The votes are in, and the congregation of the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tamaqua is moving forward.

That’s after the church’s planning committee agreed to move forward with $726,000 in exterior renovations to the church at 101 N. Greenwood St.Decision to renovateA proposal for action was written last year to contract with DeGruchy Masonry of Quakertown to make repairs to the exterior masonry of the building along with a proposal to improve parking availability and improve access for handicapped individuals.Another committee was appointed to consider the options of repairing the building or moving to a new location.That committee presented its report during a special congregational meeting earlier this month and a vote was taken, according to Jim McRoberts, chairman of the planning committee and member of the church council.McRoberts said the results showed that 95 percent of those participating voted to stay in the current building.Many felt that moving would be too costly. But staying in a building requiring exterior repairs would be costly, too.The need to renovateMcRoberts said the exterior restoration project is split up into four phases.The first phase restores the west wall along Greenwood Street, which has taken the most beating, while phases 2-4 involve the church’s two towers and the area in between them on Mauch Chunk Street.When the church was built in the late 1920s, concrete cast stone was used as sills and molding around windows where more costly limestone should have been used. The original concrete cast stone was of poor quality and began failing not too many years after the building was finally completed in the late 1940s. Repairs were also made to the exterior in the mid-1970s.Along with peeling pieces of masonry around the building’s doors and windows, concrete is also deteriorating at roof level.The people who installed a new roof about 10 years ago reported that they were unable to attach some of the flashing because the stonework was in terrible shape.The new roof stopped many leaks, but water is still entering the church through the area where the roof meets the stone walls of the building. Door and window casings have further deteriorated and numerous leaks have developed.ProposalThe plan is to begin to repair the entire west wall of the building this month and October to preserve the extensive interior restoration, which was accomplished by church volunteers over the summer.“We’re anxious to get it started,” McRoberts said. “We’re anxious to get it done this fall.”The plan is to cover the restoration cost with $30,000 from the improvement fund and the remaining $128,000 is to be covered by a loan from the congregation’s endowment fund.The congregation is applying now for loans from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America Mission Investment Fund and the Northeast PA Synod for up to $600,000.A capital campaign will be conducted during the months of October and November, and its success will determine how much more repair improvement and renovation can be done after calculation of the amortization of the MIF loan and a possible loan from their synod. A chairman for a capital campaign, as well as campaign committee members, have been identified and will be approved by church council.If the campaign is successful, the balance of the exterior repair could be completed in April, May and June.The total cost of the project is about $726,000, said McRoberts, who added that church leaders hope to have the project finished by Sept. 1, 2017, depending on funding.Vision for the churchThe congregation’s current membership is 351 people.McRoberts said that Zion was once the largest and most active Lutheran congregations in the county, and is committed to restoring itself as a leading congregation in northeast Pennsylvania.“We want to double our membership and budget by 2026,” he said.After four years of leadership by two interim pastors, Zion has a vicar who will hopefully become the congregation’s full-time pastor.McRoberts said Cindy White has been appointed by Bishop Samuel Zeiser to be a full-time vicar with all the rights and responsibilities of a pastor until she is ordained in early 2017. White is currently completing her course work at Gettysburg Theological Seminary.At a time when churches are closing, Zion Lutheran Church continues to broaden its plans for the future, White said.“We want to let the people know we’re taking care of our building and expanding our community service,” she said. “God’s inclusive love for all people is what Zion is all about to serve here, the community and the world.”