Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you. Amen. – St. Thomas Aquinas
Can you believe that it has been 100 straight weeks of updates on our Capital Campaign? From the introduction we began with nearly two years ago, we have not missed a week to communicate to you what our vision is for the future of our church and how we will be taking care of our heritage as a Parish Family. There were a few times where we may have diverged from this focus to relate other insights, like during the Paris attacks or on the anniversary of 9/11, but we have attempted to ensure all of you who have given generously to St. John with your time, talent and treasure can see the fruits of your labor. The Build Our Future, Serve our Past campaign has been a tremendous success, and we still have a full year plus to go in order to achieve all our goals together.
One item that we asked for your feedback on was the new naming convention for the rooms of our campus. Aside from rooms that have naming opportunities, we wanted to have a consistent way to name the rooms that we all will be inhabiting here. Those names should speak to our Catholic identity, but should also be approachable for all our guests, no matter who they are or what they believe in. Thank you all for your feedback and suggestions. We have decided to name the main rooms of the campus with cities from the New Testament. The option was chosen by our Buildings and Grounds Council after discussion of all the potential choices. There are some possible focal areas. Perhaps we use the cities of the steps of Saint Paul, or the cities that framed Jesus’ ministry? The only caveat for the names is that they must be short and easily pronounceable, so that it can be simple for someone to say, “We are meeting in the Rome Room”, for example. It would be harder to say, “We are meeting in the Amphipolis Room”. If you have any suggestions of specific cities, please let me know. We will need at least 6, replacing the Seminar Room, Library, Choir Room and Adult Meeting Space, while needing new names for the Multi-Purpose rooms of the Life Center.
There are, however, still several naming opportunities for the Life Center that you could consider, if you are looking for a Christmas gift for a loved one that will last forever. Those include the multi-purpose room, the gymnasium, and the café. If you have any questions, please contact Joe Lichwalla, the Campaign Coordinator at 239-495-2001 or email: [email protected].
You can also learn more information about our Capital Campaign at: http://www.sjecc.com/future