Raising Up Foundations for Many Generations

Join us in rebuilding our capacity for hospitality, welcome, service, and sharing of Christ’s love: not just in our hearts, but here in our spiritual home.

Campaign Progress

Capital Campaign Goal — $2,755,500
$1,377,750.00 50%
Stretch Goal — $209,012
$0.00 0%
Annual Campaign Goal — $716,000
$358,000.00 50%

Small Groups for Congregational Gifting

Interested in learning more about the capital campaign projects after the kickoff? We have curated fun, interactive, small group ways to engage with the St. John’s community for just that purpose. See the options and RSVP on SignUp Genius.

From the Rector

Dear Beloved in Christ,

These are exciting times! We are beginning our first formal capital campaign at St. John’s in more than 20 years! Last year, we engaged in a listening process and a feasibility study to ensure the projects and process of this campaign reflect our faith community’s values and a healthy theology of money. I am convinced, with all that is happening in the world around us and in our faith community, that there has never been a more important time to align our financial resources with our values.

On this website, you will learn all the details and the “why” for the goals and the projects we’ll be tackling in this campaign. Our selected projects deeply resonate with the theme for our capital campaign, which comes from the words of the prophet Isaiah:

Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to live in.

I want to affirm that this campaign is about each and every one of you. Each gift, no matter the size, and your prayer and enthusiastic support will help us to continue to work together as we further the healing, repairing, and Good News of Jesus’s reconciling love in our neighborhood and world.

Faithfully,
Jered+

 

Read the Case Statement

Review our Capital Campaign case statement in PDF format, featuring extended narratives of our project goals, beautiful illustrated floor plans of each project, answers to frequently asked questions, and budgetary breakdowns of our Annual and Capital Campaigns for this season.

Catering Kitchens & Gathering Spaces

A bald white man in a tan sweater operates an older model of dishwasher in the St. John the Evangelist catering kitchen.

Our current kitchen is outdated and out of compliance. Ventilation, electrical wiring, HVAC, and material upgrades are needed if we want to continue to have a functional place to prepare meals to share
together and with our neighbors. Our plan is to gut renovate the existing kitchen to create a clean slate for a new catering kitchen, with room to add commercial appliances over time. A new dishwasher, refreshed countertops, cabinetry, floors, lighting, and finishes will refresh the space and give us all we need for the types of food service we currently provide in a much more inviting environment.

Outside the kitchen, we’ll refresh and renew a flexible gathering space for fellowship after worship that can also welcome our neighbors and partners throughout the week.

The estimated cost for these projects is $552,825.

In an old locker room turned overflow storage space beside the gym, we’ve uncovered an opportunity to transform an under-used, over-crowded space into a vital part of our parish life and ministry. By clearing out and renovating this space, we’ll be able to create a welcoming community lounge close to the kitchen and the gym. Equipped to serve 12-step meetings, grief and meditation groups, theater troupes, writers collectives, meetings and gatherings of all kinds, the space also reveals hidden architectural elements and a new feature wall displaying our “Church of the Open Door” motto. The lounge is sure to bring new energy to this forgotten corner of our building.

At the same time, this renovation will allow us to provide ample space for tables, chairs, and other necessary items, as well as storage for Big Wonder to share.

The estimated cost for this project is $343,923.

Two men with white hair and suits are distributing water carafes in the St. John the Evangelist parish hall.
Two white women are seated in deep discussion in the Fireside Room.

Our much beloved and sought after Fireside Room is in need of some tender loving care. This flexible, relaxed gathering space has a sense of coziness, even while accommodating up to 50 people. It can host everything from classes to coffee and conversation. But wear and tear have taken a toll on nearly every surface and
piece of furniture. The time has come to restore its beautiful mid-century charm and bring it up to date for the needs we have today. The proposed renovations include new lighting, flooring, and finishes, including a glass wall that allows in natural light, and provides greater transparency and a sense of connection to the gallery beyond. With these enhancements, we’ll expand our ability to extend hospitality and enjoy one another’s company in fellowship around the fireplace for years to come.

The estimated cost for this project is $522,815.

Hospitality is at the heart of our call to welcome all who enter St. John’s from
the moment they arrive. Our refreshed and renovated reception area will ensure
that whichever door you come through, you are met with a sense of openness and belonging.

Along with the new entrance, updated ADA restrooms will demonstrate our commitment to caring for our neighbors.

The estimated cost for these projects is $126,017.

A white youth with longer hair is carrying a basket aside a black man wearing a combination of Anglican priest garb and a wax-print Angelina tunic.

Fireside Room & Reception Areas

Saving for the Future

A smiling Hmong woman in pink-and-violet gestures towards produce as a man in red is seen in the foreground.

Our building is a resource and a responsibility. Our capacity to gather, worship, serve, and invite our neighbors into our space is tied directly to what our physical structures allow and what they encourage. In order for our building to be safe, healthy, comfortable, and gracious, we must care for it as we do our own homes. Keeping things up to code and functional is the minimum commitment we must make. Making sure our building reflects our commitment to meaningful ministry and community is the goal we wish to embrace.

A Building Reserve Fund will give us the peace of mind of knowing that unforeseen issues can be handled without undue stress. Our dreams and visions for improvements, too, can be considered more readily with a dedicated fund to draw from. This sense of security will enable us to focus on bringing our shared values to life in our buildings just as we do in our lives of faith.

Our projected number for a robust and secure Building Reserve Fund is $1,000,000.

Once we’ve reached our campaign goal, our stretch goal will be to create a Bridge Fund to cover any projected budget shortfalls over the next two years. This will allow us to preserve staff and continue fully funding our existing vital ministries as we continue to grow our faith community.

The ideal cost for this stretch goal would be $209,012.

A smiling family of four -- a white man with curly dark hair, a white woman in a burgundy hoodie, and two young children -- pose at an event in a parking lot.

Communications Archive

Faith Forum Recordings

Capital Campaign Team

Capital Campaign Committee

The Very Rev. Jered Weber-Johnson
Rector

Don Weinkauf
Campaign Co-Chair

Carrie Keillor
Campaign Co-Chair

Alice Lightner Johnson
Advanced Gifts Co-Chair

Holly Weinkauf
Advanced Gifts Co-Chair

Lynn Hertz
Congregational Gifts Co-Chair

Sally Sand
Congregational Gifts Co-Chair

Jax Collins
Spiritual Emphasis Co-Chair

Dan Vogel
Spiritual Emphasis Co-Chair

Allison Brown
Communications Chair

Bob Baumann
Events Co-Chair

Susan Creel
Events Co-Chair

Abby Johnson
Campaign Coordinator

Vestry

Bette Ashcroft
Bob Baumann
David Bressoud
Jeff Chen
Tisha Colton
Lynn Hartmann
Lynn Hertz
Rick Rinkoff
Sally Sand
Edwin Schenk
Priya Schulze
Barb Tani
Eloise Teisberg
Dan Vogel
Jered Weber-Johnson
Tamara Zurakowski

Clergy

The Very Rev. Jered Weber-Johnson
Rector

The Rev. Craig Lemming
Associate Rector

The Rev. Judy DesHarnais
Deacon

O God, whose love knows no end and whose dwelling
is with the humble and generous of heart:
Inspire in us a spirit of holy generosity.
Free us from the fear that clings to wealth,
so that through our giving, opening our hands
in trust and joy, we may become repairers of the breach,
builders of a house where love can dwell and all are welcome.

Make of this campaign more than bricks and mortar,
but instead, a living sign of your Kingdom:
where justice is sown, compassion takes root,
and your grace flows freely through your people.
Through Jesus Christ, who with you and the Holy Spirit
lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

Campaign Prayer

Copyright © 2020 St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church

St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church
[email protected]
651.228.1172
60 Kent St N, St. Paul, MN 55102-2232
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