Over the past two years, first with a time of visioning and then a time of discerning what a new mission at Mount Tabor might look like, the New Ministry Team embarked on defining a new Ministry of People and Place. We engaged a contractor for renovating the second floor of our building, gave the ministry the name Circle of Hope, and in June moved to construction.

We reached what we determined was an insurmountable hurdle for renovation and now are taking a few months for what we’re calling Refreshment of the Spirit and Heart before diving into a different model. In this time, we all have questions and considerations for what’s next. We’ll try to answer some of them here and please feel free to engage us in conversation.

What happened?
The Salt Lake City permitting requirements will not allow Mt. Tabor to remodel our building without adding a very expensive fire suppression system. This came as a surprise in that it was not required in our remodel of the 1990’s, nor included in the contractor’s January permitting discussions about preparing the second floor for an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit). The fire suppression requirement is for any large remodel for any purpose, not just for housing. The system would need to include the whole building and installation requires extensive asbestos mitigation throughout.

How can the upstairs be used going forward?
The upstairs for the most part was cleared out of old, unused or unusable furnishings and materials. It still can be further cleaned up, e.g. paint the walls and refinish/carpet the floors. It is usable for purposes that would not require a remodel.

Can homeless family housing still go forward at Tabor?
It can, but in different ways. Following our original plan for a single apartment, we could use the north side open space for a tiny home type of accommodation. The contractor we engaged for the second floor remodel, however, does not do tiny home type of construction. A brief look at what it might cost should fit into our current cost estimates for the second floor. The idea of ‘going big as Phase 3’ we had talked about and building a larger complex with multiple apartments is still on the table as well. Planning, obtaining necessary funding and construction for this would likely be years in the making.

Does this impact the search for a new minister?
The only real impact is some changes to the narrative about Mount Tabor that the call committee is submitting for the search. In the past year, in particular, this new ministry development has been a big part of our story as it was moving forward, and how we were engaging with it as a ministry for the future. It doesn’t need to be dissolved, but it can evolve. For some pastoral candidates, it may be key to their interest and how they can be more involved in developing its future.

Who will be involved in new ministry planning going forward?
The New Ministry Team formally shifted its discernment process at the annual meeting in February and moved to implementation oversight and engaging the whole congregation into the future ministry. We brought Family Promise back into active partnership starting with assisting them with providing meals at other homeless housing locations. This will continue. In order to provide for some refreshment of spirit and heart time for those actively involved in the implementation process, we are recommending that we invite more people from the congregation to join us in further conversations for the next few months. We plan to focus on what this means for Mount Tabor and how and if we wish to pursue some of the other aforementioned homeless housing ideas.

What about other options?
There are other ministries in this same vein that have been thought of and could be pursued like a community garden. Or something altogether different like forging a new relationship with the new University housing occupants, some of whom are now renting spaces in our parking lot. The considerations the New Ministry Team focused on were exploring and building a new ministry that could utilize our biggest asset, our building and not require either a large number of volunteers or volunteers’ hours.

What is the status of the grants we received for new ministry?
The grants totaling $6,500 from the Rocky Mountain Synod are ours to keep and continue to use as we explore and invest in new ministry. We have not yet received confirmation from the ELCA, but it is also possible that those monies $20,000 to date with an additional $10,000 next year could also be reallocated to a differently implemented homeless or hunger-elated ministry. A second round of ELCA Hunger grants will come up  in the summer of 2026. If we land on a ministry similar to our first grant goals and objectives, we could apply again.

Our mission of “Living God’s Love in the World” endures. It just won’t include remodeling the upstairs.

General Summary of the New Ministry Income/Expenses/Transactions as of 9/22/25

Income Received: $29,963, including interest accrued
The New Ministry over the past three years has received 3 grants from the Rocky Mountain Synod and ELCA to be used to explore new ministries at Mount Tabor. Several members have contributed specifically to the New Ministry.

Expenses Incurred: $2,746
Various expenses were incurred during the time of investigation of building renovation: asbestos consultation, moving contents, disposing of some items and cleaning out the upstairs. Other expenses included fees for submitting permits, payment to Liberty Mutual for reinstating property insurance and supplies for the new ministry hospitality items.

Financial Transactions from the New Ministry account:
Several monetary transactions occurred to facilitate the initial engagement of the contractor Stonybrook Homes for the proposed remodel of the second floor for homeless family housing. $40,000 was sent to the contractor as a downpayment on 6/5/25. The $40,000 was made up of $25,000 from Endowment & Memorials and $15,000 from New Ministry accounts. $39,139.54 was returned to Mount Tabor on 9/8/25 from the contractor. $860.46 was subtracted from the $40,000 to cover permit fees. $25,000 was returned to Endowment & Memorials on 9/21/25.