Facility Use

For Outside Groups :

For Members of the First Presbyterian Church of East Avon :

Facility Recommended Donations :

General Philosophy

The buildings and grounds of First Presbyterian Church of East Avon were built and are maintained for the pursuit of ministry all to the glory of God.  Use of the facilities by church groups generally takes priority over use by outside groups.

Full utilization of the physical facilities by approved groups is encouraged as a means of practicing good stewardship of our resources and supporting community service.

Responsibilities and Approval Process

All requests for building use are passed to the Administrative Assistant for tracking. The Administrative Assistant checks for potential conflicts; if there are conflicts, the Administrative Assistant works with the requestor to resolve them.

If the request is from a new group, the request is referred to the Session, who will assess how well the request aligns with the Church’s mission. A member of Session or the Pastor may choose to contact the requester to learn more about the organization.

The Administrative Assistant brings the request to the Building and Grounds Committee, or its designated representative. The committee evaluates the request and brings a recommendation to the next regularly scheduled session meeting.

Usage Guidelines

FPC groups are encouraged to schedule their needs as early as possible in order to assure their priority over outside groups.  All groups are scheduled on a yearly basis, when possible.  Conflicts in scheduling will be resolved by the Administrative Assistant.  A Facility Usage Request Form will provide the Building and Grounds committee with the necessary information for setup.

While this policy cannot possibly envision all uses and circumstances that may arise, there are certain minimum restrictions on property use as follows:

• Portable property of the church shall not be taken from the church except for use as required in church functions or by church groups.
• Nails or other permanent fastenings shall not be driven into any part of the building without prior approval.
• Precautionary measures shall be taken to protect all church property. Set-up and removal should be planned in advance by the responsible group.
• All FPC facilities should be left in the same condition in which they were found.
• Each room has a standard setup (table and chair arrangement). Requests for a significantly different setup may incur additional setup charges. While groups are free to move chairs, only FPC staff should move heavy tables or other furniture.
• Alcoholic beverage, Tobacco usage, illegal drug usage, and firearms are not permitted in the building.
• Use of the church kitchen is reserved for church activities only, unless authorized by the Session.
• All groups will abide by FPC’s abuse, neglect, misconduct and harassment policy.

Criteria for Outside Groups Using Facilities

• Objectives must be consistent with those of First Presbyterian Church of East Avon and the Presbyterian Church, USA.
• Usage should not be in conflict with programs of the church.
• Usage fees will be paid to the Administrative Assistant
• Application for usage should be made to the Administrative Assistant (email : office@eastavonchurch.com)

Charges for Use of Facilities

No fee shall be charged to any program group of FPC or the Presbytery of East Avon except for any out-of-pocket costs incurred in food preparation and any additional custodial costs which may be required.

Outside groups will be charged in accordance with the fee schedule. If special circumstances warrant, fees may be adjusted at the discretion of the Pastor.

This document should be reviewed and updated annually by Building and Grounds. This version was created July 2023.