St. John's Episcopal Church

Dear Parishioners of St. John’s,

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I still thank God daily for leading Pablo and me to St. John’s almost thirty years ago, for a multitude of reasons.  One reason that stands out to me today as I consider the Trinity Campaign is the significant impact this church family has had on my children. When we first joined, I didn’t think much about how the building came to be or who maintained it, being more concerned with the immediate needs of my family.  Now, as an empty nester, I have a far greater awareness and responsibility to maintain the building for the benefit of the many current and future members.

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Thanks to a dedicated and knowledgeable group of parishioners, we have a list of repairs that are needed to maintain the facility.  The largest and most concerning expense is the replacement of the Boiler and Chiller system, which has served us well, keeping us warm (sometimes too warm) in the winter and cool (sometimes too cool) in the summer for over 50 years.  As parts become harder to find and components require more frequent repair, it is clear that the time has come to replace the system. 

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Replacing the system is like one of those bummer home repairs where there’s nothing fun about it and you just have to do it. It would be so much more fun to go on vacation than deal with it!!!  But once done, we can remove it from the worry list for the next several decades, and enjoy the cleaner air, better temperature control and energy efficiency that will come with the new system.

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I have been asked by several parishioners, why would St. John’s begin a capital campaign after making such significant cuts to our operating budget?  For me, the answer lies in the many children I see filling the altar area for Matt’s children’s sermons.  I want them to have the same opportunities my children had, to learn and grow in Christ in a safe and pleasant space.  St. John’s is resilient and will bounce back from the recent budget cuts, and when it does, I want it to still be the welcoming and pleasant space it is today.

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I hope you will join me in generously contributing to this campaign, so St. John’s can continue to welcome people as they are, allowing them to engage in faith, for years to come. 

 

Shirley de la Canal

 

Trinity Campaign Chairperson

Trinity Campaign task force: Fred Alexander (Senior Warden), John Horn (Junior Warden), Bill Grant (Treasurer), Doug Burkhart, Janie McIntyre, Bob Nye, Dan Robertson