Campus Update

For nearly 75 years, Preston Hollow has resided at the intersection of Preston Road and Walnut Hill Lane and the intersection of life and faith, offering those longing for a connection with God a pathway to deeper faith and belonging. It has been the Spirit's work through the people of God and the body of Christ the church. It's a holy privilege and incredible gift to continue in ministry from this corner. As we survey the horizon for our next seventy-five years in ministry our, Special Projects Committee, in conjunction with the Session, have been looking to the future and examining the readiness of our physical campus for the ministry God continues to call us from this corner.

Please check here often for information on how we are facing the challenges of our aging infrastructure, updates on planning for an upcoming capital campaign, communications from the Special Projects Committee and the Session, and more!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the next step now that the visioning workshops have concluded?

Our fundraising counsel, CCS, is in the process of assimilating, synthesizing and prioritizing feedback from the more than 300 members who participated. The top ideas will be assessed for their feasibility and alignment with the church’s mission and values.

Is there progress on addressing the urgent infrastructure needs of the south building?

Yes, fundraising for those items is in full swing and the property committee is working to prepare multiple bids for each piece of replacement equipment.

What is the amount needed to update all the urgent needs?

An engineering assessment last fall estimated that it would take roughly $5 million to bring the systems up to date. For example, that includes 17 air handler units, water pumps, chiller, boiler pumps, hot and cold water system, electrical units, plus engineer, contractor and labor to install.

Are multiple bids being solicited for these items?

The property committee is committed to reviewing and assessing a minimum of three bids for each project.

Is that the extent of the fundraising for Phase 1 of the capital campaign?

No. Efforts are also underway to raise a reserve fund of $1.5 million and another $500,000 for reimagining all spaces on our campus for the future. That includes programmatic research and planning, architectural assessments, pre-planning for construction and ongoing campaign management.

What are the next steps for reimagining all the spaces on our church campus?

A dedicated project team, made up of PHPC members, has been formed to develop a plan and timeline for assessing opportunities to reimagine spaces. This team will ensure that future developments meet both current and long-term needs. Once we fully understand the scope and associated costs, we will be in a stronger position to shape the vision and plan for the next steps. 

How long will these assessments take?

The timeline is not yet defined, however, we anticipate an assessment of the campus to last ninety days.

When will PHPS be vacating the north building?

They will be moving to their new facility over the summer. They have committed to leaving by the end of August.

What will happen to the north campus once the school is gone?

The Property Committee has a plan to carefully “mothball” all spaces until its future is determined.

Can the south side of campus truly accommodate church activities among all age groups for a period of several years?

As you know, PHPC pastors and staff scrutinized each public space, repurposed offices and conference rooms, and devised some changes in meeting sizes and times, to develop a plan that is workable. So far, things are working fine!

Building History

1952 - Founders Hall and Original School Building
1955 - 2^nd Story and Attic in School Building
1957 - 2 Story Classroom Wing, Gym and Attic Expansion
1962 - Sanctuary & Parlor, Walkway to School, South Basement, plus additional classrooms
1981 -Chapel
1986 - Small additions / modifications to Education Wing and Sanctuary Expansion
2001 - Latest Sanctuary Expansion, Offices, Emmanuel Hall, Jubilee Hall, Music Library and Rehearsal Areas, Youth House
2014 - Exploration of Capital Campaign. Effort ended with Pastor Blair Monie's retirement
2019 - First Complex-wide evaluation of the heating, cooling and electrical systems by Brandt indicating equipment far beyond expected shelf life
2022 - Replacement of the 2 primary AHUs in the church sanctuary
2023 - Follow-up Engineering Evaluation of Mechanical & Electric Systems by DC4 Engineering and Deverlopment of 5 stage replacement plan for North Campus
2023 - Replacement of North Building Boiler & South Building Water Heater
2024 - "February Freeze" loss of Heating in Founders Hall and other areas in North Campus; Pipe failure in South Basement
2024 - Replacement of North Building Cooling Tower
2024 - DC4 Engineering 5 stage Mechanical & Electric Replacement Plan for South Campus
2025 - Scheduled Replacement of Parlor AHU

Campus Update

November 11, 2024

Dear Members of PHPC,

As you may know, we recently completed a campaign feasibility study in partnership with CCS Fundraising. The findings provided valuable insights into our potential participation in a campaign. However, it is now crucial that we add specificity to our plans in order to discern a clear path forward and fulfill our vision for a vibrant and welcoming campus that will support our flourishing church for another 75 years.

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I would like to personally invite you to participate in a visioning workshop—a unique opportunity to brainstorm how we can reimagine our spaces to better support worship, fellowship, and engagement. Our goal is to conduct a series of congregation-wide workshops that ensure an inclusive planning process where every voice is heard, ultimately refining our funding priorities. In this workshop, we will seek your reflections on how our campus can support and embody the vision of our church.

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As we advance our campaign planning efforts, your feedback is more important than ever. This workshop will feature guided conversations and exercises facilitated by CCS Fundraising designed to gather your insights.

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Your creative input is vital to the success of this visioning effort. CCS will host a series of workshops at the following dates and times. If you are unable to attend, please know that additional sessions in January 2025, as well as an e-survey, will be shared in late December 2024 or early January 2025.

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Workshop Details:

All workshops will be held at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church. The workshops on December 1st and 2nd will take place in Jubilee Hall, while all other workshops will be held in the Youth House.

Monday, November 18th from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm CT
Tuesday, November 19th from 6:30 – 8:30 pm CT
Sunday, November 24th from 12:15 pm – 2 pm CT
Sunday, November 24th from 6 pm – 8 pm CT
Tuesday, November 26th from 6 – 8 pm CT
Sunday, December 1st from 1 pm – 3 pm CT
Sunday, December 1st from 3 pm – 5 pm CT
Monday, December 2nd from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm CT
Sunday, December 15th from 12:15 pm – 2 pm CT

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Please confirm your participation via this [Qualtrics link]. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Katherine Pawlowski at PHPCworkshops@phpc.org. She will coordinate with the Special Projects Committee and CCS Fundraising to address any questions you may have.

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Important things to remember when signing up:

Workshops are limited to 30 participants; they are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Each member of a household must sign up separately.
Please only sign up for one date and time to ensure everyone has a chance to participate.
If a workshop has 15 or fewer registrants 24 hours before the session, it will be canceled and rescheduled for a later time. Registrants will be notified.

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I hope you will join me in this important endeavor for our congregation. Thank you in advance for your creative support.

With great hope,

Rev. Matthew Ruffner

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Letter to the Congregation: May 9, 2024

In the church’s continuing efforts over the last 18 months to focus our capital spending on repairs to the north end of campus used by PHPS, we completed the installation of the north campus cooling tower this week just as the old one was completing its death spiral! This complements the work that was done replacing the north campus boiler and a number of other pieces of equipment integral to the operation of the north end of campus.

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The cooling tower, along with the chillers, is at the heart of the air conditioning system. The tower takes the heated water from the air handler units located throughout the building and then starts the air conditioning process by sending the first stage of cooled water back into the system to keep the cooling process going.

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Because this effort impacted the school’s operations this week due to the unseasonably high outside temperatures, the church offered to turn over the south campus and the youth building to the school while the installation work was in process. PHPS decided to use Jubilee Hall and the Atrium for some of their activities this week, otherwise they chose to remain in the north end of the campus while the work was being done. Where we had indications the electrical system would allow, the church was able to provide portable air conditioners for the nursery school rooms.

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We are pleased that another critical piece of infrastructure in the north end was remediated. We are also well aware that there is much, much more to do and the combination of the Property Committee, the Strategic Projects Team, Staff and Session are working to develop a plan to generate the capital funding needed to address all the long overdue infrastructure issues on our beautiful and historic campus.

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Past Communications

Letter to the Congregation: May 2, 2024

Next week, the church will install a new cooling tower on the north end of campus. We recognize the timing of this is not ideal for any group on campus, but we must move forward with these plans as we continue to ensure PHPC is a place where all belong (and are comfortable). As a result, the north building will not have AC next week, May 6th through 10th. Here are the steps the church has or is taking to address the issues that come with having no AC in the north building next week:

The church has offered to let the school use meeting space on the south end of campus next week, where AC should be working.
The school has declined to relocate all their classrooms next week but has requested the students eat lunch in the Atrium and we have set up Jubilee in multiple classroom configurations in case teachers want to move there.
The church has asked all small groups that are scheduled to meet in Jubilee and the library during working hours next week to relocate so as not to disrupt the school’s activities.
The church is also relocating the Wednesday night childcare to an air-conditioned room.

We expect the AC to be on and working by sometime next Friday, May 10^th, so that Sunday activities will not be impacted.

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Also, if you come to the church Monday, May 6th of next week, please note that the Aberdeen entrance will be blocked due to a crane and at least one tractor-trailer parked in the driveway. All equipment should be cleared by Tuesday morning, May 7^th.

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As is our usual practice, all visitors are required to enter the building through the south entrance (Walnut Hill doors) during the workday to ensure the safety of all on campus. PHPC staff will be working on-site next week according to their usual hours.