From the Rector

Dear Friends in Christ,

This Sunday I will offer a forum to discuss the potential campus development project that different members of the congregation have been working on this past year.

We have had the support of a generous donor in developing a master plan for the ongoing care and development of the campus. We have identified a number of long-standing needs that will be part of this project. Just a few of these needs include the restoration of La Parroquia, increasing the visibility of the church at the River and Campbell corner, adding additional columbarium niches, fixing drainage issues in the Perry Garden, securing the fish pond garden, and looking at water conservation opportunities.

In many ways, the campus is our first evangelist here at Saint Philip’s. It draws people with its quiet beauty and sense of serenity and holiness. It is a place that offers its own pastoral care, its own kind of worship, and feels very much like a place where heaven meets earth in a unique way. It is a treasure that we have inherited from those who came before us.

Like any inheritance, it needs tending. And it needs to be looked at with fresh eyes to see if there are ways we can not only better care for it but also welcome more people to find what we have found here: the beauty of holiness.

The development of the campus is being looked at with these questions in mind: What do we love about this place? How can we best ensure that more people can share it with us in the future?

So—the mission of the campus, if you will, is to embody our commitment to welcome all people to a place that embodies the artful hand of the Creator at work in the world.

When Scott Gunn visited, he commented that “At every corner I turn, I find a picture to take—there’s something I hadn’t seen before.” That is the campus doing its own work of showing people the never-ending complexity and simplicity, beauty and promise, love and care, surprise and comfort that can be found in the life of Christian faith. At every corner we turn in our faith lives, we can be surprised by the beauty God sets before us on the journey.

Our intent is to remain as faithful as we can to the Joesler design, Murphey vision, and Ferguson faith in the design process. Enhancing the sense of natural beauty, cherishing the unique cultural heritage that helps shape the architecture, and remaining committed to welcoming new people into the life of faith here will all be part of any consideration for work ahead.

Additionally, there are some new challenges for us to consider, as well. First, there are environmental impact considerations. For example, how can we be more ecologically responsible? Second, a city has grown up around Saint Philip’s. How can we best nurture the feeling of peaceful serenity that was part of the original vision of this place? Third, our awareness of different needs and abilities has changed. How do we account for varying needs in accessibility for those of all ages and abilities?

These are just a few questions that have arisen. No doubt, many more will follow. A campus development plan will take those questions into account and look at how all of our spaces are used as we determine what the next correct steps are as we grow into our future.

I am confident in the core team that has worked on this from the beginning. The lay people are John Bremond, Bob Couch, Jane Prescott-Smith, and Bonnie Winn. The staff team members are Myron Molzen, Mtr Mary Trainor, and me. Parishioner Mary Cutting will coordinate the pending focus groups which I will talk more about on Sunday at the forum. There are many, many more people with whom we will be in conversation and the Vestry has been updated and offered feedback throughout the process.

I am delighted that we have reached the next phase—an information gathering and feedback phase—where we can begin to garner broad feedback and ideas as we begin to lay out the scope and potential of the project. I am also deeply thankful to the donor who has made possible all the work to date.

Also part of this project is a short video about the history of Saint Philip’s in the Hills. It has been developed by parishioner Ken Hinkle in consultation with Saint Philip’s archivist Cecilia Hunter and others. I am grateful for Ken’s hard work and look forward to sharing the video soon.

Last fall, we titled our stewardship campaign, “How Firm a Foundation.” The spiritual and emotional foundations laid at Saint Philip’s are strong. Now we consider what it means to build on the parish’s physical foundations—the brick and mortar ones—so we can continue to draw the living stones, the people of God, into ever deeper relationship with him and one another.

Yours in Christ,

—Fr Robert