Director of Church Operations – July 2025

Dear Friends,

We are officially on the other side of the year with July in full summer swing. I’m hopeful our new air conditioning units will be installed by the end of July in the Sanctuary. We have some pressure washing of our outside areas on the books and other upkeeping of our campus. Our annual rental of our west side is happening for Camp Rock, and they will come back mid-July for their second week.

I love seeing our space used for our community during the day.

We see campers practice with their bands on the courtyard stage.  Some take their lunch at the picnic tables and the counselors find time to themselves outside too. We couldn’t have asked for a better summer camp group to support us every year by using our facility. With our upgrades to the Wi-Fi, smart TVs in our larger rooms, and regular maintenance to our air conditioning units, it makes renters have a positive and stress-free time here. Thank you for your continued support in keeping United Church of Gainesville an open and safe space for all.

This summer while you are off having adventures, don’t forget to come back and share those adventures with us! If you happen to visit another church or awesome community facility and it has something you think UCG may want to utilize, please send me an email or give me a call at the office. I’d love to see new ways to make our space inviting, functional and safe.

I would like to use this time to give a shout out to Zakara, our Sunday office helper. You may have noticed Zakara juggling different jobs on Sundays – from making fresh coffee, to setting up chairs in Reimer Hall, or helping you find an item you lost, greeting anyone who walks in the office and so much more. Zakara also comes in during the week to help us with administrative tasks and preparing for Sundays. Lately, Zakara and I have been putting on our facilities’ assistant hats and getting our rooms set up for weekly meetings and keeping the Sanctuary tidy. Please offer Zakara a hearty thanks next time you see her on Sunday. I’m grateful to her consistency and dedication to her position at UCG.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer so far!

Shanna Swiers