Fire Recovery

First Church has successfully concluded months of negotiation to recover a portion of our uninsured fire loss from the roofing company believed to be responsible for the 2016 fire that destroyed Pilgrim Hall and damaged the Sanctuary. The church will receive $522,000 from the roofer’s insurer.  The rebuilding program developed by the Blue Fire team and endorsed by the congregation earlier this year took this possibility into account, so varying church bodies (SF&A, Church Council and the Congregation) will decide, likely piecemeal over the next 2 years as we move through various funding cycles (e.g. annual budget, campus rebuild), the most critical use of these funds. Possible options include offsetting expected deficits in the operating budget and increasing the budget for the new building.