Renewing St. Paul’s fundraising booklet, part 1 | part 2

Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. Paul’s,

“Go into the city and you will be told what to do.”

Christ’s words to St. Paul at his conversion, used on parish stationary in the 1960’s, serve as a reminder of this parish’s mission to pray, to equip and to send its people into the city and the surrounding area as agents of renewal and reconciliation.

The use of the quote was accurate to the times. The parish, working with Rector John Lockerby, had decided not to move to the top of Queen Anne Hill where property had been purchased, but instead committed itself to its lower Queen Anne location and to the construction of a new building for worship. The reasons for these decisions were simple but not easy: stay connected to urban Seattle, recommit to being a spiritual presence in a place with many challenges, needs and opportunities.

Now almost 50 years later we are at another time of renewal and recommitment:

• Renewal of our mission as an Anglo-Catholic parish church steeped in a Benedictine spiritual tradition doing its work in the context of an exciting, challenging urban location and

• Recommitment to the expansion and deepening of what we offer and the renovation of the buildings that house all that we do.

The renewal of who we are and what we offer has born fruit over the last four years. Our focus on Anglo-Catholic worship, Benedictine rhythms of prayer, Christian formation for adults and children, the intentional cultivation of our community life, acts of compassion to those in need, and connection to the arts have dramatically increased the number of people worshipping with us as well as the financial support needed to operate our ambitious programs.

I invite you to review the materials here and to catch a glimpse of the exciting opportunities before us. I also invite you to join with the many parishioners and friends of St. Paul’s in making a contribution to support this campaign.

In Christ,

Melissa

Mother Melissa Skelton
Rector, St. Paul’s

The renovation of our building is an expression of this renewal and falls into three basic categories:

Visibility and Accessibility:

An enlarged, more welcoming and visible entryway as well as an accessible ramp to the parish hall, making the space fully accessible to all.

Identity and Hospitality:

A larger, more functional baptismal font that allows for full immersion baptisms and serves as a visible and tangible reminder of the centrality of baptismal identity to our life. An accessible bathroom off the entryway which makes our worship space more hospitable.

Beauty and Flexibility:

The replacement of our side windows and the lighting in the nave;the refurbishment of our altar area to include more beautiful appointments; the replacement of a portion of our pews to allow for more flexible seating configurations in worship.