Our Path So Far: how our 2012 Master Plan is driving our 2018 survey on new construction

Our Path So Far

A proposal for a new Community Center? It’s all part of our Master Plan.

In 2012, the Church of Saint Mary formed a priority planning team to determine the direction of the parish. The process included a series of listening sessions in 2013, interviews of church staff and lay leaders, and a space analysis. Three priority areas were identified: facilities, formation, and service and outreach. The bottom-line goal: to enable parishioners to engage more fully in their faith.

The feedback made the first priority clear – enhancing our worship space – and a Facilities Committee was formed in 2013. The sanctuary was renovated in 2015 and the church flooring replaced in 2017.

As we look to tackle the next Master Plan priorities, we are guided by the Pastor’s Team and a Building Committee to help determine the scope of any possible new construction. Nabholz Construction has been selected to be the parish’s construction manager if the project moves forward.

 

Our Challenge

Our faith community is growing, and much of that is coming from families with children under age 5 and adults in the 31-40 age group. How wonderful! This growth, as well as the increasing and diverse needs of our parishioners, brings with it some challenges:

• Our vibrant outreach ministry needs more room to serve its clients. It shares counseling rooms, waiting rooms and a pantry with other ministry offices.
• Our parish organizations need more space for meetings.
• A more expansive gathering space and a new kitchen are needed to accommodate events such as larger parish celebrations and funerals, wedding receptions and anniversary celebrations.
• We anticipate a rise in the number of youngsters participating in our youth program, and we need to make room for that growth.
• Our choirs and music ministries need a dedicated space.

We are considering a capital campaign to address these challenges with the building of a new Community Center and other construction, and we are asking all parishioners to weigh in through a planning study.

 

 

Our vision

The elements include:

• A parish hall capable of handling larger parish and school gatherings, classes and events, including wedding receptions and anniversary parties, with an upgraded kitchen for cooking and catering. The new hall would accommodate those with hearing and mobility issues and would mean fewer disruptions for school activities in the gym.
• A youth ministry space for middle and high school activities and events such as Vacation Bible School, movie showings and larger retreats, plus for school and religious education needs, especially during the day.
• Space for outreach ministries serving parishioners and the community, plus possible expansion of our food pantry, counseling rooms and educational facilities.
• A music room and choir practice area. is space would o er music groups a dedicated space for practice and opportunities for additional groups to form.
• Relocated offices. Staff offices now housed in the Annex would be relocated to either new or existing space, aiding administrative functions and improving meeting and storage spaces.

 

Your Voice

Please join us in this exciting endeavor by participating in our campaign planning study, which is a critical first step in planning for a successful capital campaign. Over the next several weeks, we will be asking everyone in the Saint Mary parish family to participate in the study. Your feedback will be invaluable in helping us develop a strategy to ensure a successful campaign. Thank you for your prayers, support and participation in this crucial planning process.

Will you help us? Go to http://www.steiergroup.com/survey, click on Church of Saint Mary and enter password SAINTMARY.