While sitting in a pew at the West Side Moravian Church in Green Bay, Wis., you can see the huge Jumbotron in the Green Bay Packersí stadium. And, from the Packersí stadium, you can see the shiny, spectacular, new, copper roof on West Side Moravian Church.
I was wondering how I was going to be able to see the entire roof that we so painstakingly, but enthusiastically, planned for and continue to raise funds for. To my surprise, while at a recent Green Bay Packer game, I felt a sense of pride as I gazed northwest while in the stadium. A fellow member reminded me that the bowl at Lambeau Field was being dug for the new stadium at the time our building was being constructed in an area that at the time was open fields.
So, pondering this coincidence, I recall how the Packers organization recently spent millions remodeling their stadium this past year while we were installing a brand new copper roof. Bricks and mortar wear out. Roofs need to be replaced. Facilities outgrow their capacity crowds. Newer designs, earth-friendly materials, added insulation…so many reasons to make necessary changes.
However, the one difference is that the Green Bay Packers have stockholders and lots of fans! They are also publicly-owned. When the Packers want to make changes, they are wholeheartedly supported.
We also are loved and adored by our members and when we want to make repairs or upgrade services, we too are wholeheartedly supported. We just have to raise the funds to make these changes. Our roofing project was a huge undertaking for our small congregation. The new roof was recommended and needed, due to many years of rain damage in our sanctuary in several different areas that damaged ceilings, walls, stained glass windows and the roof. We had no choice but to replace the roof.
But, with the Packer season just getting started and our roof just getting completed, we are renewed with a sense of pride and ownership to get the roof paid for and for the Packers to win a Super Bowl!
Cheryl Weber, Fund Raising Committee, West Side Moravian Church, Green Bay, Wis. Photo above: West Side Moravian sports a gleaming new copper roof.
From the November 2014 Moravian Magazine
