An extremely generous gift to Friendship Village Chesterfield has recently helped make it possible for the building of our new Chesterfield chapel!
Friendship Village Chesterfield residents Phil and Sallaine Upchurch have graciously donated $207,000 through the sale of a property they owned. Many donations have been made to the Invest in Hope chapel fundraising campaign along the way and this especially magnanimous donation from the Upchurch family brings the total funds raised to $814,000, either donated or pledged.
The Board of Directors at Friendship Village Senior Services has authorized the use of funds for the remainder needed to reach the chapel project’s total cost of $1.4 million.
“We’re very grateful for this generous donation (from the Upchurch family). In this historic season of expansion at Friendship Village Chesterfield, this is the perfect time to establish a dedicated chapel that will serve the spiritual needs of our residents and demonstrate our commitment to honoring Christ for decades to come,” said Friendship Village Chesterfield Chaplain Burt Campbell.
The new chapel will be close to the campus entrance, will provide seating for 100 guests, will have audio/visual capabilities to televise worship services and will feature office and counseling rooms.
“In this fundraising partnership, Friendship Village Chesterfield residents and the Friendship Village Senior Services board come together with a common vision: to build a chapel to the glory of God,” said Friendship Village Senior Services Board of Directors Chair Lydia M. Seibert.
“We thought it was a worthy cause and know it will help to soothe people’s nerves when they have lost a loved one. We just wanted people to be able to share the love with their maker and wanted this to be a place for everyone, regardless of their religion. We’re looking forward to it being done and hope everyone will enjoy it,” said Sallaine Upchurch.
Construction is scheduled to begin in late fall 2020 and we’re absolutely thrilled! Please celebrate with us and extend gratitude again to Phil and Sallaine Upchurch and all those who helped make this fantastic addition to Friendship Village Chesterfield possible!