Capital Campaign "Honor Our Past ~ Invest in Our Future" January 31 & February 1, 2015

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1 Capital Campaign "Honor Our Past ~ Invest in Our Future" January 31 & February 1, 2015 William J Bell Chair Holy Trinity Parish Buildings & Finance Council My name is Bill Bell, I am the Chair of the Parish Buildings and Finance Council. The council's role is to provide our Pastor, Msgr. Yargeau, with advice on fiscal and facilities management of the Parish. I came to this parish 32 years ago with my wife Paula and the first two of our four children. I must confess that when I first came here, I visited each of the Greenfield parishes in search of the best place to introduce our young children to the faith. We chose Holy Trinity Parish as our spiritual home. I count that among my better life choices. Whenever I find myself elsewhere for Mass I always miss this parish. We have a warm, welcoming community here, the best music and musicians, a wonderful group of competent altar servers and the most inspiring homilists. We also have an extraordinary group of parishioners. Some years ago Msgr. Yargeau was prompted to quantify the extraordinary volunteer commitment of our parishioners to our parish. He began to count up all the volunteer roles filled here. He was grinning from ear to ear to see in numbers what he Page 1 of 6

2 knew in his heart, - that this is a special place with special people. On the fiscal side, this parish is one of a minority in the diocese which can pay its bills and has no external debt. When Msgr. thanks you for your generosity he really means it. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do offering your time, talent & treasure. Today I'm here to tell you about our capital campaign " Honor Our Past ~ Invest in Our Future" and ask you to give even more. We are about three years away from celebrating 150 years of Holy Trinity Parish. This church was dedicated three years after President Lincoln was assassinated. She was here thru WW I, the Great Depression, WW II, Korea, & Vietnam. This church provided a haven for parishioners in times of national distress, like when Pearl was attacked in 1941, when our president was murdered in 1963 and when terrorists used aircraft as weapons against innocents in Over these 147 years, thousands have gathered here, just like you and me, for family baptisms, first communions, confirmations, weddings and funerals. This faith community has been a quiet, but strong witness, right here on Main Street, for a long time. This building has been our shelter, gathering place, and a powerful symbol for our community. We here today, are beneficiaries, standing on the shoulders of our mothers and fathers in faith. They overcame many hardships to build and maintain this building. Page 2 of 6

3 The church building underwent many changes over that continuum. The building was raised up to add a basement, the steeple and bell tower were added. Just 30 years ago the interior of the church where you now sit, underwent an amazing transformation into this welcoming and beautiful worship space we have today. More recently, we added air conditioning, a more reliable heating system, new safer front steps, and renovated the church hall. The funds for those improvements came from, gifts, the renovation fund which you contributed to, and the fiscal acuity of Fr. Casey. It has always been the job of those present here to honor the past and prepare for the future. So where are we now? The renovation of the church hall triggered a new state requirement to install a fire suppression system in the upper church just like we have in the hall downstairs. This is not a simple matter. For example the ceiling you see above you is not the bottom of the roof. There is a space above that ceiling below the actual roof of the church that you see from outside. That space, the bell tower and the space above the sacristy behind me must also be sprinklered. In some cases this will require insulation to keep the water pipes from freezing. In other cases the installation of a more expensive type of system. So installing a fire suppression system and protecting it from Page 3 of 6

4 freezing are not options and we are on a deadline. The work must begin this spring. It will be very invasive, requiring removal of the pews, opening up walls and ceilings and such. That said, how we choose to conduct this project comes with some opportunities. In the thirty years since the renovation of the church interior, energy costs have risen dramatically and some age related deterioration has occurred. As you leave today, look at some of the peeling paint and deterioration around the windows (especially behind the choir loft) and at the bottoms of the arches. I've posted a page from the campaign brochure on our parish website which has some photos. Our web address is on the cover of the bulletin. Please take a look. You will be receiving a copy of the brochure in the mail in about a week. The mandated construction gives us the opportunity to improve the building, things like, insulating the parts of the building that have no insulation now. Taking care of the paint issues, making our gray ceiling white again and improving its acoustical properties. Like 30 years ago, we will have Mass downstairs for a few months during construction. In the end, we will have a safer, more efficient, more comfortable, and refreshed place to worship, for ourselves and future generations. Page 4 of 6

5 We don't have the money necessary to do all that we should do or would like to. Msgr. Yargeau, responsibly and wisely, will not allow the parish to take on debt. So, if we don't raise the funds, we can't take advantage of the opportunity. We have prioritized the work into three categories. I'll tell you what they are and give you examples of the kinds of items in each: Must do - the sprinkler system, insulation to protect it and repair of disturbed areas. Should do - things like, insulate and repaint worship space. Nothing above the bottom of the side widows you see here is insulated. And replace/repair some of the flooring. Would like to do - items such as, upgrade lighting, repair / refinish the pews, and refinish the faded fleurs-de-lis behind the altar. I can't share the individual cost estimates with you today because the project must all go out to bid. The total cost of the project is about $ 700,000. We have not done a capital campaign here in some 30 years. In this campaign we hope to raise pledges of at least $500,000 to be paid over two years, 24 months. I am thrilled to report that we already have over $ 100,000 in pledges. We are off to a great start. If you were one of those Page 5 of 6

6 early contributors, Thank you. If you are hearing about this for the first time, I ask you to prayerfully reflect on the gifts of our benefactors past, the value of this faith community, today and into the future; and your ability to pledge your financial support spread over the next two years. Next weekend we will learn more about the mechanics of giving and the following weekend, February we will ask you to pledge your commitment. This project will not be successful unless everyone steps up to the best of their ability. So please take time this week to pray about this. Thank you. Page 6 of 6