Since changing our parish logo several years ago, I feel confident that everyone now associates the “trademark” blue eagle carrying a scroll in its talons with St. John the Evangelist. The idea in making this change was to create a “brand” for our parish which was easily recognizable to anyone that happened to see our logo, regardless of where they were. Everyone can attest to the power of “branding” and I don’t need to give too many examples, however, one that I am sure everyone is familiar with would be “Apple Incorporated” with the logo of an apple with a bite taken out. We have worked diligently to incorporate our logo on every piece of literature, post it notes, pens, signs and everything else you can imagine. The new church front doors, which will be installed later in July, will have our logo etched in glass in the middle panel of each door. One of the branding techniques I have been most proud of is the car magnets that were introduced at Family Fun and Ministry Day. Nothing brings me more pleasure than seeing our logo on cars driving all over the Naples area and beyond. A few weeks ago I was at the car wash at Sam’s Club and on the door of the car wash was our magnet proudly displaying St. John the Evangelist. If you have yet to pick up a magnet for your vehicle, they are available at no cost in the gift boutique in church or in the parish office. Please pick one up and show your support for this amazing parish. We also would be more than happy to give you a pen and post-it note pad with our logo. Simply ask for one when you are in the parish office. Thank you to those who are doing your part to promote our parish in the community.
Due to the fact that our new Loop hearing system was only installed a week ago, many of you may not have had a chance to take advantage of this new technology. For those who did utilize the new system at Mass this past weekend, I am sure you were amazed. Included in this bulletin is a brief Q & A regarding the new loop system. Remember that you may check out a portable hearing device from the sacristy if you do not have a hearing aid but are hard of hearing. If you have further questions about Looping, please contact Complete Hearing Solutions at www.CompleteHearingSolutions.org or call 727.260.3488.
I feel it safe to say that we have now settled into the summer doldrums even though summer just began this past week. Attendance has substantially tapered off and contributions to the CFA have also decreased dramatically. We are still in great shape due to the early outpouring of generosity through the first six months of the campaign. As I have stated on numerous occasions, let us strive to not just meet our goal this year, but rather substantially exceed our goal. Thank you in advance for your continued support of the Catholic Faith Appeal.
This Sunday officially marks the end of our fiscal year (July 1 – June 30.) To say that we had a great year would certainly be an understatement with regards to the finances of the parish. Once we have completely closed the books for the fiscal year, I will publish a complete financial statement recognizing my aforementioned remarks. This past year, we were able to make numerous capital improvements on campus while operating within our budget. A few of these improvements include the installation of a new lighting system, three new AC units in the Parish Life Center, Metasys control system for all utilities on campus, fiber optic connection between the church and PLC, renovation of the bathrooms in the PLC ballroom, “Lest we Forget” Veteran’s Memorial, fire hydrant replacement in the Memorial Garden and the replacement of over 100 markers in the Memorial Garden. Items budgeted for this upcoming fiscal year include the replacement of three additional AC units in the PLC, re-conditioning of the flat roofed areas of the PLC, new carpet in the PLC Classroom wing, surveillance system installation in the church and PLC, new front doors on the church, live streaming in the church and painting of the exterior of the rectory. There are many other smaller items which are not listed.
It is due to your extreme generosity that we are able to continually improve our campus and keep it at the level which you expect. Thank you to all of our parishioners for your continued support. We truly hope you appreciate the effort that we extend in order to keep our parish buildings and grounds top notch.
In His work together,
Scott Schlossberg, MBA, General Manager