Central United Methodist Church Facility Use Policy As Approved by Administrative Council xx/xx/xx A. Purpose Central UMC desires that our church facilities be used for the glory of God and to further the mission of the church. Many believers, past and present, have faithfully given of their tithes and offerings, talents and time to this church to provide this facility. As faithful stewards, we seek to preserve and enhance this facility for future generations. This policy is a part of that commitment. B. General Principles 1. The Church, through its Lead Pastor and Board of Trustees, reserves the right to make final determinations as to whether a group may use the Church buildings, facilities or equipment. 2. Any group or individual using the buildings, facilities or equipment of Central UMC, found to be in violation of these guidelines or found to be in conflict with the purposes and/or mission of Central UMC, may have those usage privileges revoked. 3. Only non-profit organizations, church ministries or individuals who are members or constituents of Central UMC will be considered for facility use. Constituents are defined as regular attendees or those associated with the Central Children s Center. 4. Use of the buildings, facilities and equipment results in expense to the Church. This policy details fees that will be used to defray this expense. 5. The Church reserves the right to have a Central UMC representative at any meeting or event on the premises. 6. While this policy is meant to provide guidance concerning facility usage, it is recognized that certain situations may arise where it is necessary to make an exception to this policy. If this situation arises, the exception must be approved by the Board of Trustees. 7. A separate Wedding Policy governs the use of facilities for weddings. C. Priority of Building Use 1. Priority 1 Central UMC groups using the facilities as part of the ministry of the Church. This would include groups and/or committees sponsored by the various ministries of Central UMC. 2. Priority 2 Groups or organizations specifically supported in the Missions budget by Central UMC or under the auspices of the Church (such as Scout troops). 3. Priority 3 Other United Methodist groups outside of Central UMC s immediate congregation, including Meridian District and Mississippi Conference sponsored events. 4. Priority 4 Members or constituents. 5. Priority 5 Independent outside social, civic, service, educational and charitable groups. 1
D. Restrictions on Use of Facilities 1. No alcoholic beverages or controlled substances are permitted in the buildings or on the premises. 2. Smoking inside the buildings is prohibited. Smoking is not advised outside the buildings. 3. No furnishings or equipment shall be borrowed or removed from the buildings or grounds without approval of the Church Administrator. 4. The use of nails, tacks and tape are not permitted on walls, furniture, windows, etc. 5. No Church property will be used for political purposes. 6. Animals are not permitted unless they are service animals used in aiding an individual. 7. Operating Church equipment (such as copiers, computers, etc.) is not allowed without the express permission of a Church staff member. 8. Groups may only use rooms, facilities and equipment for which they have applied and been approved. 9. Using candles or any other devise with an open flame except for weddings must have prior consent from the Church Administrator. 10. No outside events may be scheduled during Holy Week, Thanksgiving week, or the two weeks surrounding Christmas. E. Liabilities and Proof of Insurance 1. Damage to the buildings or facilities and broken or missing equipment will be the responsibility of the group using the facilities. 2. Central UMC is not responsible for accidents, injuries or loss of personal property in connection with any of its facilities. By signing the Facility Use Agreement, any group and all individuals using any Church facility expressly assume all liability and responsibility for all risk of accident, injury, death, and damage to or loss of property. Depending upon the risk factor of the facility use activity, Central UMC may require liability insurance in an amount of one million dollars. The Certificate of Insurance must be submitted with the application for all events requiring liability insurance. The insurance policy must list Central UMC as additional insured endorsement for up to one million dollars for specific locations and dates of the event. All groups or individuals desiring to utilize the facilities must complete a Waiver of Liability prior to facility usage. 3. All Priority 5 Groups requesting use of facilities must provide proof of non-profit status. F. Kitchen Use Rules 1. The Kitchen Manager or a designee approved by the Kitchen Manager must be present any time the kitchen is used related to an event or function. Approved groups will be responsible for paying the fee to cover this labor cost. 2. All Priority 2-5 Groups utilizing the kitchen are expected to bring all food and supplies for their meeting or activity. This includes paper products, cups, plastic utensils, etc. Certain Central UMC utensils or supplies may be available for use but only with prior approval from the Kitchen Manager. Central UMC food stores are not to be used unless approved by the Lead Pastor and Church Administrator. Central UMC does not provide catering services for events or meetings. 3. The kitchen must be cleaned and returned to the condition in which it was found. 2
4. The user is responsible for replacing any items that are damaged or destroyed. 5. The lending out of kitchen equipment, supplies or utensils for use outside the facility is generally prohibited. However, certain items may be available for use by members or constituents (Priority 4 Groups) if the function is church related and prior approval by the Kitchen Manager has been obtained. 6. If cloth tablecloths are required and the Kitchen Manager approves the use of the tablecloths, the user will be billed for the cost of having the tablecloths cleaned professionally. G. Special Equipment 1. Approval by the Minister of Worship and Technology is required for the use of organs, pianos or other musical instruments. 2. If an event requires the use of Central UMC s audio/visual equipment, the requestor must contact the Minister of Worship and Technology to provide specific information on what is needed. The Minister of Worship and Technology must approve the person who will be operating this equipment. A list of qualified operators can be obtained from the Minister of Worship and Technology if the group needs these services. The requesting group will be responsible for compensating the operator. 3. The mobile grill and trailer are to be used only for Priority 1 Groups or for those groups under the auspices of Central UMC. H. Procedure for Facility Use 1. All requests for facility use must be made through the Church office. Requests should be made using the Facility Use Application. This form can be obtained from the office and is also available on our website at www.cumcmdn.org. 2. All requests for facility use should be submitted at least two weeks prior to the event. However, requests will not be accepted more than six months before the scheduled event. 3. Requests are generally scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. However, conflicts will be resolved based on the Priority of Building Use section listed above. 4. If liability insurance is required, a Certificate of Insurance must be submitted with the Facility Use Application. 5. Any associated fees must be paid at least 72 hours prior to the event start time. 6. All Priority 2 (except those under the auspices of Central UMC), Priority 3 or Priority 5 events require a Central UMC staff person (or designee) who agrees to sponsor the event. The sponsor s name must be on the Event Form and agree to be present during the scheduled event. Priority 1 or Priority 4 events do not require a sponsor but do require the presence of a custodian for the duration of the event. Custodial fees are listed in the fee schedule. 7. Small events that are scheduled during normal office hours and that require little setup may be eligible to have the usage fee and custodial fee waived. 8. The designated group leader must agree to and support all Central UMC security practices in force at the time of the use of the facility and that person shall be responsible for unlocking and locking outside doors unless there is a staff member or custodian present to do so. At no time should the exterior doors be left ajar, compromising the security of the buildings. In addition, 3
the group leader should not allow admittance to anyone other than participants in the event. At the conclusion of the event, the group leader, staff member or custodian present is responsible for making sure all persons exit the premises and the Church premises are secure. 9. Normal fees and other requirements may be waived if the facility is used in conjunction with a natural disaster or other emergency situation. Usage of the facility and waiver of fees and other requirements in this situation must be approved by the Board of Trustees. 10. Events scheduled for Saturday should end no later than 6:00pm in order to allow time to prepare the building for Sunday worship. 11. Unless special permission is granted by the Church Administrator in conjunction with the Board of Trustees, no events will be scheduled on Sunday other than ministries of Central UMC. 12. The facility should be left in the same condition as it was found. I. Fee Schedule 1. For events that are a part of the direct ministries of Central UMC (Priority 1 groups), there is no usage fee or custodial fee. If a Priority 1 group desires to use the facility for recreational purposes (such as a Sunday School class party) outside of the normal operating hours of the church, a custodian must be present and a custodial fee will be charged unless a staff member sponsors the event and agrees to open/close the facility and be present during the entire event. 2. For events concerning those groups who are supported by the Missions budget of Central UMC or groups under the auspices of Central UMC (Priority 2 groups), there will be no usage fee but there will be a custodial fee and a Kitchen Manager fee (if applicable). 3. For events concerning other United Methodist organizations (Priority 3 groups), there will be no usage fee but there may be a custodial fee and a kitchen manager fee (if applicable). These fees may be waived for certain events after consultation of the Lead Pastor and Church Administrator. 4. For outside groups that are not directly supported by the Missions budget of Central UMC (Priority 5 groups), a usage fee, a custodial fee and a Kitchen Manager fee (if applicable) will be charged. The fee schedule is as follows: a. Sanctuary $200 per four hour period b. Fellowship Hall $200 per four hour period c. Celebration Hall $100 per four hour period d. Gym $100 per four hour period e. Crossing $100 per four hour period f. Adult Activity Room $100 per four hour period g. Kitchen $100 in conjunction with event h. Classroom $50 per four hour period 5. The minimum usage fee is for four hours. If the event will last longer than four hours, each additional hour will be billed at a comparable hourly rate. 6. Priority 4 groups who desire to use the facility for special events will be charged a $50 usage fee regardless of the room used (for up to four hours) instead of the normal usage rate schedule. All 4
other fees apply as stated elsewhere in the policy. The usage and custodial fee may be waived if the event occurs during a time frame where the facility is already open and staffed by a custodian. 7. Priority 4 individuals or groups who desire to use the gym for recreational purposes (such as basketball) will not be charged a usage fee or custodial fee if the event takes place within the time frame that the church is already open and staffed by a custodian or staff member. If the church is not scheduled to be open, there will be a $20 per hour (rounded up to the next whole hour) charge to cover facility usage and the custodial fee. This fee replaces the normal charges that would apply. All such recreational events must have a Central UMC member or constituent as the Group Leader and the Group Leader must complete a Facility Use Application and Waiver of Liability. Approval for use in this situation is also dependent on the availability of a custodian to work outside of their normal scheduled hours. The requirement to schedule these events two weeks in advance may be waived. 8. Central UMC requires either a staff person (or responsible designee) or a Custodian to be present when the building is being used. If the kitchen is being used for an event, the Kitchen Manager (or designee) must be present. Fees for Custodians are $20 per hour (or the individual employee s overtime rate, whichever is higher) for a minimum of three hours. Fees for the Kitchen Manager are $25 per hour (or the individual employee s overtime rate, whichever is higher) for a minimum of three hours. 9. While most events are one-time in nature, there may be instances where a group requires ongoing regular use. In this situation, the Church Administrator and Board of Trustees will jointly determine a fee for a set period of time or number of occurrences. 10. An exception will be made to the requirement that a custodian or staff member be present in the case of a traveling church group who desires to spend the night in our facility. Any use of the facility in this manner must be approved by the Lead Pastor and Church Administrator. A custodian or staff member will open the facility for the visiting group and discuss general expectations with the group. The facility is not available on a Saturday night for this purpose. 5