ALL PARISH VOTE RESULTS
The official results, as reported by our Parish Community Forum Facilitators: Out of 535 Spiritus Christi Church parishioners voting, 88% voted YES on the motion that Spiritus should move from a leasing model of a church to an ownership model. This vote for YES now means:
- It will bind us in a collective vision to find a permanent place to call home.
- Allow us to look for potential properties or buildings in an inner city neighborhood
- Provide the freedom to put together parish committees, to lead the effort with the staff.
Thank you, Spiritus parishioners, for your valued input! Let the search begin… “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!”
“A PLACE OF OUR
OWN” TIMELINE TO DATE:
- 2023
- MAY 3rd: Parish Community Forum #1 — vote taken to submit Letter of Intent for 208 Child St. – PCF Minutes HERE
- JUNE 23rd: 45-day due diligence period begins re: 208 Child St.
- JUNE 24th-JULY: 208 Child St. Open Houses (surveys & budget made available on site; survey posted online); Walk-throughs with Architects, Building Inspector, Elevator/Lift Specialist
- JULY 13th: Meeting with Parish Building Exploratory Committee to review Inspector’s Report and discuss recommendations. Committee includes: Ray Barber (General Contractor), Mike (Electrician) & Christine Dertinger , Ian Howard (Electrician), Paul Kane (Energy Efficiency expert), Michael Thiesen (Home Renovations), Kent Youngman (Building Maintenance Tech).
- JULY 26th: Parish Community Forum #2: see slide show & minutes below
- AUGUST 19th/20th: Announcement to Parish that Staff & Exploratory Committee are not recommending to move forward with purchase of 208 Child Street
- SEPTEMBER 6th: Parish Community Forum #3 – PCF Minutes HERE
- SEPTEMBER 27th: Parish Community Forum #4 — PCF Minutes HERE
- OCTOBER 15th: Parish Community Forum #5: Post Sunday, 9:30 am Mass Presentation by Rev. Myra Brown and Business Administrator Mike Ramich. Review of information presented at previous PCF meetings. In-person & Livestream.
- OCTOBER 28th/29th: ALL-PARISH VOTE
- OCTOBER 30th: ALL-PARISH VOTE tallied by PCF Facilitators; Results announced via FB & WEB: 88% YES; 12% NO
- NOVEMBER 20th: Parish Community Forum #6 – PCF Minutes HERE
first Parish Community Forum: report
May 9th, 2023
by Fr. Jim Callan
There was a great turnout for the Parish Community Forum. We discussed a possible change from Spiritus renting churches to Spiritus owning our own church. It would be a major shift for our community, and therefore we would need the entire parish to make such a decision. One value that came up frequently during the meeting was the importance of having a church in a NEIGHBORHOOD rather than a business district. When we were at Corpus Christi on East Main Street, we reached out to our immediate neighborhood. We started Dimitri House for the homeless, Dimitri Recovery House for men in recovery, Isaiah House for the dying, Corpus Christi Health Center for the uninsured, Corpus Christi Child Care Center for the working poor, Pearl House for women ex-offenders, and Rogers House for men ex-offenders. Plus, we started two local businesses: Rogers House Restaurant and Matthew’s Closet, a clothing store (both are still in operation). If we had a neighborhood again, we could dream of new ministries. And the neighborhood could enrich the church. Hopefully, our church would be blessed with greater racial and economic diversity. We’ll keep you informed of future meetings. As we enter our 25th Jubilee Year, we’ll see where Jesus Christ, our Senior Pastor, leads us!