UPDATE REGARDING OUR PARISH'S FUTURE
Thanks to the dedicated stewardship of St John's people, as of Jan 18, our parish became debt free. Because of our people's faithful tithing in their Sunday offering and many people's hard work in various fundraisers, we just paid off the $100,000 loan from the diocese that was given us just over two years ago to purchase the Blue Springs Rd property. This now leaves us free to move forward to meet our physical plant needs.
Recently, a new committee was formed in response to the listening sessions last year and the all parish meetings in November, called the Facilities Committee. They have been looking in great detail at the financial issues involved if we keep our current buildings and Finance Council have researched the cost of building new. Some have asked why any more discussion was necessary since they understood that "the parish already made the decision to build new facilities." In fact, however, an architect's picture of a possible new St John that some have seen, was only a concept picture. Many details that will be involved in any direction we go with our buildings had not been explored yet before Fr Steve came last June, and so he asked for that information. Then we also held listening sessions so that the fullest possible input from our people could also be part of the information our leadership would use to make the decision.
After we have all of the best input we can gather from our people and the detailed info from the facilities committee as well as our finance council, then the pastor and parish and finance councils make the decision about the building that we want to do, and then ask for permission from the Archbishop, who makes the final decision.
According to diocesan policy, until we became debt free, we could not have even asked for permission for a major capital campaign and for the diocesan loan we will likely need to add to our own parish's campaign funds, in order to have enough money to meet the total cost of our building needs. Now we can ask for permission.
Now, as promised at the November 07 all parish meetings, we will hold another opportunity for our people to communicate about the more detailed financial facts we have gathered. At all the Masses (and in the bulletin) on the weekend of Feb 9-10, Fr Steve and a member of our Finance Council will report to the parish all the details that have been gathered regarding what will be involved in either of the two directions: keeping or building. As part of this presentation, a written survey will be taken of our views on which direction the parish needs to go. Right after each Mass, any of our people who wish to stay and respond to the report may do so in the hall in the back of Church. The results of the survey of each congregation will also be quickly tallied after Mass and reported at the meeting. The finance and parish councils will then use the input from the meetings in the Fall and the Feb 9-10 meetings and surveys to make their decision at their meetings in February, as to which direction we want to go. Fr Steve will ask the Archbishop for permission to move in that direction.
Please continue to pray that our parish is open to the guidance of the Spirit as we plan our future to!
gether.
February 17th Update
