Congregations
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Christ Church breaks ground on new vision By Joe Snavely and Nancy Boerup Interchange contributors
What is God’s vision for our parish? That is the question that led the members of Christ Church, Glendale, to embark on a journey of discernment, discovery and faith nearly eight years ago. As we met in groups to discuss our sense of God’s call for our faith community, four areas of focus began to emerge. These areas, Community, Outreach, Worship and Education (our Holy COWE!) became the lenses through which we would examine our current ministries and also begin to dream about new ways that we could meet our mission to “reconcile ourselves to God and each other in Christ.” One thing that became clear early on is that while our historic church building and parish hall were a key part of our identity and mission, the connecting structure built in 1959 which housed a chapel, Sunday school, music rooms and our parish office was not meeting our current needs, much less providing us with a platform for growth. Needs identified included a much larger chapel (seating 200, the old seated 75), more classroom space, a single large gathering area, better facilities for housing and caring for our Interfaith Hospitality guests and more office space (so all members of our staff could have an office!). All Saints Hall, the previous building, was also designed with a large amount of glass, so though larger, the new building will be much more energy efficient. Once these needs were identified and a preliminary budget established, the Building Our Vision campaign began. First, City Studio Architecture was selected to design the building. By 2011, funds were pledged and in 2012 HGC Construction was hired to be the general contractor. The village of Glendale Historic Preservation and Planning Commission approved plans in May 2012, and after months of final design and permitting issues, we
were thrilled to be able to celebrate a ground breaking on Sunday April 7. In addition to the traditional turning of the dirt with shovels, we celebrated the groundbreaking with a liturgy led by Bishop Breidenthal and our rector, the Rev. Roger Foote, followed by a festive reception. Two days later demolition
began and we are beginning to see God’s vision for our parish becoming a reality. Thanks be to God! Nancy Boerup serves as Junior Warden and Joe Snavely serves as Director of Christian Formation at Christ Church. Contact Joe at joe.snavely@christchurchglendale.org.
Rest in peace The Rev. William V. Brook, Jr. (Bill) died Monday, June 10 at the Kobacker House in Columbus following a short illness. He was 77. Bill served as rector of St. Paul’s, Chillicothe from 1979 to 1991 and on numerous diocesan committees and task forces. Prior to his ministry in Southern Ohio, he had also served in congregations and committees in Virginia and West Virginia. He retired to Delaware, Ohio, where he and his wife, Margaret, were living at the time of his death. Bill is survived by his wife; a son, Thomas, and daughter-inlaw, Sarah; a grandson, Andrew and a granddaughter, Rachel, all of Delaware. A memorial service was held at St. Peter’s, Delaware, June 18. Memorial contributions may be made to the St. Peter’s Episcopal Church Memorial Fund, 15 N. Franklin St., Delaware, Ohio 43015.
Ruth Sawyer, wife of retired president of the Church Foundation John Sawyer, died May 30. She was 81. Ruth was an avid gardener and a supporter of the church, the arts, and especially of the Ensemble Theater in Cincinnati. The Sawyers were the farmers of the Procter Farm in London, Ohio, for many years. In addition to her husband of 60 years, Ruth is survived by daughters Anne (Rex) Wetherill, Elizabeth (Blake) Selnick, Catherine Sawyer and Mary (Bobby) Stephens, thirteen grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Funeral services were held June 11 at Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati. Memorial contributions may be made to the Ensemble Theater, 1127 Vine St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.