Megan Weiss, director of marketing and development for United Zion Retirement Community (UZRC), cannot contain her exuberance over the remodeling project the organization is preparing to undertake. "I am just so excited for this project," she said. "It is going to be so great for the residents."

The project, scheduled to begin in March, will relocate the UZRC chapel from its present spot near the Lexington apartments and Lexington dining room to the current activity room just behind the reception area. "The change here is that the chapel will now be right in the heart of the home and right as you come in the main entrance," Weiss explained. The construction will also include a porte cochere outside the reception area to provide shelter for those entering the building.

"(The chapel) really gives residents and their families a space to gather as a community; to explore and feel comforted by their faith; to enjoy music, performances, and education talks," said Weiss. The new chapel, which will seat about 125, will be used regularly for daily devotions, Sunday worship services, Bible study, and choir.

Weiss credited current UZRC CEO Sue Verdegem with the vision for the project. "The fact that we had outgrown the chapel space has been discussed for at least the last couple years," said Weiss, who referenced the need to complete a recent renovation to the health care area of the community before beginning this project. "Leadership and the board began discussing how we could best use the space this freed up as well as address the space concerns with the chapel," she said, noting that the chapel is phase two of a two-year project that previously enlarged dining space for personal care and residential living.

The current chapel was built 50 years ago, when the organization served only about half the 170 residents it does today. The renovations will offer a larger worship space and lobby improvements to cut down on drafts and discomfort when entering and exiting, but it will not change the footprint of the building.

To accumulate the $1 million necessary to complete the project, UZRC has begun a fundraising campaign called Heart of the Home. UZRC is a Life Plan Community located at 722 Furnace Hills Pike, Lititz. The home's history dates back more than 100 years to a time when a local family began taking in area residents in need in accordance with the family's Christian faith. That faith is still in evidence today, according to UZRC resident Betty Pesce, who said, "The chapel is a place we can connect more intimately with our God, and at this time in our lives that connection and closeness with Christ becomes even more important."

Paul Risk Construction has been contracted to complete the project. Readers who would like to know more about the Heart of the Home campaign may visit http://www.uzrc.org/giving/heart or email marketing@uzrc.org.