December 6, 2023

Friends in Christ,

It’s been a long time coming, but I am writing to you today to celebrate that construction on the basement of our new structure will begin sometime in the week of December 11. It has been an immensely long journey, and there are many steps and obstacles between now and the end of this project, but for today, I hope you will rejoice with me that we have reached a critical milestone and give thanks to God for bringing us this far.

In celebration of this momentous occasion, we will be having a short prayer and groundbreaking litany directly following both services this coming Sunday morning. Come and share in this exciting moment, and if you’re not able to attend, please make a point to light a candle or say a prayer of thanksgiving for the many people who have brought this to pass.

In particular, I would like to make sure to thank our wardens, Brooke Frizzell and Vince Katter, our current vestry as well as the previous vestries and wardens who have been working toward this moment for the last three years. I would also like to thank the members of the building committee as well as the members of the capital campaign committee and Jane Shero, its chairperson. We have been well served in our partnerships with Michael DeMichele, Adam Arndt of Catalyst Construction, and Andrew Lasca and Jim Shields of HGA, our architecture firm. A special thank you also goes out to Caroline Senn, chief financial officer of the Diocese and Jason Shimko, our treasurer—both of whom have put in hours of highly skilled expertise to create a financial scaffolding for this project, as well as Fr. Scott Leannah, canon to the ordinary of this diocese for his unflinching support. We also thank Gina Spang, our owner’s representative for her work supporting us. And we would all be remiss if we did not thank Sara Bitner for her constant and highly skilled administrative and communications support these last three years.

My friends, I know there is still a long way to go, but I find that I cannot worry too much about the future when I see how ably God has brought us to this moment. My spirits are light, and I am so grateful for all of your prayers, your financial support, your expertise, and your willingness to tackle a project of this size for the sake of the future of the church. Thank you for your bravery and your vision.

Ad Dei gloriam! To the glory of God!

Ian+
(Fr. Burch)