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A Monday Morning at St. JamesWow, a lot goes on around our campus! RIght now from my office window, I see men on the tower roof making repairs (no more debris falling down onto the pews on Sunday), HVAC trucks here to replace the defunct A/C unit in the Great Hall and a water engineer looking at our site in preparation for the work we'll be doing next spring on our parking lot. It's never dull at St. James! At the center of this work is Carol Burns, our Director of Finance and Operations. Carol organizes, documents, and keeps track of what work is coming and what's needed next. Gutters, flushed pipes, HVAC maintenance, roof and small masonry repairs: Carol. Thanks to those on the Buildings and Grounds Committee (which is looking for more members) and especially its chair, James Fawcett, for staying on top of all this work, too. And of course, our Renew & Revitalize Committee is busy laying the groundwork for our upcoming larger projects. Looking for a moment at the bigger picture, we're one of many Episcopal churches throughout the country with considerable campus and infrastructure to maintain. These buildings were the gift of prior generations, who poured heart and soul--and quite a lot of money--into making this church what it is today. We're grateful for their passion and the legacies they left. Many congregations today struggle to maintain these grand campuses, and we're no exception. Thankfully those prior generations at St. James also created (over time) a modest endowment to help, but keeping our annual endowment draw under 6% so that the endowment is there for future generations, too, makes it difficult to adequately address the needs of such a large physical plant. Our leadership--both on the diocesan and parish level--is mindful of the big picture, and we're taking steps to address these issues. (1) With money raised from our Capital Campaign (woohoo!), we're embarking on some large and necessary capital improvements next year, which will relieve the budget of all the growing costs associated with drainage and water damage. (2) We're applying for a grant from Trinity Church Wall Street's "Gift of Place" Program, which, if we qualify, will give us access to professionals who can help us create a sustainable model for our campus. That could mean shrinking our footprint, using our buildings more wisely, and other possible solutions large and small to help put us on a path that'll carry us for another 175 years. (3) We're trying to do a better job of both anticipating, and "phasing" projects--as in, projecting out 10, 20, even 30 years what projects await and when we'll need to do them. For example, the water engineer stopped by today to show me what she suggests for our entire back campus--a problem area that is not included in our capital campaign, but that I realize needs to be addressed within the next 10-15 years. She also walked me past the crumbling stone stairways on the south end, also not part of our capital campaign but that needs to be on our list of phased projects. A combination of future capital campaigns for larger projects and just better routine maintenance--of our masonry, our roof, window maintenance and repair--will reduce the panic (and expense!) of discovering something needs work only once the situation is desperate. We need to keep in mind, though, that phasing projects requires being organized and having excellent institutional memory. That's a challenge for any church where leadership turns over on a regular basis. We're addressing this, too. Did I think I'd be doing any of this when studying Biblical exegesis in seminary 25 years ago? Definitely not!! Did you think this came with the package when you first walked into our church seeking spiritual solace? I highly doubt it :) But spiritual growth happens even, sometimes especially, in the business of life. In the Episcopal Church, these conversations are considered sacred too--and we'll do all we can to give them the time and prayerful attention they deserve. Thank you for reading this and staying engaged! |
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Last Call for Gala Tickets!Get your tickets!! This is a once-in-a-lifetime St. James event! Ticket price includes: • Open bar and plenty of catered food throughout the Church and Great Hall • Time with and an Opening Address from the Popham descendants • Great music! With guests and friends of St. James Dakota Martin, Keiji Ishiguri, and our very own Victoria Shields and her husband curating the event's music • Fun, fellowship, in the beauty of our space. Come kick of the Anniversary Year with us! |
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Grave Price IncreasesThe Graveyard at St. James the Less is a treasure--a place of solemnity and grief, but also joy, worship, and history. It's an "active graveyard," meaning not only that we still bury people there today, but also that it's part of the life of our parish all year long, from egg hunts to Sunday services to commemorations on Memorial and Veterans' Day. Pledging members of St. James the Less are eligible to buy plots in our graveyard. The Graveyard Board decided to raise prices for plots effect January 1st, 2025. Buy before then at the current, lower price. Price increases will be as follows: • $6,000 for Full Casket Plots (currently $5,000) • $2,500 for Resurrection Garden Plots (currently $2,000) • Niches will stay the same at $3,000 • Prices for non-parishioners (with approval from the Rector) are x2 Buy before January 1 at the current rates. If you're interested and/or want to learn more, fill out the very brief form below and someone will be in touch. |
