Rector’s Note: When our built spaces shape us-7.30.26

Have you noticed that the outside of the building looks a little brighter these days? If you were around when the church was built in the late 1950s, the hues might look a bit familiar as well, as many of the color choices reflected the original colorways.

This summer we completed an exterior painting and repair project that also addressed a number of spaces in need of repair, which you can’t see from the ground. We freshened the exterior finish, which hasn’t gotten a comprehensive upgrade in years.

Property chair Dave Kipphut repainted the striping in the parking lot and has added a few new signs to the doors.  Plans are also underway for a new fence surrounding the Kid View playground.

Meanwhile, insurance money is funding the fabrication of our new steeple, which will be installed in October, thanks to the stewardship of Dave Kipphut and a committee of parish architects led by Vestry member Mark Evans. You may remember that the steeple was removed after it was damaged by a lightning strike in 2024.

Summer is prime time for sprucing up and making repairs while the program year is on hiatus. It’s also a time for envisioning how things might look in the future.

This year, Vestry gave up its customary July off and added a meeting to prioritize capital improvements to be considered in the next few budget cycles. They met this past Tuesday for a conversation that was informed by the fine work of a Capital Improvements Subcommittee, which created a process and a general set of priorities with an eye toward their fit with mission, their urgency and their payoff. It also reflected input that parishioners gave in the space use forums that parishioner Mark Evans has led over the past two years.

At the meeting, Vestry identified five priority areas: exterior painting of the education wing and caretaker cottage, lighting and signage improvements, exterior door replacements, accessibility upgrades, and sanctuary air conditioning. An ad hoc committee will be formed to create more concrete proposals by Nov. 1 to inform 2027 budgeting. Vestry also approved immediate replacement of the fence around the Kid View playground, as the splintery split rail fence has been determined to be beyond repair.

The plan is for Vestry to do this type of capital project, prioritizing it every year in July.

I so appreciate the thoughtful work that is going into maintaining and planning for our buildings and grounds, from the day-to-day maintenance that our caretaker Tim Valera does, to the visioning and dreaming that is happening in parish forums. That’s because care of our built spaces is part and parcel to care for our ministries, both inside and outside of our buildings.

The spaces that we build and maintain have a lot to say about what we believe, what our values are, what our mission is, and who is welcome.  Not only do these values shape what we build and how we decorate and maintain it, but our built environment also shapes us. They help fashion our personal and parish identity. They shape how we interact with sacred space, how we fit within it and the relationship that we have to it.

In a church plant, faded paint, overwarm rooms and wrinkled carpet speak, sometimes more loudly than soaring ceilings, stained glass and sculpted wood.

While the Vestry ultimately decides how money shall be spent, what bids are awarded and the timeline for projects, they are informed by the ongoing conversation among members, tenants and visitors about who we are and whose we are and whom we serve in the name of Christ.

In the upcoming program year, several parish forums will explore those questions as we consider facets of our Episcopal identity, ways our worship space reflects our mission and vision, and who we are in our neighborhood. These are not isolated learning opportunities or one-off discussions. Rather, they are recorded, noted, and remembered as we make budgets and building plans.

You can begin thinking about these issues as well. Next time you’re walking through the buildings or sitting in the worship space, look at the architecture, the windows, the décor and layout with these questions in mind: how do they reflect our identity as St Peter’s, as people of faith as followers of Jesus? Who sees themselves reflected here, and who might not? How welcoming is the space to community groups and visitors? How easy is it for a stranger to navigate our spaces and find what they need? In what ways are our spaces sacred and in what ways are they home?