Dear Memorial Community:
We are writing to let you know about the exciting changes happening at Memorial as part of the Vestry’s vision for launching our 150th year.
As you may have heard in your recent Cottage Meetings discussions, efficient use of Memorial’s buildings has been a major concern for of many of us. The vestry has been looking critically at our space allocations for quite some time, beginning two years ago with the empanelling of a Space Allocation Committee and our receipt of its initial assessments and recommendations. Since that time, new developments have occurred, including the vestry’s July 2009 retreat at which we spent significant time identifying our vision for launching Memorial’s next 150 years. This vision included hiring our 150th Missioner, The Rev. Erv Brown, and having a more comprehensive stewardship plan for this year. During the fall, the vestry charged the Buildings and Grounds Committee to give us updated recommendations and a site plan for improved space allocations for the Samaritan Community, our Sunday School, parish programs, clergy and administrative offices, and for improved Internet access for our buildings. After we reviewed these plans, the Buildings and Grounds Committee was asked to identify costs and timelines for implementing these changes.
We are pleased to report that the first steps of this plan have been activated. Our entire physical plant now has wireless Internet access! This will provide greater efficiencies for all our programs and staff, and make our buildings even more useful for our greater community. We also identified more suitable office space in the Rectory Building for the 150th Missioner, for the Rector, for the parish administrator, and exciting spaces for our children’s Sunday School program. We began implementing the office space plan with Erv’s arrival in November, and in December we will complete the move of the Rector’s office to the Rectory. These new clergy offices will provide not only more respectable spaces for their daily activities, but they will provide you with much better locations for confidential pastoral conversations between you and your clergy. The next steps of the vestry’s plan will occur in early 2010 when we move the parish administrator to the Rectory Building. That move will provide for more efficient space for our parish’s administrative services, and greater space in the undercroft for the expanding ministry of the Samaritan Community.
These wonderful changes reflect the growing needs of our community and are the fruits of our capital campaign which created renovated space for large community events in the upper and lower parish halls. The vestry is pleased with the seamless implementation of these plans. Memorial is blessed with a physical plant that can accommodate the many ministries of our vibrant community and blessed to have room to launch our next 150 years of ministry. Thanks be to God!
In Christ,
Jesse and Martha+
NOTE: The parish phone number and extensions remain the same. When clergy appointments are made Martha+ and Erv+ will direct you how to enter the Rectory until Marilynn joins them in January 2010.
