Current Projects
Renovation Celebration
The community is invited to an open house at United Churches following the completion of our solar project on Tuesday, September 15, at 3 p.m.
Solar project partners, Olympia Community Solar and South Sound Solar, will have information available on how solar power works. The open house includes light refreshments.
The current building was dedicated in 1951 and needed significant electrical and efficiency upgrades to prepare it for future generations. The 107 solar panels across the church’s roof are expected to produce 59,000 kilowatts of clean, renewable electricity per year.
The additional battery storage system can continue to power the building for 4 days during cloudy conditions and infinite days under sunny conditions during grid outages. The system will provide power for the church’s social hall and kitchen; spaces to serve as an emergency shelter during disasters.
United’s solar project received funding from the Clean Energy Community Grants program, which is supported by Washington’s Climate Commitment Act and administered by the Washington State Department of Commerce.
The solar project is the final step in major system improvements at United Churches that included:
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Installing a new energy-efficient heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system that replaced an old steam boiler.
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Installing an elevator to connect the main and lower levels of the church and improve accessibility for all who use the building.
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Making electrical upgrades for the new HVAC system and elevator and integrating the solar panel system into the building’s electrical system.
“Our project goal was to align our building to more fully reflect our values of being more accessible, welcoming and environmentally sustainable,” said Rev. Lara Crutsinger-Perry, pastor of The United Churches of Olympia. “We thank all of our construction partners and grant funder for making our dream a reality.”
For questions, please contact:
Contemporary Art Commission
The United Churches of Olympia is commissioning a work of art that demonstrates our congregation’s values as a place where Spirituality and Justice meet. We are interested in a contemporary, 2-dimensional work reflecting that we are an inclusive spiritual community that welcomes all people.
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We are seeking new work that is between 900 sq inches and 2,116 sq inches (no smaller than 30” by 30” and no larger than 46’’ by 46’’). The selected work will be displayed in the entryway of the church. Selection of the artist will be based on responses to the Proposal Application which includes the artist's qualifications. Please read the Guidelines for specific instructions on how to apply.
​​Selection Information
Evaluation: All responses received by the deadline of March 1, 2026 will be evaluated by the United Churches Artist Selection Committee. Artists chosen by the review panel will be invited to move forward to personal review.
Honorarium
​The selected artist will be awarded an honorarium of $2,000.
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Application and Guidelines - CLOSED
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​For questions, please email: art@theunitedchurches.org