Stories from Our Customers
Immanuel United Church of Christ, Louisville, KY
From the initial notification of roof damage, on line, timely appointments to evaluate the damage all went well. Temporary roof repairs were authorized adjuster and roofer communicated to insure all damage was covered. Roofing replacement will not start until warmer weather but interior repair will start immediately.
First payment has been received and we are expecting all to go well until the roof is completely repaired and final payment is received.
All Insurance Board employees, Insurance Adjusters, Insurance Agent employees have been most helpful.
First Presbyterian Church, Elk Rapids
Thanks for another enlightening and refreshing experience! Our Personnel Ministry Team, Staff, and others have been provided with summaries and links with strong suggestions to explore your Safety Solutions.
Many thanks for helping us to do the right things for the right reasons!
Jim Nothoff
Pilgrimage United Church of Christ, Marietta, Georgia
Our Agent Cindy was helpful with the process we went through in updating our policies. We were able to discuss ideas with her for our new facility use agreement and get her feedback based on her knowledge. We also had the opportunity recently to meet her in person at the Southeast Conference meeting.
Lee M Fadeley, Council Moderator
Carversville Christian Church, UCC
Said of and to Jack Owens, the IB adjuster assigned to the church. “I have enjoyed working with you on this project. You have been very professional, communicative, and forthright in your interaction with our church, and while this certainly has been a trying event for us, your skills and knowledge have made it easier for the Church to collect the proper funds due under the provisions of our insurance policy. All of us here thank you for your efforts. This actually has been a very positive experience for us after the horrible experience of the fire. The church building is in great shape after the restoration, and we have upgraded the building now to meet the modern building code.”
Bill Brown, Ex-project Manager & Current Trustee
Trinity Reformed Church, United Church of Christ, Collegeville, PA
When a wind storm that preceded Hurricane Irene brought down power lines, resulting in the church’s sump pumps not being able to operate and 27″ of water flooded the heater room, I placed a call to the Insurance Board and received an immediate response by phone that provided information for submitting the required forms which were available online and also arrived in the mail a short time later. Within days an estimate from the company that services our heating and A/C systems was accepted, approval to make the necessary repairs and install replacement parts was given, and a check to cover the cost arrived in the mail. I was amazed by the response time and cannot say enough about the concern and courtesy of the staff. You can be sure that I will tell this story to others and praise the work of our denomination’s Insurance Board. Thank you for your service to us!
Rev. Martha B. Kriebel
Woodfords Congregation Church
Woodfords Congregational Church in Portland Maine, was built in 1926 and was later expanded in 1954. In the Fall of 2021, there was a flood that resulted in water entering the building through the City Water System in the oldest part of the building and into the furnace room. And though the building was routinely serviced and inspected, the overflow valve malfunctioned. Upon realization of the water damage, they called their Insurance Board agent Jeff McDonnell to file a claim. The process of filing a claim, documenting the damage and taking pictures began. After contacting Insurance Board, a Claim Adjuster promptly visited the property to further inspect the damage. There were discussions about replacements and repairs, for a very old system, during the pandemic which added complications
In the case for Woodfords Congregational Church, “our building was shut down and the staff was not readily on-site due to the pandemic.” However, Robin and her team persevered to provide the necessary documents. When speaking of her experience with Insurance Board Robin said the team was “very helpful,” and that she had “no criticism as the process was very straightforward and our agent was supportive and understanding.”
Woodfords Congregational Church had a large claim as there were many areas affected by the flood. There were plumbing issues, and rewiring that was needed, and the building was completely shut down for over a year. The Woodfords Congregational Church is a large UCC Church and had approximately 1500 members at one time.
“We were well supported by the Insurance Board representative and were pleased with how this all worked out despite unusual circumstances of a major water incident during the pandemic, disruption to the supply chain and the inability to get the parts needed for repairs and replacement.”
Robin Carter
Pilgrimage United Church of Christ, Marietta, Georgia
Various online resources have been helpful, many of which we have received from our IB Agent. Over the last 14 months we have utilized over a dozen resources like the Loss Control manual, the self-inspection checklist for ministries and the Financial Controls & Best Practices that have helped us with financial internal controls. Our Chair of Communications is developing a central electronic document storage site for our Council Members to reference the digital repository of documents, videos and information from your site, which has been helpful.
Lee M Fadeley, Council Moderator
First Presbyterian Church Wetumpka
In January of 2019, unfortunately, a tornado passed through and destroyed the church building, and with it a part of the history of the Wetumpka community. Though disappointed and saddened at the tremendous loss, the Leadership Team of the church made immediate contact with their Insurance Board agent, Don Taylor, who promptly began the process of submitting the claim.
Lee Borders, an Elder of the Church, encourages anyone who may face a future claim to, “Be proactive by putting together a list of the things you know were lost. Be realistic, honest and remember that your church is not a building, but it’s the people.”
When speaking of their experience with the claims process overall, Lee said “We couldn’t be happier with the responsiveness of Insurance Board. They were incredibly easy to work with from the start. We built trust and while you can’t rebuild history, we were pleased that with the help of Insurance Board Representatives, we were able to rebuild our church to look as much like the original as possible.”
Lee Borders
First Congregational Church of Vernon
The church has been very pleased with the water sensor system from Insurance Board. Tom Sweet from The First Congregational Church of Vernon referred to the IB water sensor as a “Godsend” for their church building. According to Tom, the basement is not checked frequently unless someone goes down there. When the heavy rains marched across Vernon, CT in July of 2021, the basement at the church was beginning to flood. The sensors detected the presence of water in the basement and issued an alert. They were able to vacuum the 1.5 inches of water out of the basement and preserve their documents on the shelving units. It might’ve been a few days before someone noticed had it not been for the sensors per Tom.
Additional heavy rain in September of 2021 resulted in water in the basement of The First Congregational Church of Vernon once again. This time, the basement water was getting high quickly and the new heating system was at risk. With the alert from the sensor system and quick actions from members of the church, they pumped the water out and saved the heating system.The church has since invested in a sump pump and combined with the IB water sensors; they feel protected. Tom and his Insurance Board representative, Michael Krause, have been in contact and both believe the water sensors have helped mitigate risk at their ministry and have installed additional sensors on the main floor.
Speaking of their Agent, Tom shared that they have an excellent relationship with Michael Krause, and they can’t say enough about him. “He’s quick to respond.”
When asked about the installation of the IB water sensor at FCCV, Tom mentioned the process was quick and easy and their administrative assistant was able to install it with a few quick steps. Tom adds: “Works great, simple to use, we are pleased with the system, well worth it. If you’re not activating it, I don’t know why.”
Tom Sweet
ST. THOMAS UCC IN CHESTERFIELD, MO
Thank you so much for your help in this matter. We are very grateful for the coverage that we have through the Insurance Board. It is a blessing not to have to hassle over these claims as happens with other carriers.
When a recent tornado touched down slightly on our church property, we were very grateful that none of our buildings received any damage. However, we had extensive damage to our outdoor garden sanctuary, our playground had been swept away and several very large trees were blocking our hilltop drive.
The beautiful old trees had given shade and beauty to our Garden Sanctuary protecting us a little whenever it began to sprinkle and giving us time to move inside. We were heartsick when we thought about all the clean-up and repair that was needed and what it was going to cost our little church.
But the Insurance Board came through for us in a big way. We contacted our agent and were immediately assured that our claim would be handled without delay.
Sure enough, the reimbursement check arrived within the month and we were able to repair the damage. We are certain that no other carrier would have covered our claim so completely.
At one point we had contemplated acquiring cheaper insurance from another source, but today we are sure that we made the right decision when we chose to keep our account with the Insurance Board.
You had come through for us in the past when we had hail damage to our roof. Now, with this tornado damage covered so quickly it is obvious to us that it is just good church management to stay with our own Insurance Board.
Together we are better!
Rev. Margaret Philip, Pastor