Imagine it!  A Message from the Rector... 

I've been rector of Grace Church for three years now. This past week I looked back over my blog entries from the first month of my ministry at Grace. It brought back memories of all the energy and excitement that characterizes any new venture and offered me the opportunity to reflect on the journey we've traveled together as a congregation over that time. I also read my sermons from that first month because we are reading the same set of lectionary texts this August. In one of those sermons, I talked about our building and physical plant as an opportunity for mission as well as a burden.

Maintaining a structure that is more than 150 years old requires enormous resources. Built by people with a vision of church and mission from previous centuries, it is not well suited for the needs and opportunities of the twenty-first century. We struggle with issues of accessibility and adaptability. At the same time, our presence on Madison's Capitol Square is an invaluable asset. As the oldest building on the square and the only church on the square, our visibility and landmark status witness to Madison and the wider community.

Over the past year a small group of people re-constituted the Aesthetics Committee. They began talking about ways of making our spaces more inviting to members and visitors. Initially they focused on the undercroft area, hoping to bring new life and beauty to classrooms and restrooms. After a few meetings discussing this one particular space and its use, they realized the task was much larger than a coat of paint and new carpet. They realized a more holistic look at the spaces of Grace and how those spaces correspond to the needs of our mission and ministry was needed. They began to talk with architects and tour other churches. Eventually, that Aesthetics Committee was transformed into the Master Plan Steering Committee and was charged by the Vestry of Grace Church to solicit proposals from architects for the development of a master plan to guide long-term renovation of Grace Church.

This summer, the expanded membership of the committee, the wardens and I read proposals, interviewed architects, toured churches from Milwaukee to Platteville, and spoke with clergy and lay people involved in renovation projects. We are now finalizing a contract with Kubala Washatko of Cedarburg, a firm with much experience working with both religious institutions as well as historic structures in urban environments.

On Sunday morning, August 19, after the 8:00 and 10:00 services, Grace parishioners will have the opportunity to learn more about this master plan process, how it has developed so far and what the process will look like. This will be an opportunity to ask questions of committee members. Most importantly perhaps, it will also be an opportunity to ask questions about the future of Grace Church, to explore who God is calling us as the Body of Christ to be in the next years, and how our physical space can help us proclaim the gospel, to love God and our neighbor.

Whether or not you are able to attend on Sunday, your input and participation in the process is vital. In the coming weeks, we will engage in conversation the entire Grace community-from long-time members to first-time visitors-and include outside groups that use our facilities. Together we will imagine what our community and our physical space will become in the next five or ten years. Together, we will discern what God is calling us to become as God's people on Madison's Capitol Square.