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Building A Legacy of Faith [Update 12-15-2007] |
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Saturday, 15 December 2007 |
By guest columnist: Berney Kirkland
January 5, 2008, is the feast of our patron saint, and it will be remembered as an historic date in the life of St. John Neumann Parish. On the 5th, we will kick off an ambitious, but doable, campaign to build new worship, meeting, and fellowship space for the members of our faith community.
We call it “ambitious” because our needs are great and our resources are limited. Still, we say it’s “doable” because our parishioners are numerous and generous, and in each one of them lies the potential success of this important campaign. We call it “Building a Legacy of Faith.” Through BLF, we are working to provide adequate facilities for the many aspects of our vibrant faith community in response to God’s command that we serve Him and His people.
As chair of the communications committee and a long-time member of the parish, I am honored to be representing Monsignor David P. Talley today. He asked me to use his usual space in the bulletin to begin telling the story of this momentous time at SJN. What an exciting story it is!
While previous building campaigns were marked by fits and starts, this time we have all the necessary elements to be successful. 1. We have the right plan… one that SJN parishioners helped develop. Great care was taken to hear and incorporate what you want in our new parish home. 2. We have the right leader. In Monsignor David we have a credible, capable, and caring shepherd to guide us in this effort. 3. Now is the right time. You can already sense excitement building around this campaign! The parish survey shows that people believe this is what we need to do, and they want to be a part of making it happen.
As parishioners have the chance to learn more about BLF, no doubt that enthusiasm will grow! That’s why today’s message is the first of many you will see throughout the campaign. The goal of the communications committee (Jan Carlson, Sherry Johnson, John LeBlanc, Mary Lou Schwaner, Karla Somers, and I) is to keep you updated every step of the way, because your involvement and confidence in the project are essential to its success.
So here’s a quick look at where we are to date…
- Monsignor David assembled a Steering Committee for BLF this fall. Its mission statement reads: “As the Steering Committee for the ‘Building a Legacy of Faith’ campaign at St. John Neumann Parish, we prayerfully and humbly come together to provide leadership and oversight for the project, make the necessary decisions for moving it to successful completion, ensure open and ongoing communication with parishioners throughout the project, and serve as worthy stewards of the treasure the parish family has entrusted to our care.”
- Steering Committee members are Monsignor David; co-chair Joe Creighton; Frs. Young and Armando; Deacons Gary Womack. Mike Byrne and, Greg Ollick; Joe Augustine; Stark Harbour; Dennis Kelly; Berney Kirkland; Dave Krysiek; Bill Marten; Patti Miller, Jay Wolverton and Hilda Zamora.
- Last month the Steering Committee hired a consulting firm to direct our fundraising effort. Guidance in Giving has joined our team and is already laying the ground work for the financial aspects of BLF. We’ll introduce Darren Moore, our on-site campaign director, in an upcoming bulletin. There will be much more news to share as GiG gets the funding campaign underway.
- Since Building a Legacy of Faith officially begins on January 5, Monsignor David has closed the funding campaign on the building program that was launched in 2004. Contributions to that campaign remain in a parish account and give us a strong start on the BLF campaign. All pledges to the previous program are considered complete now. In a personal letter, Monsignor has thanked those who contributed to the previous effort, and has invited them to continue their financial commitment under the banner of Building a Legacy of Faith.
- Work is progressing on the architectural design of our new church. Talk about generating excitement! Architect Terry Biglow meets on a regular basis with the Design Review Committee to ensure that his design meets our expectations— and fits our budget. Watch the bulletin and SJN webpage for news as the design work continues.
In closing, many parishioners have been involved in the early stages of Building a Legacy of Faith. They are part of an exciting chapter in the history of SJN, and shapers of a promising future for our parish. News about them and their work will appear in future bulletins, so stay tuned!
Berney Kirkland
Chair, Communications Committee
Building a Legacy of Faith
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