The Church of the Advent - The Campaign For The Advent: The Rector's Letter to the Parish

I am sure that those of you who were at Mass last Sunday noticed an area of five pews which was roped off and blocked. The Thursday before, pieces of stone fell into that space from the frame of the clerestory window above. Engineers are returning this week to suggest appropriate measures. This, certainly, and other incidents of falling stone and deterioration during the past year underscore dramatically the urgency of the Capital Campaign which we will begin on Sunday, October 3. We have no choice but to raise the funds necessary to repair and restore our building. Otherwise, and allow me to put this quite bluntly, the Advent, as we all know her and love her, will cease to be.

small stonework fragments
stones from clerestory window frame
(the largest are the size of a man's thumb)

We want to begin this effort with information and education, for everyone in the Parish must be fully informed and aware of how drastic the situation is. This will be the purpose of a meeting on Sunday, October 3 at 1:30 pm in Moseley Hall. Peter Madsen, Chairman of the Campaign for the Advent, together with Lynda Blair and John Boyd, Co-Chairs, will initiate and explain the Campaign. Following their presentations and a time for questions and answers, tours of the Church and Tower will be given to point out what needs to be done and how crucial it is that it be done immediately. A great deal of the disrepair is not immediately obvious, and we want parishioners to know the condition of our building in detail.

Please make every effort to be present at this meeting. We will provide a larger than usual Coffee Hour to encourage you to remain after the 11:15 Mass or to return for lunch after one of the early Masses. It is extremely important that we begin the Campaign together as a parish family. We must bring to it our love for The Church of the Advent, our enthusiasm, and our prayer. It is a daunting task, but with the help of God we will succeed and more than succeed.

Allow me to close with Holy Scripture. For some reason the following verses from The Epistle to the Ephesians have imposed themselves upon my mind ever since we began planning the Campaign. They give me cheer, confidence and hope.

Glory to God, whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen. (3:20, 21)