FPL is a self-funded congregation. All of what we do and who we become depends on the time, talent, and financial generosity of our members and friends. The current capital campaign is needed to 1) replenish our Capital Reserves so we can care for buildings and grounds, and 2) to make the investments needed to realize our mission, vision, values, and strategic themes.

The Capital Reserve Fund is used to pay for major repairs and renovations, things like a leaky roof or failed generator or unsafe driveway. This fund was last replenished during our prior Capital Campaign in 2008-2012 and has been spent on needed maintenance projects. We have deferred maintenance projects. The Parish Committee has approved hiring engineering professionals to determine what investments are needed and by when.

Growing out of the strategic planning process that defined “strategic themes” to help FPL realize our mission, vision and values, FPL congregants have brainstormed key investments needed to realize our vision and continue to grow in membership, engagement and impact. These are reviewed in the Next Steps Forum held in May 2024.

The Annual Meeting of 2024 charged a Capital Campaign Team to develop three campaign options that advance our mission, build on the brainstorming, and replenish the Capital Reserve Fund. The Capital Campaign Team is under oversight of the Parish Committee.

Our theme is the “Opening Doors Campaign: Co-creating a Spiritual Home for Generations.” This theme reflects core objectives identified by congregation:

• Opening Doors – Active welcome and intentional growth
• Spiritual Home – nurture and nourish all seekers
• Generations – intergenerational connections; honoring our past; meeting needs of current and future generations.

• Sarah Andrysiak, Chair
• Melissa Deck
• Peter Hussey*
• Rosemary Lloyd
• Vicki Mielke
• Jane O’Rourke*
• Dana Robbat
• Thornton Ring
• Anne Forbes Van Nest
• Kit Novotny
• Nate Klug

*Participated in visioning work

• Ken Bassett
• Ken Hurd
• Mary Helen Lorenz
• David O’Neil
• Peter Sugar

• Sarah Andrysiak, Co-Chair
• Rosemary Lloyd, Co-Chair
• Vicki Mielke
• Additional Participants TBD

The Campaign will make the Parish House a home for spirituality, intergenerational community, and taking action for social justice and the living earth as FPL becomes a flagship liberal church in the region.

The proposed Capital Campaign Vision was presented at a Congregational Forum on November 17, 2024. This presentation provides history of the Campaign and the vision discernment process. Sarah K’s video tour of the Parish House amplifies these points.  Kit and Nate have reflected on the relationship between the Campaign and FPL’s vision. 

To provide input on the vision, attend the congregational input session at 5:30 PM on Tuesday, February 5^th. Childcare will be provided. CLICK HERE to sign up.

The Annual Meeting of 2024 charged a Capital Campaign Team to develop three campaign options that advance our mission, build on the brainstorming, and replenish the Capital Reserve Fund. The Capital Campaign Team is under oversight of the Parish Committee.

We were guided by the Vision of FPL articulated by Rev. Kit and Rev. Nate at the June 2024 Annual Meeting.

“First Parish in Lincoln can become the flagship liberal or non-hierarchical church in our area. We can achieve that by excelling as a big spiritual tent; a home for young families, empty-nesters, and elders to find community; a place where people can work for justice and give back.”

We assessed the project possibilities from the congregational brainstorming/Next Steps Forum and assessed them for congregational enthusiasm and impact on realizing the Vision. We concluded that several of the project possibilities would be best funded through the operating budget. This includes interest in a Minister of Family Life or Community Engagement, investments in technology to support online worship, and investments in social action programming.

Of all of our buildings and program areas, the Parish House is most in need of attention. It has not been attended to in over a decade, and the wear and tear is visible everywhere.

We crafted a “Parish House Identity” that clarifies its role in FPL’s campus as well as its role in the larger community. We interviewed staff and key committees.

Finally, we crafted a vision statement for the Capital Campaign: The Parish House becomes a home for spirituality, intergenerational community, and taking action for social justice and the living earth, to help FPL become the flagship liberal church in the region.

The Parish House provides space for Religious Exploration, staff offices, meetings, and large gatherings. The last updates to the Parish House were completed over a decade ago. The Facilities Committee is working to hire an engineer to complete a thorough review of the entire FPL campus including the Parish House. This will identify the needed capital investments in structure and mechanical systems. While the north entrance to the Parish House complies with ADA, most of the building is not accessible. This project may require FPL to bring the building into full ADA compliance.

Walking through the Parish House with the eyes of a first-time visitor, it’s easy to see a need refresh the furniture, fixtures, and finishes. It’s unclear where to enter, and when you do find your way in, it’s hard to know where to go. The lack of adequate storage results in intermittently blocked fire exits. There is no air conditioning and heating systems aren’t efficient. WiFi is inadequate and we can’t welcome virtual participants to worship in the Parish House auditorium. The lower level and second floor are not accessible. Lighting is inadequate throughout.

Staff and other users of the Parish House have noted several challenges with the Parish House, including unwelcoming entrance, limited space for private pastoral conversations, and lack of flexible space for groups of various sizes (with growing groups/committees, we expect more days where 3-4 groups or committees are meeting at the same time). The auditorium needs upgrades in lighting, sound, and technology. The building doesn’t interact with the surrounding natural beauty. The space layout is inefficient for Religious Exploration, necessitating time in set up and clean up. Families struggle to know where their kids should go on a given Sunday; youth struggle to find a sense of connection and belonging.

There is an opportunity to “open our doors” to the larger community, but the Parish House layout, site utilization, and condition work against that.

If you would like to provide feedback on the Campaign Vision, attend the congregational input session at 5:30 PM on Tuesday, February 5^th. Childcare will be provided.

Please reach out to Sarah Andrysiak, Capital Campaign Team Chair, with concerns or feedback. The Capital Campaign Team is under oversight of the Parish Committee.

The last capital campaign was from 2008-2012 and raised just over $2 million. Most of those funds were spent on the Stearns Room. A bit more than $400,000 was placed in the Capital Reserve Fund. These funds have been spent on significant maintenance projects since that time.

The Parish House is distinct from, and complementary to Lincoln’s Community Center. Together, these centers support a vibrant, healthy and interconnected community. To highlight key distinctions between our vision for the Parish House and the planned Community Center:

1. We aim to create interactive, intergenerational space (interior and exterior) while the community center is offering programming for different age groups at different hours (Multigenerational at the community center, as opposed to intergenerational at First Parish).
2. We are creating space focused on nurturing Spirituality; the community center is focused on recreational programming. You might find meeting spaces at the community center.  FPL would offer space optimized for nurturing small group conversations. You might sign up for a weekly Pilates class at the community center and attend a yoga retreat at FPL. You would be unlikely to find a class on the history of Jesus at the community center.
3. The community center will not have space for community performances on the intimate scale that our auditorium offers. It certainly doesn’t offer FPL space to worship in the round.
4. We aim to celebrate and uplift beauty and engagement with the natural world in reflection of our spiritual values. This is not a design criterion for the community center.
5. We aim to be a destination for people acting for social justice and the environment. This is not part of the community center’s mission.
6. Finally, and perhaps most important – we cannot create that sense of extended home and belonging for our young families in the town community center.

The playground urgently needs improvements in functionality and safety. We are eager to address these concerns. At the same time, it’s possible that improvements to site circulation will require modifications to playground configuration and location, and we don’t want to make investments that will need to be undone.

FPL leases space to Magic Garden (ground floor, Monday-Friday); the Beehive Art (second floor classrooms) and Meals on Wheels. Meals on Wheels will move to the Lincoln Community Center when that space is available. Any project will be coordinated with our tenants.

Please check out the history page of the website.

At this point, our best estimate for the start of construction would be in the fall of 2026 or winter of 2027. Until the specific scope of the project is determined, the impact on congregational life is uncertain.

We will be looking for funding commitments in the spring of 2026. We anticipate that these funds would be payable over three years (by the spring of 2029).