…and what we might receive!

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Two additional issues to consider as we contemplate where to physically land for this next chapter of life together

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The powerful gift of being Open & Affirming

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Wellington was one of the first UCC churches in the country to declare itself “Open & Affirming” (ONA), indicating that we are a welcoming spiritual home for folks who identify as LGBTQ. According to denominational research, UCC churches that are ONA are, on average, more robust than non-ONA churches (more new members & baptisms each year, fewer closures, larger budgets, etc.). Flying our 🏳️‍🌈 higher could be a vital part of our future growth – and in fact, none of our members who are <50 would be at Wellington if it weren’t ONA!

https://www.ucc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Report-Public-Release-Updated-1.27.pdf

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Th

Th

The BLUE PINS on this map, from the Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches, show the location of their member congregations.

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The indicate the locations of NSBC & FCoB, for reference.

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Our possible geographic reach

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Folks who specialize in church planting or church revitalization often highlight the fact that the majority of church members live within a 15-minute drive of their church building; the rest live within a 30 minute drive.

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Wellington is an exceptional church in many ways – including the fact that our members are spread out over a large geographic area. Arlington Heights to Oak Park to Beverly & Homewood! But if we look at the area that’s accessible in a 15-minute drive on a Sunday morning – what does that geographic reach look like?

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https://www.ucc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Report-Public-Release-Updated-1.27.pdf

According to the Smappen website, here’s what a 15 minute drive time from each location looks like:

North Shore Baptist Church

First Church of the Brethren

I also ran calculations on the TravelTime website,

but their maps were small & not as easy to capture:

​

North Shore Baptist Church

First Church of the Brethren

North Shore Baptist Church

North Side - Edgewater

Demographics:

57% White; 15% Hispanic; 12% Black; 12% Asian; 4% Other

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Median Household Income: $71K

Average Household Income: $98K

First Church of the Brethren

West Side – East Garfield Park

Demographics:

85% Black; 6% White; 5% Hispanic; 1% Asian; 3% Other

Median Household Income: $32K

Average Household Income: $51K

THE

STATE OF THE BUILDING

North Shore Baptist Church:

A newer building than FCOB with newer HVAC systems; no central air for offices; generally in good condition;

host congregation has no financial

worries to maintain it.

First Church of the Brethren:

An older building than NSBC but well-maintained; central air throughout;

generally in good condition;

host congregation has been good

stewards but struggles financially

to support the building long term

on their own.

THE

RELATIONSHIP

North Shore Baptist Church

envisions Wellington as

“good neighbors”

who rent space

First Church of the Brethren

envisions Wellington as

“partners in mission”

who collaborate on work

and occasional worship

Renting - Not Owning!

Remember that by not having a space that we own, we no longer have control over many decisions. We are nesters, subject to the needs and priorities of the tree in which we reside.

Any tree can offer its nesting space to others, transform into lumber (thus eliminating its nesting space) or succumb to demise in other ways. There are no guarantees. It’s a “home for now.”

OBSERVATIONS