FPCLY has been an anchor of faith in Lynchburg for over 200 years! It is our desire to continue to be an anchor in this community for 200 more and into the years beyond. To do that, we desire to make renovations to preserve our steeple and historic organ, to provide additional support to local community benevolences and our very own FPC Weekday School, to update our infrastructure, and to build our endowment.  We believe it will take the prayers and support of our entire FPCLY community to help us get there!

Check out the section below for updates and photos of the progress of the projects included in our Rooted and Reaching Campaign!

As we are ROOTED in our past and history and ROOTED in our devotion to our Savior, so also are we REACHING for the future and all God offers us and all that we might offer others.

Over the months of May and June, the Foley-Baker company continued work on the organ project, finalizing all mechanical elements of the organ. This includes the completed chassis (where the pipes sit and wind is pumped into chests), the voicing of pipes, finishing of the console and making final preparations for their return trips to Lynchburg!

An eight-man team from Foley-Baker and a large tractor trailer arrived in Lynchburg on July 11; the trailer was FULL of pieces, pipes, tools, and equipment needed to put our new organ back together, like humpty dumpty.  For three weeks, the Sanctuary and Narthex have been construction zones and filled with the trailer contents as the group has diligently and faithfully worked on installing what they can during this visit.  The chambers have been carefully filled with framing, chest components, mechanical pieces, and some of the larger pipes.  Doug, the lead project manager, is pleased with their progress for this visit and says they are on track. The remaining installation visit dates are August 14-September 1, September 18-29, and October 2-13 (for pipe tuning).

Throughout the fall of 2023, the Foley Baker team completed all the construction components of installation including wind chests, 3,392 pipes, and the playing console.  In October, the organ made its official worship debut while awaiting the tonal finishing and final tuning by different members of the Foley-Baker team.  We are so blessed to have this completed instrument back for worship and music events! Click here to hear the first postlude from worship on October 15, 2023

ALL phases for the sidewalks and parking lot renovations are almost complete.  In October 2022, teams spent weeks on the sidewalks at the front entrance replacing the bricks with colored concrete, pouring new concrete sidewalks along the side of the Sanctuary and the front part of the building, building a handicapped ramp into the Sanctuary, and creating a zero entry sidewalk opening at the front corner of the church.  In addition, in November, the front circle and main driveway were milled and repaved with fresh asphalt.  Phases three and four greatly increase the safety of our main driveway and church entrance as well as allow for better handicapped accessibility.  Parking lines for the main driveway have been painted and and the handrails for the handicapped ramp into the Sanctuary have been installed!

The fall of 2022 also saw the completion of the long overdue exterior painting of the entire church building which protects us from peeling paint, weathered windows and frames, and enhances the overall exterior of the building!

2023 will see critical upgrades to multiple bathrooms on the Weekday School. If time and resources allow, updates will be made to the Narthex kitchen or Chapel lighting.  The Facilities Committee continues in conversation on these projects.

As Director of Outreach, Alex has continued to work hard at building relationships and making connections within the walls of FPCLY and in the Lynchburg community. He has also taught us more about our call to be in relationship with one another and encouraged more opportunities for us to love our neighbors. Alex has played a vital role in organizing monthly Fellowship Potluck dinners, supporting our first mission team to Malawi in 3 years, organizing IMPACT week, and leading the way in encouraging us to encounter our faith in deeper, more meaningful ways as we experience love for all our neighbors! We look forward to how we can continue to be the Church to the world by serving others!

Marcia, as Director of Educational Ministries, has been hard at work developing new and deepening existing educational opportunities for people of all ages and stages to learn, grow, and draw closer to God. The College Cares ministry has grown to include over 11 participants with intergenerational connections with the middle and high school youth and the Presbyterian Women.  Over the last few months, Marcia has been instrumental in leading Sunday School programming for all ages, bringing back Youth Sunday and Bible distributions, and being the master chef for our Food Truck Party VBS with over 110 children and 60 volunteers.  We're excited for her continued leadership as we move through the spring!

If you are new to the FPCLY community or haven't made a pledge to the Rooted and Reaching Campaign and would like to or would like to learn more, we invite you to reach out to Kathryn Pumphrey, our campaign chair.  She would be glad to talk with you about the campaign and how your gift will help FPCLY continue to celebrate God's grace and inspire the next generation for Christ!

We are incredibly thankful and grateful for you--the many hands that have participated in this campaign through focus groups, serving on a committee, committing to a pledge, or sharing the opportunity with others.  Together, we will change the world!