Jamestown, NY church dedicates newly renovated undercroft for community use

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Jamestown, NY, dedicated their newly remodeled undercroft yesterday with a service and reception. The renovation was done with the intent to make the space more inviting and pleasant for community use. “Often groups use a church basement and it feels like a basement, but our goal was to create a community center that would provide the ennobling and enriching physical environment you might expect from a church,” said Rev. Luke Fodor, priest at St. Luke’s. The renovation is the second stage of a three stage project, with the first stage being the construction of a parking lot, and the third being improvement of drainage to prevent water damage around the church. St. Luke’s began raising funds in September 2016, with a goal of one million, which they have almost reached. The basement had last been renovated in the 1950s, with only maintenance being done to it since. Now, with the renovation, the basement has conveniences like air conditioning and WiFi. St. Luke’s used primarily local companies for the construction. The space is used by several community groups, including a mental health support group and girl scout troops.