​​Our Buildings - Stewarding Assets for the Future

Church buildings are the largest tangible assets that our parishes are responsible for. They are significant for their beauty, the symbols they contain, and the worship they inspire. Their care and upkeep, as well as their construction and alteration, are of great consequence to parish finances and to parishioners in their daily use of church buildings and grounds. Most Episcopal churches recognize that the Junior Warden of the Vestry needs support and expertise, in order to manage these significant and complex assets.
Start with the right group of people to constitute the committee, a group that should include those with relevant technical knowledge and parish opinion leaders who can serve as a voice for “facilities”. Then, define the committee’s purpose and provide information and tools needed by the volunteers; adopt practices, identify priorities, and monitor facilities performance so appropriate resources are brought to each facilities challenge; communicate with parishioners and donors about accomplishments and priority needs, to raise awareness of the cost of providing the church homes that we cherish.
Join leadership from peer churches (Good Shepherd Episcopal, Bethesda-by-the-Sea, and St. Mark St. Paul) along with a national leader in facilities (Building Solutions) in a panel discussion. These leaders will share about governance of facilities--the formation and focus of facilities committees that are appropriate to churches regardless of size, how they can be equipped to support facilities stewardship, and how they can lead a vestry and parish to make sound decisions about our church-owned buildings.
Panelists Include:
William Dillard - Director of Partner Awareness, Building Solutions; Dallas, Texas
Tom Hotchkiss - Vicar, The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd; Dallas, Texas
Rob Lamborn - Parish of St. Mark and St. Paul; Sewanee, Tennessee
Joseph Sanelli - Parish Administrator, Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea; Palm Beach, Florida
Bill Keslar - CEO, Building Solutions; Dallas, Texas (moderator)