Over 120 parishioners gathered on a sunny and pleasant Friday afternoon to mark the one-year anniversary of the St. John Church fire with a brief prayer service held in the south parking lot of St. John the Baptist Church. The prayer service offered an opportunity for the community to come together in prayer, offering gratitude for God’s faithfulness this past year and prayers trusting in God for what lies ahead. It has been a year of loss and letting go, reminiscing and reverencing, and now healing and hope. We pray that the process of designing and rebuilding St. John the Baptist Church may strengthen our faith and remind us that we are building more than brick and mortar, a sanctuary of love, hope and worship that is pleasing to God. Click on the St. John Fire Recovery blog for reflections on the One-Year Anniversary and a letter from Archbishop Casey.
St. John Church Site & Insurance Updates
St. John Church has been completely removed and grass planted for erosion control. Most of the security fence has also been removed. The remaining items in the parking lot include bricks that may be used for a memorial in the new church design, as commemorative items for parishioners, or for fundraising. The items also include the cornerstones and other pieces of the sandstone façade that could possibly be used to replicate features in the new St. John Church.
Our Freytag/Heyer architect team and building committee have been working on reviewing and validating the insurance settlement. The content list has been determined. For the building, our insurance policy stipulates restoration or “like design.” However, once the “like design” settlement is determined, St. John can modify the design such as making the church larger, and including other components. The architect team has drafted a “like design” that has been sent to estimators and specialty vendors for estimating the cost of building a “like design.” These estimates will be submitted to our insurance carriers (a consortium of 8 insurance companies that handle large claims such as ours) to determine the insurance settlement for St. John Church.
St. John Church Planning, Design and Construction Process
The Building Committee has been inviting and receiving parishioner input for the new church since last Fall and are working with the architects to move the planning process forward. There will be two sessions in July and August with members of the Building Committee, Parish Council, Finance and other designated parishioners representing sacristans, music ministry, liturgical ministers, CCD, maintenance and janitorial and other groups to help clarify what needs to be part of the new church and how large it may need to be. Over the next two to three months, the architects will use the information gathered to create a schematic design of the future church focusing not so much on the actual design, but what components, spaces and rooms need to be part of the new church, i.e. spaces for worship, music ministry, sacristy, CCD, gathering, meeting, restrooms, storage, etc. This information will help identify the size of a new church and where it may be located. The schematic design will be sent to estimators for an opinion of probable cost. There will be a community gathering with the parish to review and receive input on the schematic design mid to late Fall.
The Building Committee has been inviting and receiving parishioner input for the new church since last Fall and are working with the architects to move the planning process forward. There will be two sessions in July and August with members of the Building Committee, Parish Council, Finance and other designated parishioners representing sacristans, music ministry, liturgical ministers, CCD, maintenance and janitorial and other groups to help clarify what needs to be part of the new church and how large it may need to be. Over the next two to three months, the architects will use the information gathered to create a schematic design of the future church focusing not so much on the actual design, but what components, spaces and rooms need to be part of the new church, i.e. spaces for worship, music ministry, sacristy, CCD, gathering, meeting, restrooms, storage, etc. This information will help identify the size of a new church and where it may be located. The schematic design will be sent to estimators for an opinion of probable cost. There will be a community gathering with the parish to review and receive input on the schematic design mid to late Fall.
We hope to have the insurance settlement for the church building determined by late Summer or early Fall and the initial opinion of cost for the new church by mid to late Fall. It’s very likely that the new church will cost more than the insurance settlement, so we are also working on a feasibility study and a capital campaign. A feasibility study will include parishioner interviews to:
- Test the schematic design of the new church, including components, spaces, rooms and size.
- Assess readiness for a capital campaign
- Help identify and interview key parish leaders, donors, and community leaders
- Evaluate donor support for the proposed campaign
- Recommend a realistic and achievable campaign goal
- Provide strategic guidance on campaign planning
- Identify any areas requiring attention before launching a campaign
After the insurance settlement has been determined and we have an idea of what funds we are able to raise through a capital campaign, the architects will continue design development of the new church with architectural drawings including the look and features of the new church, site development, structure and building systems. Opinion of cost will be updated taking into consideration what we can afford with the insurance settlement and funds raised through a capital campaign. Design development will take approximately 6 months. There will be community involvement in the final design and seeking approval from the Archbishop.
It will take 8 to 10 months to create construction documents, obtain a final opinion of cost and put the church out for bid. Construction will take approximately two years. We are hoping to have a new church by the end of 2029, but realize there are factors that could delay the project. Click on St. John the Baptist New Church Parish Roles & Responsibilities and Schedule to see an overview of the planning, design and construction process for the new St. John the Baptist Church.
Our shared goal is to design the ideal St. John the Baptist Church that will help us grow in our relationship with Jesus, giving praise and glory to God for generations to come We will review and validate funds available from insurance, conduct a feasibility study and capital campaign to identify and maximize the funds that can be raised from our local community and beyond, and then build a church we can afford.
We invite your continued prayers and support as we discern the next steps of St. John the Baptist Church.
RSS Feed