Note: The following is a draft copy of a letter that the Bishop's Committee is considering sending to the Bishop. Before this is finalized, the BC would like the input from parishioners. Contact anf BC member with your comments:
St. Andrews Episcopal Church
P.O. Box 360
Readfield, Maine 04355
September 22, 2001
The Right Reverend Chilton R. Knudsen
Bishop, Diocese of Maine
143 State Street
Portland, Maine 04101
Dear Bishop Knudsen:
We at St. Andrews are very excited about plans for a new church building in our area and endorse the project enthusiastically. In the tragic darkness of our days, we see it as a lamp that offers opportunities to grow, extend, and broaden our ministry. Although such an undertaking is well beyond the scope of our financial re-sources, we would plan to commit our present reserves and also un-dertake to augment these reserves with a capital fund raising program.
We believe that to see this project through both the building and future development stages would require a full-time priest in charge, who would also strengthen us in other ways, such as conti-nuity of pastoral care. However, funding a full-time priest would be a further challenge to our finances, now significantly dedi-cated to community outreach programs, as well as to national and international needs. Because of your own close relationship with St. Andrews, we know you share our desire to protect and expand these programs.
These topics have been discussed at length among parishioners, both informally and at meetings of the Bishops Committee. We would like to suggest that the best approach for moving this thrilling project forward would be for it to be led and underwrit-ten by the Diocese of Maine, working closely with the people of St. Andrews. We dedicate our talents and energies to helping your team implement plans in order to make the new church a reality. We have already been working with you to identify available loca-tions, and stand ready to assist with the multitude of other tasks and decisions that will be required.
We are anxious to move forward with you toward the goal of a new home and greater ministry for St. Andrews.
Sincerely yours,
Douglas Thornsjo
Senior Warden
DRAFT COPY
Bishop Knudsen Answers Bob Fuller's Letter
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Dear Bob:
Thanks for your email note. I am inserting my replies into the body of your
note IN CAPS (SORRY IF IT LOOKS LIKE I'M SHOUTING...!), and am taking the
liberty of adding Laurie Kazilionis (Diocesan Financial Officer) and Canon
Linton Studdiford (whose portfolio includes the Congregational Life area) to
our discussion, through copy to them. Thanks for everything. Let's continue
to be in touch. Blessings +C
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Bob Fuller to +C:
"You may recall that I chair the Facilities Committee ant St. Andrew's in
Readfield. If my memory serves correctly, I believe that, following your
last meeting with our congregation, we sent you four or five property
profiles which we obtained from local real estate agents, describing sites
currently on the market and possibly suitable for locating a new congregation
between Augusta and Lewiston. One of these sites was the former Steer House
restaurant on Route 202 in Winthrop. Your summer intern, Thad Hutcheson,
before leaving to return to seminary, spoke with the owner of the property
and floated the idea of a "bargain sale," which would give the owner some
cash up front and a tax benefit. The owner did not reject the idea and was
going to discuss it with his tax adviser.
I DID INSTRUCT THAD HUTCHESON TO SPEAK WITH THE STEER HOUSE OWNER ABOUT A
FiGURE IN THE RANGE OF 20 cents ON THE DOLLAR OF HIS ASKING PRICE, OF COURSE
WITHIN A STRUCTURED SALE WHICH WOULD BE OF MAXIMUM TAX BENEFIT TO THE OWNER.
THAD REPORTED THAT TO THE OWNER. I BELIEVE THE BALL WAS LEFT IN THE OWNER'S
COURT. HAS ANYONE HEARD FROM HIM?
I understand you were planning to speak with the Diocesan Financial officer,
Ms. Kazilonis, to ascertain how much money the Diocese might be able to put
into the deal.
WE ARE OPEN TO NEGOTIATING WITH THE OWNER, BUT AT THE VERY LOW END, AS NOTED.
MY PURPOSE IN HAVING THAD FLOAT THE FIGURE OF 20% OF THE ASKING PRICE WAS TO
FEEL IT OUT BEFORE EXPENDING SIGNIFICANT TIME ON SUCH NEGOTIATING. NO SENSE
PURSUING IT IF THE OWNER WON'T EVEN THINK IN THOSE DEEPLY DISCOUNTED TERMS.
My committee is looking for some guidance from you on our role in this
process. If you are still looking at the Steer House, I expect you will want
to deal directly with the owner after you have a "business plan" and your
financing put together, and that we should stay out of those negotiations.
If you want more information on any of the other properties, we can get it
for you from the real estate agents or, if you wish, you can deal with them
directly. We plan to keep looking for suitable sites and, as we find them, we
will send you further information about them.
YES, DO PLEASE KEEP SENDING ANY INFO YOU GET ABOUT AVAILABLE SITES. AT SOME
POINT, IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR US TO HAVE ANOTHER MEETING, WITH CANON
STUDDIFORD, MS KAZILIONIS AND POSSIBLY SOME OTHERS JOINING US.
We have no present plans to renovate the existing church building; our
contractor tells us it would cost about $100,000 to expand the seating
capacity, enlarge the coffee area and improve the access to the second floor.
It does not seem to be a prudent expenditure of our funds or yours to take
on this sort of expense unless we plan to stay in the building for another
ten or twelve years.
I AGREE! AS I MENTIONED AT OUR MAY AND JUNE MEETINGS, I AM OPPOSED TO ANY
SIGNIFICANT EXPENDITURE OF MONEY ON THE CHURCH PROPERTY, BECAUSE THE PROPERTY
IS NOT "OURS". I WOULD, HOWEVER, BE OPEN TO SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT RENOVATING
ST ANDREW'S IF WE WERE SURE THAT WE HAD AN IN-PERPETUITY LEASE AND THAT THE
CONGREGATIONAL CONSENSUS WAS TO STAY THERE.
Based on your thoughts about planting a new congregation somewhere in the
Route 202 corridor between Augusta and Lewiston, my personal view is that the
communicants of St. Andrew's will not be worshiping in their present location
ten years from now.
BOB, I BELIEVE THAT YOUR VIEW MAKES SENSE. IT'S HOW TO GET FROM HERE TO
THERE WHICH IS OUR SHARED CONCERN AND MATTER FOR CONTINUED PRAYER AND
DISCUSSION.
Let us know your thoughts on this matter and how we can best assist you
in spreading the good news of Christ in this part of Kennebec County. "
THANKS, BOB AND ALL THE COMMITTEE, FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND YOUR VISION. I AM
SO GRATEFUL FOR THE SPIRIT OF OPENNESS WHICH IS FLOWING THROUGH ALL OF OUR
CONSIDERATIONS. DON'T EVER HESITATE TO BE IN TOUCH.
AS THE SUMMER ENDS AND WE CRANK UP INTO OUR MORE ACTIVE PHASE OF DIOCESAN
LIFE TOGETHER, WE'LL BE KEEPING THIS ISSUE ON OUR SCREEN, FOR SURE.
BLESSINGS TO YOU IN CHRIST, +C
Bishop's Earlier Letter Dear Friends,
Thank you, Gail, for the minutes from the meeting. I was very grateful for our time together, and look forward to more of that. I wanted to add some further comments to the notes, regarding the mention I made of the "church plant" in Manchester (or one of the communities adjacent). I do
believe that ee are called of the Spirit to provide a elcoming Anglican/Episcopal presence to the people who are or will be resident in this growing area.It can happen in either of two ways:
1. St Andrew's enters into an intentional process of publicizing and sharing with those who are moving into Manchester and adjacent areas (gasp! the "e-word", evangelism). There are ways to do this which are deeply
Anglican and people who know how to help. This would likely mean finding some way to expand your facility, to accomodate the (hoped and prayed for) increase in attendance. In other words, St Andrews would seek to actively enter into that field which is ripe for harvest.
OR, 2. With your help, and collaboration, and that of other congregations in the general area, we enter into the process of exploring a "plant" of a new congregation in a strategically located area. In other words, St Andrew's would help in the development of this new congregation,
while continuing your ministry in much the same style and spirit as at present.
RevCRK
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