We are enduring very difficult times for many of us. There is so much unrest in our society (much of which we are protected from). But none-the-less we see it on the news and it hurts. It's a sad time for many of us in so many different ways.
I have to confess that my biggest concern continues to be for your spiritual well-being. Are you connecting with God and is our church family part of that connection? I hope so. What can I do? Would you like to talk on the phone???
I continue to be so proud of the work we are doing and thankful to our staff and volunteers who continue to minister. When these difficult times pass this Rock will still be here. Let's not forget to name before our community and friends the gospel work that is being done here. They want to be a part of the Kingdom too.
In order to facilitate our strange worship parameters I have had to stay in Brenham and not go to Camp Allen for summer camp with Kate. I've asked Amy to be a well-needed adult resource in my place there. You may not know how important Camp Allen is to the children that receive this ministry. It is formative. And it is an extension of the ministry of St. Peter's. The hungry are fed and prayer is being made daily from our online Compline service and Morning Prayer (both available on Facebook).
St. Peter's continues to be a strong Christian presence in our community. Do not lose heart, instead cling to God who is our Rock.
Blessings,
Fr. Stephen+
Update on our Building Project.
I hope you have received our letter regarding the financial needs to repair our House of Worship. I've been asked to clarify some points.
Our total cost for mold remediation and build-back to ServPro, Brazos Valley is 174,535.73. We will subcontract the downstairs build-back not to exceed 40,000.
We do not expect to receive any additional remuneration from our insurance company. They have contributed 90,000 to replace roofs on all three of our structures. As a parish we have autonomous responsibilities for the upkeep of our facilities therefore the diocese does not provided grants for this type of work. However, the diocese has assisted in light of the COVID pandemic. We have applied for and received grants to alleviate our diocesan assessment for three months and a secondary grant to support technology for online worship. We are responsible for funding the construction work above. As noted in the letter endorsed by the vestry we are contributing additional personal resources to this effort in order to decrease the amount of loans taken and retire those loans.
Regarding the benefits of the work accomplished: At the end of construction St. Peter's will have a cleaned facility with air and surface qualities of a new structure. Our ventilation systems have been cleaned. Our responsibility forward is to maintain internal air quality. We'll do that through consistently operating our AC systems and preventing water leaks around the buildings. We'll also see improvement in lighting, wall, ceiling, and floor surfaces (especially in classrooms). We've also taken this opportunity to install windows in downstairs classrooms for children's safety. We hope you will experience a bright and fresher feel at St. Peter's when we return to the main building.
Finally, we want to include friends of St. Peter's in our effort to fund this project. If you know someone in the community who would like to make a contribution let us know their address and we will send our invitation letter to them as well.
Blessings,
Fr. Stephen+
