In November of 2016, as FBC was approaching its 150th Anniversary year, Charlie Walker inspired a group of church members to help lead a capital campaign to address major deferred maintenance issues. It was a time to celebrate the past and put the church building in a better physical condition to continue our mission of serving those in need.  A total of $824,000 was raised with $714,000 coming from church members or friends, $70,000 from The Ford Family Foundation and $40,000 from the Kinsman Foundation.

The project involved making major repairs to and renovating the historic bell tower, restoring the ornate stucco work on the First and Cowls Street entrances, replacing the metal roof, making repairs to electrical and HVAC systems, and restoring wooden Sanctuary windows. There were surprises…the biggest was the need to replace the stucco on the entire South Wall. After the wall was replaced, the painting of other building windows and metal work could be completed. The final piece of the project was completed in March of this year. The damaged courtyard tile was replaced with 6” concrete in a similar pattern.

Because of the pandemic, it became clear that FBC would not have a church-wide celebration for the project’s completion. So, Susan Chambers approached Paul Kushner for advice on building a simple, Little Free Library for the Courtyard.  When Paul heard that the Courtyard library would honor Charlie for his leadership, he said, “I have an idea!”  There was considerable planning, gathering of supplies, and help from Wayne Beckwith to make a metal roof, and this beautiful, not so little, Little Free Library was completed.  We can’t thank Paul Kushner enough for his creative vision and woodworking skills!

The 150th Anniversary Major Deferred Maintenance Committee was chaired by Charlie.  His strong leadership and attention for details never wavered in a project that spanned almost 4 years.  The committee members included Susan Chambers, Pastor Erika, JoAnn Sims, Larry Sims, Les Toth, Martha VanCleave, and Don Watson.

On behalf of the committee and Church Board members who served 2016 through 2020, we would like to dedicate this Little Free Library:

The Charlie Walker Library

To Honor a Man With Big Vision

aNd faithful leadership at FBC