"Seats & Feet"

In the summer of 2016, our General Contractor projected the cost of our renovation at $2.8 million dollars.  At the end of 2018, we asked him to update that estimate so that we could seek final approval from Archbishop Sartain to begin the renovation of the church in mid-May of this year.  We expected that the cost would increase in that two-and-a-half year period, but the amount of the increase was far more than we expected due to significant escalation in the cost of labor and materials, a higher sales tax rate, and changes that needed to be made in the scope of the project to meet current Kitsap County building requirements and safety regulations.

The contractor’s new estimate for our renovation was $3.6 million dollars.  That amount took our breath away as I’m sure it does yours.  During our original town hall information meetings, we were asked what we would do if there was a significant increase in the cost of our project that we could not fully fund.  We indicated that if that happened, we would reduce the scope of the project to bring the cost in line with what our parish could responsibly afford, but that the renovation would proceed forward.  Two major items have been identified that will be deferred to a later time in the future that will bring the price tag for the renovation down to a dollar amount that we can responsibly support at this time.  Those items are the finishing of the floors and the purchasing of new pews. Deferring these items now brings the projected cost of our project to approximately $3.2 million dollars.  We will continue to use the existing pews in our renovated church and finish the floors when we are able to do so.

For nearly fifty years, the members of our parish family have prayed, worshipped, and celebrated the sacraments together in good times and bad times, in joy and in sorrow within our church building.  We have loved and supported one another, shared countless spiritual experiences and made treasured memories that will never be forgotten.  We give thanks with grateful hearts for all of God’s blessings to us over these many years.  To dignify the past sacrifices and honor the memories of those who came before us, we must now offer our sacrifice to meet the needs of and create lasting memories for this generation and for generations to come. To realize this bold vision to remodel our church building our Capital Campaign will call upon our parish community to raise $2.8 million.   For the success of our campaign, we are asking every parish family to make a sacrificial gift on the basis of “equal sacrifice, not equal gifts" to be payable over a three-year commitment. Before you decide on the amount of your gift, please prayerfully consider the generosity that God has shown you, the importance of the mission we have been given, and the significant returns that God promises to the cheerful giver.

Campaign Literature