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| Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Anaheim, Calif., chose ServiceU’s EventU Green to help bolster its energy savings and environmental stewardship efforts. Photo courtesy of Vineyard Christian Fellowship, Anaheim, Calif. | |||
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When church plant Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Anaheim, Calif., approached ServiceU of Cordova, Tenn., about its need to save on HVAC costs, they were looking for an automated solution. The 2,500-member, 250,000-square-foot church had hired Facilities Manager Dave Paolozzi in 2007. And right away, Paolozzi noted sky-high energy usage and a lack of tracking functionality at the facility. “I noticed that the HVAC system controls were set for 6 a.m.-10 p.m. almost every day, whether people were in the zone or not,” Paolozzi says. “We were using far too much energy, and we needed to get a hold of what to do about it.” Church staff was already using EventU, ServiceU’s web-based event scheduling and resource management application, to control the Vineyard facility, resources and events. So Executive Pastor Dan Mahon approached ServiceU CEO Tim Whitehorn. “We wanted a solution that would be intuitive and work with our events calendaring system, not work independently,” Mahon describes. Whitehorn explains how EventU Green is a departure from other HVAC controls that run independently of church event and scheduling software. “EventU Green is radical because it interfaces directly with a church’s HVAC heating and cooling systems to modify thermostat settings,” he says. “This means that the HVAC controls will be adjusted automatically as the event schedule changes, thereby saving churches thousands of dollars per year.” Since implementing EventU Green five months ago, Mahon reports that the church has realized a 25% reduction in energy consumption and close to a 20% savings in energy costs—a perk he attributes to both the church’s adoption of EventU Green and other energy-conscious steps they’ve taken. “These savings give the church flexibility to consider additional staff needs and/or to offset rising costs in other areas, such as healthcare,” Mahon says. Based on the savings realized so far, Vineyard Christian Fellowship expects its EventU Green add-on to pay for itself in less than a year.
Facilities Coordinator Amanda Malkhassian describes some of the practical ways that EventU Green is helping the church save money. “Saturday afternoon weddings are a great example of how Event-U Green has been practically and cost effectively very helpful for us. Our regular maintenance and custodial staff are not here all day on Saturdays, so in the past our Saturday morning custodian would have to remember to turn the air conditioning on in the morning potentially hours before it was even needed so that it would be on after he left. Then if no one was here in the evening to turn it off when the event was over, the air would run until 10 p.m. when our fail safe turned off all of the air to the building. In this scenario the air was running for hours that it wasn’t even needed. Now the air automatically comes on when the event starts and turns off when it ends. No one has to remember to manually turn it on or off, and we are not air-conditioning an empty room for hours before and after the event.” Malkhassian describes another scenario at Vineyard where EventU Green saves church staff time and frustration. “It has been very helpful when we are off campus and get a call that an event is going to run several hours longer than it was originally scheduled. Whereas before we would have to track down someone on campus to turn the air on for longer, now we can simply turn the air on and off from any computer with Internet access.” Working Hand in Hand Vineyard’s other environmental stewardship maneuvers that work alongside its EventU Green system are approaches that any church can adopt. “In addition to Event-U Green we also recently did a lighting retrofit throughout our entire building,” Malkhassian says. “This has helped us save a tremendous amount of energy in two ways. First, we are using more energy-efficient light bulbs and ballasts and, secondly, we installed motion sensors in areas where the lights were often left on unnecessarily. We also try to recycle everything that we can. Not only have we made a greater effort to recycle aluminum, plastic, glass and batteries, but we have begun recycling our paper and cardboard. We estimate that in the last year we’ve recycled 24 tons of cardboard and 15 tons of paper. Other ways that we have tried to reduce our carbon footprint include planting more trees throughout the property to help shade our structures and chipping tree branches that have been trimmed and putting them back into the soil as mulch. Also, the Book Cellar, our coffee shop and book store on our campus, has recently changed out all of its paper products, opting to use only biodegradable cups, plates, cutlery, napkins, etc.” Malkhassian reports on another environmentally friendly measure the church borrowed from its sister Vineyard church in Boise, Idaho. “This fall we are starting a small fruit orchard on our property. Beyond the natural benefits of the trees themselves, the orchard will ultimately provide us with a lot fresh fruit that we will distribute to the poor and homeless through our compassion ministry that serves more than 3,000 families each month. It will also provide us another teaching opportunity with the kids in our school and our children’s ministry about the whole concept of [being] good stewards.” www.vcfanaheim.com | www.serviceu.com |
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Elevation Church Chooses Team for Renovation Project
Since opening in 2006, Elevation Church has experienced growth from a handful of families to more than 5,000 people. The church currently worships in a number of rented sites around the Charlotte area, but needed to create a main campus to help manage its rapidly growing ministry. “We are excited about the opportunity to blend [the team’s] experience and wisdom with our audacity and faith,” says Senior Pastor Steven Furtick. The newly renovated 43,235-square-foot, former K-Mart building and warehouse will house an 850-seat worship area, children’s space and flexible space for administrative offices. The project is scheduled to finish construction in September 2009. www.cogun.com | www.elevationchurch.org | www.visioneeringstudios.com | www.design2020.com Existing Church Buildings can Benefit from LEED EB
LEED for Existing Buildings (EB) addresses recycling programs, systems upgrades, exterior maintenance programs, and building cleaning and maintenance issues, including chemical use. According to the USGBC, LEED EB can be applied to both existing buildings seeking LEED certification for the first time and to projects previously certified under LEED for New Construction, Schools, or Core & Shell. The USGBC also offers free registration for all previously certified LEED for New Construction, LEED for Schools, and LEED for Core & Shell projects. E-mail the USGBC at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for instant access to the LEED-Online letter templates to get started on the LEED for Existing Buildings certification process. www.usgbc.org Grant Opportunities Now Available for Faith-Based Organizations
Grants for strengthening communities, family connection discretionary grants, a compassion capital fund, and funds for mentoring children of prisoners are among the opportunities available for eligible faith- and community-based organizations. For more information, visit www.here-4-you.com. www.here-4-you.com WPH — Architects for Ministry Helps Pennsylvania Church Keep Growing
The children’s wing also allows for expansion, with steel projecting through the roof to enable a future second floor. Other components of the new addition—part of a master plan for the 15.75-acre site—are a fellowship lobby, cafe and nursery. A central focus of the design in the worship center was its audio, video and theatrical lighting components, and acoustical ceiling clouds are part of the design. WPH’s partners on the project were construction manager Wohlsen Construction Co. of Lancaster, Pa., and the Willowdale Chapel Construction Team. www.churcharchitects.com | www.wohlsen.com | www.willowdalechapel.org 
Make Your Banker's Jaw Drop
• Fill in these forms, get a three-ring binder and hand it to him or her. If the banker is flabbergasted with your preparation, it's because probably no church has ever come to him or her with such a sophisticated approach. The bank will love it. (They already love church loans because defaults are rare.) • You'll be well advised to have a cover letter asking for the bank's formal proposal by such-and-such date at 2 p.m. Explain that you and your finance group will then be evaluating the proposals received from each responding financial institution.  • Setting up competition between financial institutions will greatly benefit the church. Instead of being a supplicant, you've told the bank they must compete for your business. In our bank, if we know we're competing for your business, we're very cautious, of course, but we've been known to drop the interest rate as much as 25 basis points and to reduce or eliminate loan fees.Banks have told me for years that they never see this kind of comprehensive proposal. So, yes, it impresses them, sets up a completely different relationship with your financial institution, and moves you forward in your quest for funding. Lawson Group Inc., Sarasota, Fla. Donald M. Lawson AIA is head of Lawson Group, a firm responsible for more than 200 church structures and 1,500 projects of all kinds. He is simultaneously a banker, founder and chairman of the Bank of Commerce in Sarasota, Fla. Forms provided courtesy of Lawson Group Architects, Sarasota Fla. 
Thomas Built Buses Offers New MyBus for Church Transportation
Thomas Built Buses also offers a full line of school, commercial and specialty buses. And Thomas was reportedly the first to introduce steel-framed buses and the first to engineer steel structural supports well below the school bus floor to strengthen the skirt area.
Quiet, Versatile Lifting Solution for Worship Services and Church Productions
The product is also a safe, dependable solution for lifting and rigging video, staging and lighting equipment during church services, performances or events. Its premium-grade, AGMA-rated precision gearing contributes to a low noise level—lower than 75 dB. Constructed of injection-cast aluminum, this lightweight design is able to fit on stage and in truss fixtures, and is convenient for installation. The aluminum housing includes a single, removable panel that provides easy access to all internal components during maintenance operations. The Stagemaker is also equipped with a combined hoist brake and load limiter to ensure safe operation in congregations. The electromagnetic disc brake-clutch combination is designed for efficiency, safety, easy access and quick adjustment. And a friction-type torque limiter is integrated with the brake to ensure that the load is always stopped when the control button is released.
Weather-Shielding Lightline Door Canopies Gain Acclaim
Lightline canopy products are widely used in Europe to shield people from the elements when they leave their homes or businesses. The manufacturer has taken an old concept of over-door canopies and awnings and created new, modern designs using innovative materials such as stainless steel support arms, integrated aluminum gutters and UV-resistant acrylic visor panels in a variety of finishes. Lightline canopies are available in a variety of styles. The Gable Canopy reportedly looks best on a pitched roof configuration; the rounded Arch Canopy works well with both modern and traditional designs; and the simple, versatile Curve Canopy complements virtually any doorway. Kits also come in several standard widths ranging from 5 feet to 9 feet, and the Curve style features an extended, multi-panel model that allows for continuous widths—a useful design for commercial storefronts and similar church-related applications.
Universal, Fast-Transfer AC Power Systems for Emergency Power Requirements
The PFT series has several innovative features, including PWM design, a digitally controlled waveform that ensures fast, smooth and reliable transfers to emergency power. In addition, the PFT Series offers worry-free operation with generators and dimmer systems, as well as all AC loads including incandescent, fluorescent, LED and HID lighting—eliminating the compatibility concerns of other back-up systems. |
