During the past year (2015), many improvements have taken place within the parish to maintain our beautiful church and property. Many of these improvements have been facilitated by our own parish members. Our parish is blessed with lots of talented and generous parishioners who give back through volunteering and other support.
Earlier last year, some of the committees determined that some of the work spaces should be re-arranged, so a plan was developed. Gregg Slusarek, a parishioner and contractor, relocated the reconciliation room to be in a part of the south chapel. The old reconciliation room was turned into the new choir room. The work sacristy is now occupied by arts and entertainment and cleaning ministries only. (Items for these ministries had been scattered throughout the building.) Parishioners Dale Mocco and Don Babler built cabinets for the new choir room and work sacristy. All of this work was completed by September.
The Buildings & Grounds Committee surveys and inspects the property each year to attend to maintenance needs. Upon inspection, it was discovered that water damage was occurring to the foundation of the north wall of the church. Mike Hubbard of MD Landscape, who is also a parishioner, provided excavation and replacement of the drainage tile at the north and west walls. Landscaping should now provide proper drainage.
Volunteers maintain the grounds all summer. This is time consuming and must be done every week. Several groups take turns, but additional help is always appreciated. If you are interested, email John at the parish office (or call at 920-499-1546 ext. 113).
All of these activities and projects are budged and prioritized. Many times, funds are not readily available so projects are sometimes delayed, if they can be, and get scheduled only when funding is secured. We are fortunate that some of our parishioners have come forward to provide financial support for projects such as the worship area LED lighting, baptismal font, video and screen, driveway signage, assistive hearing devices, and reconciliation and other room repurposing to name a few.