Lord, give us the grace of an open heart, of a heart open to the voice of the Holy Spirit, which can discern what must not change because it is fundamental from what has to change in order to be able to receive the newness of the Holy Spirit. – Pope Francis
When determining the visual warmth and appeal of the campus of Saint John the Evangelist, the team of volunteers and staff that make up our Buildings and Grounds Council, along with the Life Center Program Management Office, went back to our mission as a Parish Family. We thought of how can we develop an environment that provides an illustration To Know, To Love, and To Serve God. It must be lively and immediately lift up anyone that walks in the doors of the Life Center for a wellness activity, but at the same time, inviting and warm for the thousands of other events and activities. Our campus hosts over 4,800 events annually already, so there has to be appeal and function for everything from youth classes to bereavement receptions to prayer groups. Our bathrooms must be functional and comfortable. Lighting should enhance the events and programs. No detail is too small. We are taking every possibility and idea into consideration for the future of our Parish Family.
In order to accomplish all of this, both in our new Life Center and throughout our campus renovations, we have developed the standard set of colors, flooring, lighting, and accents. This palette, while somewhat neutral, will then be enhanced with specific components that will be function-specific based on the space’s usage. For example, the entrance to the Life Center will have an extremely colorful and dynamic focal wall to catch the eye. The choice we have made for carpeting has four different accent levels, allowing us to use the same pattern with bright accents in the Life Center, and yet allow for a calm and soothing environment for our Library Room. We will create consistency (and cost effectiveness) throughout our entire campus that will ensure you, and all our visitors, will know you are home here at St. John, no matter where you are on campus. As an illustration of this new scheme, here is our architect, StudioPlus, rendition of the Library Renovation:
While the money has been pledged in our Build Our Future, Serve Our Past capital campaign to build our Life Center and some of our other urgent needs, we still need our entire Parish Family to give in order to reach our additional goals, including the detailed execution of the above programs. 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