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One of the things I find myself grateful for often is the simple (but significant) gift of our building.
This space has been a place of worship, community, and care for over 100 years, and it’s now ours to steward well for the sake of our neighborhood, denomination, and the people God continues to bring through our doors. Taking care of a building like this isn’t glamorous — but it is meaningful. And over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been doing a big piece of that work together.
Since we first took over the building from First Reformed (the congregation before us), we’ve had ongoing roof leaks. For a while, they were manageable with patching. But about two years ago, the issues began to escalate — more leaks, more repairs, and a growing sense that we were dealing with something bigger. Multiple roofing companies confirmed the same thing: the roof had reached the end of its lifespan. The material was breaking down, and patching would no longer solve the underlying problem.
So, in the fall of 2025, the Elder Board made the decision to move forward with a full replacement of the flat roofs. After gathering bids from six licensed companies — many recommended by people in our congregation — we selected Beacon Restoration.
Just after signing the contract, we arrived at the church on the morning of Sunday, March 8 to multiple active leaks in the preschool and parlor from the snowstorm the night before, along with standing water that needed to be cleaned up. It was worse than anything we had experienced so far — and it definitely confirmed the urgency of the project. We were so grateful the decision had already been made!
Beacon began work on Monday, March 30, timing the start to align with the preschool’s spring break (which was a huge gift in minimizing disruption). In the six days leading up to Easter, they completed the full tear-off of all six flat roof sections.
What they found confirmed everything we had been told — several areas had significant deterioration, including sections where the underlying plywood decking needed to be replaced or repaired.
The good news is this: all six roofs have now been fully replaced! In the next week, final details will be completed, including metal capping, downspouts, scuppers, and box gutters to ensure proper drainage.
Over the summer, we will also begin repairing the interior areas affected by past leaks — replacing drywall and patching plaster in the preschool, parlor, near the elevator, and other impacted spaces. We want to make sure everything is fully resolved on the exterior before doing the cosmetic work on the inside of the building.
The Beacon team has been phenomenal — efficient, communicative, and careful in their work. When complete, Platt Park will have a new Johns Manville 60-mil TPO roofing system with a 20-year No Dollar Limit warranty and a 5-year workmanship warranty. This is a long-term investment in the life of our building.
And that’s really what this is about. Not just a roof, but caring well for the gift we’ve been given so this building can continue to be a place of worship, hospitality, and community for years to come.
Thank you for being a church that stewards this space together. It’s a joy to do this work alongside you, and I am so grateful for each and every one of you.
Holly
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