LEWISBERRY
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
POLICY FOR
USE OF CHURCH FACILITIES
The buildings and facilities of
Lewisberry United Methodist Church are provided for the use of the local
congregation, for its activities of worship, fellowship and service. However, the buildings and facilities can be
used by groups representing the wider concerns of the church, including meetings,
groups associated with the church (Chartered Boy/Cub Scout groups, Sister
United Methodist Churches and District/Conference Groups, CROP Walk or
community programs that our church participates with).
At this time the church is not renting the social hall to
outside organizations or non-members.
When a church member requests use of the building, all dates and rooms
must be approved and reserved, on the church calendar, by the church
secretary. The church office phone
number is (717) 938-2093.
All church groups and their meetings and activities will
take precedence over any use by outside or affiliated groups. All other use of church facilities is on a
“first come – first served” basis.
However, the church secretary will try to resolve any scheduling
conflicts by moving certain groups to other rooms, if capacity permits this.
Rooms 101 and 102 are to be used only for church related
activities unless special permission is given by the pastor or trustee chair.
Definitions: Church groups and
activities include any established church group or ad-hoc group of members. These include worship services, Sunday school
classes, Bible study classes, administrative committee meetings and ad-hoc
groups like the Womens’ Circle. Any new
ministries, committees, or ad-hoc groups of the church are automatically
included in this definition.
Affiliated
groups are Boy Scout Troop 312 and Cub Scout Pack 284, which are chartered by
the church, as well as approved Girl Scout troops.
This would also include non-profit or charity groups the church approves (example: Red Cross for blood
drive).
A member of the church is a
person who has joined the church officially.
A person who regularly attends Lewisberry United Methodist Church is
known as a constituent. A non-member is
a person who has not joined the church and does not regularly attend Lewisberry
United Methodist Church.
General Policies:
1.
Smoking is not permitted in the church
buildings.
2.
Consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited
on any church property.
3.
Church property used must be cleaned and
arranged in proper order at the conclusion of any activity. Special attention should be paid to restrooms
and kitchen facilities. All lights
should be turned out. Heat or air
conditioning should be reset to original levels by following instructions
posted next to thermostats. All doors
must be locked, except if other arrangements have been made.
4.
Doors should not be left propped open, except
for loading and unloading, in order to reduce energy costs.
5.
It is the responsibility of the group using the
facility to provide adequate controls to prevent use of sections of the church
not reserved for the scheduled activity.
Due to LUMC’s Safe Sanctuaries Policy, children associated with any
group using the church are strictly prohibited from wandering into other areas
of the church not being used for the scheduled activity. According to Safe Sanctuaries guidelines, no
child under the age of 18 can be alone in any room of the church facility with
a lone adult or several related adults.
Therefore, any adult who enters the church for any reason, and enters a
room where a child has wandered away from his or her group, causes an
unintentional violation of this policy.
This circumstance should be avoided for the protection of all involved.
6.
Furnishings of the church property are not
permitted to leave the church with one exception. Church members or affiliated groups may
borrow church equipment such as tables, chairs and kitchen supplies but must
have prior permission from a member of the board of trustees. * Please note the
attached equipment use form which must be completed and given to a trustee or
the church office. If any church
equipment is returned in damaged condition, the borrower will be responsible
for the repair or replacement of church equipment. Equipment such as tables and chairs cannot be
loaned out, if they will be required by the church for use during the same
period of time.
7.
If
kitchen facilities are being used, incidental use of kitchen supplies such as
coffee, sugar, tin foil, etc., can be allowed by the trustee or designated supervisor,
who must be present when kitchen facilities are used, as a convenience. However, the group using the kitchen is
strongly encouraged to bring all their own supplies and a small donation is
encouraged if church supplies are used.
8.
Unless prior arrangements are made, any
additional tables and chairs needed for an activity must be set up by the users
of the facility. At the conclusion of the
event, they should be stored in their proper place as they were found. Tables and chairs previously set up should be
put back in there original place.
9.
Gambling is not permitted on church property.
Building Use Fees:
Non-Refundable Reservation Fee:
For members and constituents there is no fee required to reserve the social hall but a donation
to defray the heating and cooling costs is suggested.
Refundable Security Deposit: For nonmembers using the church for a
wedding, there is a separate refundable security deposit of $150. After the event, if no damage is incurred and
things are left in order, the fee will be fully refunded.
Sanctuary: The sanctuary
is for worship use and church group use for meetings, rehearsals, Bible
studies, etc., and cannot be used by outside groups. All weddings and funerals
are officiated by the pastor appointed to the church. Per the Book of
Discipline of the United Methodist Church: paragraph 340,1c “The decision to perform the
[wedding or funeral] ceremony shall be the right and responsibility of the
pastor” and paragraph 341, 1and 4 “No pastor shall hold a religious service
within the bounds of a pastoral charge other than the one to which appointed
without the consent of the pastor in charge, or the District
Superintendent”.
For members
or constituents wanting to use the sanctuary for a wedding or funeral, there is
no fee, but a donation is encouraged.
For nonmembers with a service officiated by the appointed pastor, there
is a fee of $150.
Fellowship Hall: For
members or constituents, there is no fee but a donation is encouraged. For nonmembers using the church for a wedding
reception, there is a fee of $50 for use of up to two rooms in the social hall. If the full social hall is required, there is
an additional $50 fee. A five day
advance notice is required for any group requiring partitions to be removed; this
will be done by church personnel only. These fees apply to outside groups and special
events but do not apply to affiliated groups who wish to use the facilities for
regular meetings or events.
Kitchen Use: For
members, constituents and affiliated groups, there is no fee but a donation is
encouraged. For nonmembers using the
kitchen for a wedding reception, the fee is $25. If the stove and/or dishwasher is required,
and additional $25 will be charged. A
trustee or designated church representative must be present, for any group, and a five day advance notice is
required to schedule this.
* Please note the attached User
Agreement Form which must be completed and given to the church office.
Checks are to be
made payable to:
Lewisberry United Methodist Church
309
Market St.
Lewisberry,
PA 17339
This document supersedes any
previous building use policy of Lewisberry United Methodist Church.
Lewisberry
United Methodist Church
Church Equipment Request Form
(Tables,
Chairs, & Kitchen Supplies)
Name: ____________________________________ Phone Number: _________________________
Needed
for:
__________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Number of
Tables: ___________________________ Number of Chairs:
________________________
Date to be
picked up: ________________________ Date to be returned: _____________________
Updated 3/16/16
USER
AGREEMENT
PURPOSE: This document is recommended to be used by
churches of the Susquehanna Conference of The United Methodist Church which
gives permission to use church property/facilities to non-church groups/individuals
(User). The Conference insurance policy
covers only certain activities under the control of the local church. Non-church groups/individuals using church
facilities, even though permission has been given, do so with the understanding
that loses or liabilities incurred by non-church groups/individuals are not
covered by the local church.
This
Agreement entered into this ________ day of ________ (month) of the year
_________, by and between Lewisberry United Methodist Church of Lewisberry
(LUMC), PA and ______________________ (User) of __________________________________ _____________________________(User address).
WHEREAS,
UMC is the
owner of the building located at 309 Market Street, Lewisberry, PA 17339.
WHEREAS,
User
desires to use such facilities on the terms and conditions set forth.
NOW,
THEREFORE in consideration of the mutual promises contained herein and other good
valuable consideration the parties hereto agree as follows:
- UMC shall make available to User
(description of facilities): ___________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
from
______________ to _____________. (dates)
- User agrees to indemnify and hold UMC
harmless from any and all liability including attorney’s fees arising out
of User’s use of the above premises or the building of which the
facilities are a part of the parking facilities on or adjacent thereto
(hereinafter “the facilities”).
- User
understands that the responsibility to obtain liability and property
insurance is upon the User. It is
not the duty or responsibility of UMC to insure the User’s use of the
facilities. It is recommended that
the User obtain its own liability and property coverage for its use of the
facilities.
- User
agrees to abide by and obey all laws, ordinances, and regulations promulgated
by any government unit having jurisdiction in UMC’s locale; User will not
engage in any activities in violation of such laws; ordinances, rules and
regulations.
IN
WITNESS THEREOF, the undersigned
parties have executed the Agreement as of the day and year first above written.
Signed
_______________________________
______________________________
(UMC
Representative) (User
Representative)
___Lewisberry UMC____________________
______________________________
(Name
of Church) (Name
of User)
__309 Market St., Lewisberry, PA
17339____ ______________________________
(Address) (Address)
938-2093 ____________
Telephone
______________________Telephone
