FACILITIES

Campus Complex
St. Matthew's Lutheran Church was founded as a mission church in 1954 by Pastor John D. Sheppard. During the early years, services were held at Jacksonville University and other community venues. In 1959, the congregation broke ground for a new church home on Merrill Rd. Through the leadership of Pastor Sheppard and subsequent pastors, the facility has grown to include five interconnected buildings, a maintenance shop, parking facilities and decorative landscaping in the heart of thriving Arlington.

Buildings
The first permanent building on the site, now called Sheppard Fellowship Hall, was completed in 1960 and served as the sanctuary until 1987. This enduring structure serves as a hub for many activities of the congregation.

Construction of a multipurpose building for music and congregational activities followed shortly afterwards. The South Wing, stood for over 40 years until it was replaced in 2001-02 with a larger building on the same site. The new South Wing, opening in February, 2002, unites the nursery, music ministry, fellowship hall and the narthex through its bright and airy foyer. Visitors and members alike enjoy the inviting feeling of the new South Wing.

For Sunday School, explore the North Wing to the west of the Family Life Center. There you will find classrooms, activity centers for children and a conference room for adult bible study and meetings. Outside groups often use the North Wing for meetings during the week.

The Sanctuary and Narthex with the beautiful stained glass windows were completed in 1987. The new sanctuary seats 400 and includes a 121 pipe Cassavant organ, choir risers and bell choir. In twenty years, more than 1,500 worship services, weddings, and memorial services have been conducted under the cross. Come join us!

The Jackson Family Life Center was built through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Julian Jackson. This marvelous building was completed in 2001 and houses the pastoral offices, a modern gymnasium (including shower and locker rooms), two activity rooms, and a commercial grade kitchen. Body and soul are nourished within these walls!

Located behind the Life Center, the Maintenance Shop provides storage, enclosed parking and a workshop for property maintenance.

Parking Lots and Traffic Patterns
There is ample parking at St. Matthew's to accommodate all church activities. The design of the lots has changed recently to enhance the flow of traffic. Three distinct parking lots are connected by a main driveway. The traffic pattern is designed to be one-way, and flows from one lot to the next. Traffic enters St Matthew's at the east entrance (the East Lot), drives around the back (to the North Lot), and exits from the west driveway (at the West Lot) on to Merrill Rd.

Fascinating Fact: There are 151 regular parking spaces and 10 disabled parking spaces at St. Matthew's.

All drivers are urged to use caution when driving on church property. Be alert for pedestrians, passengers entering and exiting vehicles, maneuvering vehicles, and unexpected vehicles driving a reverse course through the lots. Please, be tolerant and yield for safety!

More information about traffic and parking is available at Sitemap.
 

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ANNUAL REPORT

2001 was a very active and challenging year, but also very rewarding. The Property Committee worked long and hard at times responding to the needs of the church. Much of the committee's work was in connection with the construction of the South Wing.

The following are some of the projects:

• All furniture and fixtures were removed from the "old" South Wing in preparation for demolition.
• Shrubbery from the old building site was moved to other locations.
• New drinking fountains were installed in the Fellowship Hall and North Wing.
• Lawn service contracts were renegotiated to include mowing, spraying and fertilizing.
• Maintenance contract on air conditioning equipment were reviewed, resulting in major savings to the Church. (David Hardesty deserves all the credit for this!)
• A new state-of-the-art thermostat was installed in the sanctuary, reducing errors and temperature fluctuations.
• The underground irrigation system was extended to a portion of the yard that was not previously irrigated, resulting in 100% coverage.
• Signage was installed outside and inside identifying location of buildings and traffic flow.
• A Building Usage policy and job descriptions for Sexton and Property Manager were completed.
• Other projects included insurance updates, equipment control and many smaller projects too numerous to mention.

We were very fortunate during late summer to have Don Grimm take the day-to-day responsibilities of managing our facilities. Those of you who know Don know what a fine person he is. He is well qualified to handle this position and has already made some positive changes in the way we handle property matters. The Property Committee thanks all who came forward with ideas and recommendations. Although we may not be able to implement every suggestion, we do appreciate your input. The Committee gives special thanks and recognition to Baxter Luther for generously donating so much of his time and leadership to the successful completion of the construction and renovation projects. The new facilities will serve the St. Matthew's for decades to come!

Please remember, as members of St. Matthew's, you have ownership in our facility. If you see something that needs attention, make sure the proper person is made aware.

Members of the 2003 Property Committee:

NEW PROJECTS AT ST. Matthew's

What's new at St. Matthew's?

• Fellowship Hall Renovation.

The Renovation is now complete for the interior of Sheppard Fellowship Hall. Improvements include new paint for the ceiling and masonry walls, cleaning the brick walls and terrazzo floor, laying new carpet in the narthex, removing the center portion of the glass partition, installing softer lighting, and enclosing the air conditioning registers.

Fascinating Fact: Did you know that the Fellowship Hall has ten different entrances? (...for Jesus said, "My Father's house has many rooms.")

• New Signs

You've probably noticed the new signs around St. Matthew's to help guide people to worship and activity areas. The new signs feature bold blue letters on a white background for high visibility. They are positioned at convenient locations on buildings and posts to direct you to parking areas, buildings, offices, Sunday School, Sanctuary, and service areas.

• New Pavement Markings

Repainting the traffic markings in the parking lots and driveways will soon be completed. Brilliant white arrows and lines will clearly indicate the traffic flow and parking spaces.

Fascinating Fact: Four parking spaces in the East Lot are reserved for visitors.

Special note: For passenger loading during rainy weather, consider using the covered alcove next to the Family Life Center. To use the alcove, proceed to the North parking lot. After passing the maintenance shop, bear to the RIGHT, then U-Turn LEFT to join the driveway to the covered area. When departing, turn LEFT at the STOP sign and follow the arrows to parking.

• St. Matthew's Church Sign

The new church sign is inching closer to completion. You may have noticed the bright orange Public Notice posted at Merrill Rd. The notice advises that SMLC has applied for a zoning exception. If the City Council authorizes the exception, our new sign will soon become a reality.

LANDSCAPE AT ST. Matthew's
 

New Plantings
Many new decorative shrubs and accent trees were planted at St. Matthew's last year in conjunction with the construction of the Jackson Family Life Center. The east and west property lines were adorned with new shrubs, including legustrum, redtops, Japanese yew and dwarf holly. Where room permitted, the shrubs were planted in two- and three-tiered depths for enhanced decorative effect.

Accent trees such as flowering crepe myrtle, dwarf oak, and cherry laurel were carefully placed to accent the perimeters and parking islands. All plant beds were mulched with shredded cypress and watered by the underground irrigation system.

Drainage
Ample space is reserved behind the north parking lot for storm water retention. Two large ponds were constructed at the edge of the north parking lot to receive and temporarily store storm water runoff. This type of treatment is required in all new construction to reduce pollution of surface water by allowing rainwater to percolate into the soil. The sandy soil at St. Matthew's can absorb enormous amounts of water, so you may never see water standing in the ponds—proof that the design is working! The underground drainage system routes the rainwater runoff from the buildings and parking lots into the retention ponds.

Grounds Maintenance
The beautiful grounds of St Matthew's require meticulous attention to keep them looking their best. SMLC contracts with professional service companies to mow, spray, and fertilize the landscape and turf. Under the watchful eyes of the Property Manager, you can be assured that the grounds will continue to accent the mission of the church.

MAINTENANCE CONTRACTS
 

For special services to the church that can not be provided by volunteers, the Property Committee maintains contracts with outside vendors. The following are a few specific contracts we currently hold with vendors.

• Structural Pest Control
• Security Services
• Landscape Maintenance
• Office products (copier service, telephone, etc.)

Special requirements are contracted on an "as needed" basis. For example, automotive repair, roofing, electrical and plumbing.

For more information, contact Property Manager Don Grimm.

ST. MATTHEW'S LUTHERAN CHURCH GENERAL POLICIES FOR THE USE AND PROTECTION OF CHURCH PROPERTY (Abbreviated)

General Rules that apply to all church facilities (not all-inclusive):

• No smoking inside buildings or within 10 feet of building.
• No alcohol on premises unless approved by Council.
• Building use permits are required for any non-church related activity.
• No firearms, fireworks or weapons allowed on premises.
• No pets allowed in buildings except under special circumstances.
• Foul or suggestive language is not allowed.
• Dress code should be in keeping with a church environment. Shirts and shoes must be worn at all times throughout the facilities.
• Vandalism, defacement of property, intentional misuse or destruction of property will not be tolerated.

Use of Buildings, facilities and other church property (not all-inclusive):

A use permit must be completed and approved ahead of schedule indicating:

• Property to be used
• Schedule of use
• Responsible person
• Maintenance
• Certificates of Insurance (if required)
• Reimbursement for Use (See schedule below.)

Cost reimbursement schedule:

• Personal compensation to individuals is not included.
• Nominal staff compensation is included in the standard cost reimbursement schedule; however, costs for extra staff work or maintenance services will require additional reimbursement.
• Only the Church Council can grant exceptions to the cost reimbursement policy.

Facility Access

• The church shall control access.
• A key policy is strictly enforced.
• A copy of the Facility Access Policy agreement must be signed in advance.
  
  

  PROPERTY COMMITTEE 2003
 

The Committee members for 2002 are:
 

Chuck Bonds	Mark Keister
Robert Cronin, Council Liaison	Joel Reed
Fred Due	J.W. Sells
Paul Geist, Secretary	Richard Smith
David Hardesty	Richard Thalacker, Chairman

Property Manager: Don Grimm

Feel free to contact any of the above-named individuals for issues concerning the church property.

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For Sunday School, explore the North Wing to the west of the Family Life Center. There you will find classrooms, activity centers for children and a conference room for adult bible study and meetings. Outside groups often use the North Wing for meetings during the week.

The South Wing stood for over 40 years until it was replaced in 2001-02 with a larger building on the same site.  The new South Wing, unites the nursery, music hall and the narthex through its bright and airy foyer.  Visitors and members alike enjoy the inviting feeling of the new South Wing.