Hudsonville Congregational United Church of Christ 

UPDATE (6/13/21): Thanks to the generosity of our church, community and a matching anonymous donor, Hudsonville Congregational United Church of Christ has hit its goal in covering the cost of a new roof! We are so thankful and grateful for all of your gifts.

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While we have reached this milestone, our church's work is never done, and our needs continue. If you care about the work we are accomplishing in our community and have the means to help, please support us by making a donation online through PayPal or Givelify. You can also mail donations to:

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4950 32nd Ave

Hudsonville, MI 49426

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Thank you and God bless you!

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Dear Friends,

 

In all likelihood, you have not set foot inside the church for nearly a year. Whether you grew up in this church, have been a member for over 50 years, or have joined more recently, you can probably see in your mind’s eye your pew, the people who sat near you that you used to greet with handshakes or smiles or both. You can probably hear the praise team and the organist bring a joyful noise to the room. You can remember the stained-glass windows and the beautiful wooden beams above your head.  

 

Think now about the impact of this holy space, our sanctuary. How many lives have been transformed there? Babies, teenagers, and adults being baptized; couples standing up front exchanging vows of promised love; children and youth presenting the Christmas story; lay readers sharing the Word for the day; pastors offering compassion and guidance for our shared journeys of faith; families gathering to celebrate the lives of their loved ones; pilgrims and sojourners lingering in the pews in prayer seeking grace, forgiveness, or renewal; bread dipped in chalices as we communed together remembering Christ’s invitation to us all; first-time visitors being welcomed with open arms. For 50 years, generations have come to this place, our sanctuary, to sing praises, to pray together, to hear the good Word, and to be sent forth to serve as God calls us.

 

Part of God’s call to us is to serve and to follow, and part of God’s call to us is to be good stewards. Our ancestors in faith built this sanctuary to last and to outlast them for the good of future generations. Now is the time for us to care for our household of faith. Our sanctuary roof needs to be replaced. There are multiple locations where water seeps through. The wooden shingles disintegrate upon touch. And the steeple, visibly, has lost some boards around its base due to wind and weather. Now is the time for us to care for our sanctuary.

Here is the good news: A generous, anonymous church family has offered to match all financial donations for the roof up to half the total cost of $105,000! Our goal is to raise $55,000 in funds for the replacement of the roof. The project is slated to begin in late spring, with a construction window of two weeks. Full payment for the work is due six weeks after construction. Friends, this is an incredible gift of faith and thanksgiving for who we are as a refuge, as a sanctuary for all people. Even in these days of pandemic, we can see God’s Hand at work inviting us once again to dream big and to follow in faith.

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We prayerfully ask you now to consider what you can give in addition to your other gifts to the church for our ongoing ministries and missions. Remember that whatever you give to Raise the Roof, it will be matched. From $10 to $10,000, every dollar you give or pledge to give will be doubled by our anonymous donor. Donations can be made beginning March 1, until August 31. A pledge card and self-addressed stamped envelope will be mailed to you for your convenience. 
 

The days are surely coming when we will again be able to open our building and worship together once again. We continue to pray for an end to this pandemic. We pray for all who grieve, all who serve in the medical field, and for all who are sick. We pray for the vaccines to be distributed fairly and swiftly for all. And we pray that our congregation will rise to the occasion once again in our collective time of need, not only for our own benefit, but for the future baptisms, weddings, celebrations, and worship services to come for decades. Let us Raise the Roof!

 

Sincerely,

 

The HUCC Raise the Roof Committee