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The upper hall here at Cloverdale United Church has stood as a symbol of our past and will become a new place for new memories this year with the renaming of the Upper Hall to the Heritage Hall. This is in conjunction with our celebration of a landmark year of anniversaries in 2025: 75 years of our current church building and site here on 58A Avenue, 100 years of The United Church of Canada, and 150 years of our Community of Faith's life and witness here in Cloverdale and central-and-southern Surrey (inclusive of the lives and legacies of our 2 pre-United-Church predecessor congregations, Cloverdale Presbyterian Church and Cloverdale Methodist Church). Across the 75 years of that life that's taken place here at our current site, the upper hall has served as a home for countless formative events in the lives of generations of Cloverdale-area residents, past and present. From Sunday School classes at CGIT sessions among young ones, to A.A. and N.A. meetings that support healing and recovery, to life-celebrating receptions and gatherings following funerals and memorial services, and countless other types of events in between, the upper hall has supported so much life and love in our community—both our church community and the wider Cloverdale community.
However, like all good things, the newly-renamed Heritage Hall needs a little love to keep going.
So, a committee was struck, made up of Sharlene Jonasson, Heather and Hans Becker, Marguerite and Bob Cryer, Doug Zulke, Judy Cook, Laurie Brown, Ernest Berger, Jean Bose, and our Church Council chairperson, Dan Ariss. We’ve looked closely at what it will take to breathe new life into the Heritage Hall. And we identified a couple of other key spots around our facility that need some attention as well, in support of the Heritage Hall's ongoig abilities to be a place of welcome, hospitality, and love.
So, here's what we're aiming to accomplish...
In the Upper Hall / Heritage Hall itself:
- Lighting upgrades to brighten the hall, warm up its aesthetic, and improve energy efficiency — ~$7,500.
- LED backlighting for the [Heritage] windows, giving the hall a warm, inviting glow — ~ $1,500
- A fresh coat of paint in a few spots (not the whole room) to refresh the space and restore its charm — ~ $500
- New flooring, to replace worn areas, warm up the aesthetic, and make the space a bit more beautiful — ~ $11,500
- New cabinetry and display cabinets, so we can display archival items and have a countertop space to serve during events with ease — ~ $5,000
- A new 72” Smart TV for use during community meetings, receptions, and funerals — ~$1,500
The other things that we need around the property are:
- a new main site sign at the front of the property to help people find and connect with us (this is actually something we recognized as a need all the way back in a 2016 strategic plan but never got around to addressing) — quotes range from $7,000 to $12,000
- A back property sign to ensure clear and welcoming entrances — ~ $1,500
- And finally, the repair of our front doors — depending on the funds we raise, we could opt for a band-aid approach for around $600; but our recommendation is that we expend $6,100 for a new set of doors.
Now here's where you come in...
In order to make these projects happen, our total goal for this Heritage Hall Renewal fundraising campaign is $43,000. That sounds like a lot, but things get even more exciting: Cloverdale United Church Council has agreed to match all donations, dollar for dollar, up to $21,500. That means every dollar given for this campaign has double the power, double the reach, and double the impact. CUC will use funding from our Memorial Fund and our Building Fund to make that happen.
Our fundraising goal deadline is June 22, 2025. We won’t be authorizing any of this work to go forward until we have at least 80% of our goal in hand, or we reach that June 22nd deadline—whichever comes first. That gives us just 2 months to rally, to share, and to give what we can — not just for a building, but for a community.
Whether it’s $20 or $2,000, every contribution helps us reach that goal and ensure this hall will continue to serve generations to come.
So today, we ask you to give—not just for what the Heritage Hall has been, but for what it can be. A brighter, safer, more welcoming space. A legacy of care. A reflection of all of us.
Thank you—for your generosity, your belief in this project, and your commitment to keeping the Heritage Hall and our whole church facility a place we’re all proud to call ours.
So let’s build this together!
—Dan Ariss, CUC Church Council Chair
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The campaign to refresh the "Heritage Hall" (our upper hall) and address other important needs that make for welcome and invitation to our facility is a key component of our 2025 year-of-anniversaries! As we celebrate 75 years of life for this church building, 100 years of life as a congregation of The United Church of Canada, and a 150 year heritage of our ministry and witness in this community, it's important for us to prepare for our bright future and not just remember our cherished past.
We need a total of $21,500 in campaign contributions to meet our $43,000 project goal. As Dan said, this is where you come in... Whether you feel the Spirit calling you to give $2 or $2,000, $20 or $20,000, each and every gift is an important part of our collective investment in the future of the place our church community has called "home" for so long.
You can make a campaign contribution in any of these easy ways:
- bring or send cash or a cheque directly to the church, whether through the offering plate on Sunday morning, a visit to the church office during the week, or via our friends at Canada Post;
- send an e-Transfer directly from your bank or credit union account to "cloverdalepastoralcharge@gmail.com". Please give a heads-up to Lily in the office (office@cloverdaleunitedchurch.ca), including any necessary info about the security question and answer
- use a credit card via our CanadaHelps giving portal: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/47707 (Please note, there is a processing fee; you can maximize the funds CUC receives by selecting the option to pay the processing fee yourself)
Whichever way you give your gift, simply make a clear indication on it that it's for the "Heritage Hall project".
Often times for capital campaigns like this, people reach into their "special pockets" of money... the savings or other financial resources outside of the normal ebb-and-flow of their day-to-day budgeting. We encourage you to take a look at those "storehouses" of yours, and see if an extra-special gift from those places might make an even-more-bold gesture of generosity and investment in Cloverdale United Church possible.
And... if some of the resources you have that could make for a truly heart-gladdening gift are in the form of equities, securities, or other types of non-cash assets, get in touch with our Treasurer Lori Presunka (loripresunka.cuc@gmail.com) to talk about the possibility of a gift through direct transfer. Often, there can be distinct tax advantages to such gifts, depending on the contours of your situation.
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We know there are thousands, if not tens-of-thousands, of people all around our community and beyond whose lives have intersected with our life and witness here at Cloverdale United Church. Neighbours who grew up coming here for Sunday School, and CGIT, and youth choir, and more... family members whose life circumstances have taken them out of our area... people for whom the care and compassion of God embodied through this congregation made a real difference at a tender moment... and more!
We'd love to be able to invite these friends, too, to make an investment in the future of Cloverdale United Church! So, spread the word around! And, if there's someone specific whom you have in mind that we should proactively reach out to, in order to invite and solicit a specific gift, please let Rev. Matt know (matt@cloverdaleunitedchurch.ca)!
https://www.cloverdaleunitedchurch.ca/pages/donate
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