Work begins on long-planned upgrades at DCC

Davis Community Church is raising the roof, literally. The historic building at 412 C St., opened in 1926, is one of the most distinctive structures in Davis. It also has a leaky roof.

After some years of pondering the need to do some major facilities upgrades, DCC leaders reached a pivotal moment as the sanctuary roof began to deteriorate. The subsequent analysis by the church’s Facilities Task Force revealed several other structural and aesthetic needs, including making the entire church campus more energy-efficient and sustainably designed.

“Calling on (DCC members) to invest in the structure took some time because of the recession and the concern that this was a difficult time to call on the church community for additional resources,” a news release said.

In 2011, DCC initiated a capital campaign called Shining Light Open Arms. To date $1.5 million has been raised for modernization of the sanctuary and the Christian education wing. Work on the sanctuary roof has begun and the structural strengthening already has been completed. The tiles should be reinstalled by mid-December.

The next phase of the capital campaign will be the remodeling and modernization of the education buildings and classrooms. Efforts are under way to improve the aesthetics of that building to better complement the historical sanctuary, the news release said. Along the way, energy-efficient windows will be installed, the bathrooms modernized and improvements made to the overall appearance of the classrooms and to the general sustainability of the building.

“The many community groups that meet in the Christian education classrooms will find a more inviting and functional place to gather,” the release said.

The church will celebrate the first year of its Shining Light Open Arms campaign on Sunday, Nov. 18. All community members are welcome to DCC services every Sunday at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Child care is available for babies and preschoolers and children’s Sunday school is available during the second service.

For more information, call Lynn DeLapp or Mary Stephens DeWall, co-chairs of the Shining Light Open Arms Facilities Task Force, at the church office, 530-753-2894.