by Anna C.
The renovation/expansion effort continues apace. Propelled by the Fairfax County approval on June 7 of last year of our special use permit, the selected consulting engineers and electrical engineers prepared the drawings that were displayed in the hall until recently. Those drawings are no longer displayed as we made some tweaks to the design. The revised drawings should be completed in several weeks. Once final, we will be positioned to issue the Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and await receipt of the competitive construction bids.
At the same time, given the faster-than-expected growth of parishioners in the sanctuary, we are in the process of developing two paths of action for accommodating this growth:
- We are exploring possibilities for expanding the sanctuary of our current church, at a later time.
- Simultaneously, we are keeping tabs on the sale of local churches in the event that an unexpected opportunity should present itself.
As we push forward, we find inspiration in the success stories of other churches, many considerably smaller than St. Mary’s, who beat long odds and achieved their vision of beautiful new or renovated churches and adjoining buildings.
An example of a success story is the progress made by St. Luke Serbian Orthodox Church in Potomac, a place familiar to many of us as the site of our Annual Dinner Dance over the years. After expanding the fellowship hall and transforming it into the beautiful space we love to celebrate in, they launched a five-year building campaign, which has raised close to 2 million dollars to date. St. Luke’s broke ground on the construction of their new standalone church on October 1, 2023.
We are optimistic that we, too, will meet with similar success, eventually ensuring that no one is denied access to our beautiful services due to physical limitations, no one has to squeeze into a crowded and loud fellowship hall to experience community with others and that our children have access to updated and comfortable classrooms and play areas.
