Dear People of God,
This letter is to assure you that we are still at the Beach Movie Theater with Sunday worship services at 10:00 AM. For those of you who are away, you may be wondering why this assurance is needed. Tuesday evening of this week, I spoke with the manager of the Beach Movie Theatre. He informed me that the owners have decided to re-open the Beach Movie Theatre. This will mean some changes and challenges for us, beginning with the knowledge that we will no longer have access to the facility for evening services, since that is when the movies are shown. As a sacramental church that adheres to the traditional liturgies of the Church, this is a significant challenge.
We are no longer allowed to use the Beach Movie Theatre marquis, but have been given the alternative of having a sandwich style board displayed on Sunday mornings only. This will be a challenge for us in letting folks know that we exist, especially Anglicans who are visiting in the area. Also, our Christian movie posters will be removed and replaced by the Beach Movie Theatre's movie posters.
We have to remove our organ from the premises immediately. This Saturday morning, the church will be paying for professional movers to transport the organ to a safe location until such time in the future when we can use it again. This will mean that music videos will be used for the time being. The Beach Movie Theatre will try and hook up our audio system with theirs so that we can have surround sound. We have also been offered to use their wireless microphones and will be allowed to continue to use their lectern at no extra cost.
Since the theatre we are now using for our services will be used to show movies, we will have to break down and set up every Sunday for worship. The Beach Movie Theatre will be responsible for storing our altar in the storage area under the screen each week. The cross, banner, candles, etc. we will be responsible for putting away in that storage area or in a locked storage room that the Beach Movie Theatre is kindly providing for us. The Children's Nook for Sunday School will also have to be set-up and then stored each Sunday. As for Coffee Hour, the Beach Movie Theatre liked our set-up in the concession stand area and are setting up a Cafe' with tables for that area. We are allowed to use the Cafe' and the theatre's coffee pots for our Coffee Hour.
As you can see, life at St. Raphael's by the Sea is being challenged with sudden changes. However, we are now being offered what we had hoped to have when we first approached the Beach Movie Theatre. The openness and generosity we were given was a huge blessing in helping us through our first season on Fort Myers Beach. While we are being challenged now the timing is good in that we have been allowed to go through Holy Week and into Eastertide. We continue to have much for which to be grateful.
This latest challenge is but a reminder to us that we are pilgrims on a journey. As faithful pilgrims, we have several options we need to consider. First, the Beach Movie Theatre is still for sale. The asking price is now $1.5 million dollars, which has dropped considerably from the original $3.5 million. So, we have the option of purchasing the property for ourselves or remain knowing that even though the current owners welcome us, the future buyers may not be so accommodating. Secondly, if we choose to not buy, but remain in this space through next season, we will need to find alternative locations for our traditional evening services of which many are fond of like the Christmas Eve Service. Thirdly, if we choose to look for another worship space, we must be willing to go off of Fort Myers Beach as the available space here is limited. Relocating off of Fort Myers Beach has both its pros and its cons. However, we may not have any other choice, if we do not acquire the current property.
I know I have given you much to think about and to pray about, but please know that I believe the Lord has a future and purpose for St. Raphael's by the Sea Anglican Church. While this new turn of events is the beginning of a new chapter for us; we have the Lord's promise from Jeremiah 29:11 in which to take heart: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Blessings,
Pastor Alice+
Please use the link below to email your tax deductable donation to the Church or send your check to:
Saint Raphael's by the Sea Church
P.O. Box 6713
Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931
Saint Raphael's by the Sea Church