To address these needs and begin to lay a firm foundation for our future, both financially and facility-wise, we have an exciting plan. It calls for retiring our existing parish debt and beginning to address our church facility needs.

Debt Retirement - $700,000
Freeing ourselves from existing debt will allow us to pay off the existing loan and replenish our reserve funds.  It will also help us to continue to operate with a balanced budget, to set aside money for future maintenance or emergencies, and to prevent us from having to borrow money to fund our ongoing operating costs.  In short, retiring our debt will put us on a firm financial foundation.

Other Initial Improvements - $300,000 
Once our debt is eliminated, we will turn our attention to addressing our initial needs for continued facility improvements. This will include:

•    Hiring a design/build architect consultant to do a design study and prepare a master plan that will show us how to best address our church facility needs, including structural and liturgical improvements. 

•    Purchasing a smaller home nearby that will serve as a more suitably sized personal and private residence for our priest.

•    Salvaging what is valuable from and razing the existing rectory to make room for future church expansion and improvements.
These initial steps will put us on a firm foundation physically from a readiness standpoint to fulfill the developing plans to improve our facilities.
     
Other Future Improvements  - To Be Determined
Then once we have addressed the debt and initial facility needs we will eventually embark on our plan to address remaining facility needs.  While this plan will be developed after the design study, it will most likely include building expansion, church walkway and stairway repairs, repairing the plaster and repainting the church ceilings and walls on the church interior, renovating the restrooms and making these and other areas of our church more inviting and handicap accessible, adding an enlarged narthex or gathering space, completing other improvements deemed needed and addressing other liturgical needs.