St. John is a beautiful and supportive environment, focused on the growth of the faithful mission of our Catholic Church. In order to accomplish this tremendous feat for so many parishioners and the local community, it takes a tremendous amount of operations and infrastructure. From putting on over 4,000 events on an annual basis, to making sure each funeral or moment of reflection in our prayer garden, it takes many people dedicated to proactively managing and improving our buildings and grounds. Our Buildings and Grounds Council is the leading the charge to improve the spaces we have at St. John.
The scope of the Buildings and Grounds Council is to provide future direction, advice, and insight for the physical plant of Saint John the Evangelist, to include all buildings, the grounds, and all utilities therein. The focus should always be towards achieving the Mission of Saint John and enriching the faith of our Parish Family and visitors through the campus of Saint John.
The Council will meet quarterly to evaluate any long-term strategy planning that is required to provide such a large and complex environment with multiple purposes. The Council will advise the Pastor of Saint John, the General Manager, and the Facilities Manager on topics brought to the council by the clergy and staff, as well as develop an agenda for each meeting with a particular focus on a future initiative. The Council will be directly involved with the planning process for any new campus change and forecast needs that match the Mission of Saint John, including providing decision making support on Capital Planning and other subcommittees of Saint John, in conjunction with the Finance Council and Pastoral Stewardship Council. Suggestions for improvement of the current environment will also be part of the responsibility of the Buildings and Grounds Council.
The primary focus of the Buildings and Grounds Council is the Facilities Master Plan. The Council will be responsible for developing and then overseeing this critical document, which will lay out the long term strategic plan for our buildings and grounds, tying their function to the mission of the parish. This document will be created by this Council and then cyclically updated on an annual basis.
If you have any suggestions for improving our Facilities, we would love to hear your thoughts. Please contact me with any questions or thoughts.