A Message From Father Ralph
It’s been a year since I became Pastor at Saint John’s and after consulting with our staff, pastoral council and finance council — and after speaking with a variety of parishioners — I want to know if we should proceed with two improvement projects:
• Add additional parking because of increased attendance (and improving existing lots)
• Add three small meeting rooms to allow for a better experience for a variety of ministries.
This website gives more details of what we are considering at this time. So it’s most important that we hear from our parishioners as to whether we should proceed to plan for these improvements.
First, check out the video, then look at some of the specifics and finally let us know what you think — you can do it easily at this site or return the postcard you received in the mail to the church by September 30th.
Thank you for your consideration and input.
The engineering study by R&W Engineers of Hauppauge indicated three possible areas where we could increase parking. These additions would be in compliance with local zoning and planning codes. They also asked for a review for additional input from a parking contractor before submitting these possibilities to us. Here are the three areas:
We will need to make decisions based on cost and benefits. We need to know if there is parish community support to continue developing plans. Click on the feedback button below to give your input.
We are limited by the lack of meeting space for small group and ministry needs. While we can meet in the church and the parish hall, these spaces do not serve small group activities well. Some of these activities include:
• Sacrament preparation for those seeking baptism or weddings
• Meeting with family member to prepare for a loved one’s funeral
• Small prayer or discussion groups
• Adult Education
• Advisory group meetings
• Religious Education for children
• Teen group
• Parent meetings
Adding these room will avoid turning groups away for lack of space, or scheduling two groups in the hall at the same time. We will not need to heat or air condition the large hall when a small group is meeting.
We asked Frank Relf Architect to do an initial study (which they did without charge) to help site the addition and give us an early idea of what we could build. We were in contact with the Town of Riverhead building department, fire marshal, and planning department for their input so that our planning could be in compliance with existing codes, even as we start.
The current proposal would place the meeting rooms off the upper parking lot.
With help from the architect and a little more help from AI, here is what the addition could look like.
While we have been discussing these possibilities with the Pastoral Staff, the Pastoral Council and the Finance Council, in order to proceed we would like input from our parishioners. The easiest way to let us know whether you would support either or both of these projects is to click on the feedback button below. Or simply drop off the postcard you received in the mail to the church or office by September 30th.
(Didn’t get a postcard? CLICK HERE)