Building Committee Updates:

December 16, 2018

I have some exciting news to share.  We have a St. Joseph Building Committee and its members are busy at work helping us accomplish the goals of our Witness to Hope Campaign!  Using the varied building trade skills and diverse parish ministerial experiences of its members the Building Committee will guide us as we design and build a new, welcoming church Gathering Space and a new Rectory. They will also develop a Parish Facility Master Plan that enhances the parish’s current and future ability to encourage all to grow as joyful disciples of Jesus Christ.

I am pleased that the members of the Building Committee bring with them both skills needed for a construction project and a keen understanding of our parish through their participation in our parish’s ministries and everyday life.  On the project side of things the skills and experiences they bring include building and construction, business, engineering, administration, and management.  On the parish life side of things we have members who are involved in worship, formation, parish councils, the Knights of Columbus, and outreach.  I am very grateful for their familiarity with such a variety of skills and their deep faith and love for our parish.

Now let me introduce this talented group of people to you.  The members of our St. Joseph Building Committee are: Harold Aardal, Mark Amato, Tim and Cindy Donovan, Jim and Mary Frankfurth, Dennis Gehringer, Eric and Susan Pogrmich, Ed Schrock, Ann Marie Smullen, Parish Business Manager, and Fr. Dave Speicher, Pastor.
Our first meetings in September and October were spent developing our Charter in which we clarified our purpose, values, desired outcomes, timing, resources and budget, operating guidelines, and ground rules.  After I returned from being with my family for my mother’s death and funeral, we met with the diocesan Director of Building and Property Management, reviewed past parish building projects and plans, and familiarized committee members with our parish’s current property and facilities.  We are now beginning the process of seeking and hiring an architect to work with us on our projects.
We recognize we have a lot of work ahead of us.  In addition to two major construction projects, the Gathering Space and the Rectory, we want to be ready for the future with a strong Facility Master Plan.  It is important to us that we are faithful to what God wants for our parish.  That means keeping prayer as a part of our decision making.  We also want to be sure you, the parishioners of St. Joseph, are a part of the successful completion of our projects.  That is why, in addition to having traditional officers, Ed Schrock, Chair, Dennis Gehringer, Vice-Chair, and Mary Frankfurth and Cindy Donovan, Secretary, we have chosen two members, Eric Pogrmich and Jim Frankfurth, to be Spokepersons.  They have committed to insuring that the people of the parish are kept up to date on the progress of our projects.  You can expect to hear from them as we go forward.  We also hope you will touch base with our Building Committee members with your questions, thoughts, and ideas.
As we move forward on our exciting projects I would like to thank everyone for your gifts to our Witness to Hope Campaign and our Building on Tradition Campaigns of earlier years.  Your financial gifts and, perhaps more important, your prayers are what are enabling us to begin these projects.  I am also grateful to everyone who has been asking me when we are going to get started.  I am encouraged by your enthusiasm and look forward to your continued support.   - Fr. Dave
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 February 10, 2019:
 
Hello to  St. Joseph Parishioners,
Your St. Joseph Parish Building Committee , has some updates to share with you.  We are currently assembling an RFP which is a request for proposal for the addition of a gathering space for our parish to architectural firms.
 
We are also in the process of selecting a building site for a new rectory.  At this time, we are exploring options on property that is already part of the St. Joseph campus.
We hope to narrow down the location of the rectory in the next few weeks.
 
To better our communications, the parish office has issued the Building Committee an extension number of 705, so you can call the parish office (517-546-0090) and leave a message at extension #705.  Or,  if you prefer to email, please send it to:
      [email protected]
Eric Pogrmich or myself, Jim Frankfurth will do our best to follow up with you in a timely manner.
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March 31, 2019:  

We wanted to let everyone know where we are in the process for the Gathering Space. The team has issued (March 25, 2019) the RFP to obtain an Architect for their services for the design and subsequent building of the new space. In the next few months, we plan to have the Architect under contract and the start of the design process. We will hold a Town Hall style meeting for the parish once the design is far enough along so everyone can see what our Church will look like in the near future. 
As for the Rectory, we performed some test soil borings around the property that is currently owned and the results came back as less than ideal to build on. We are going back to the drawing board to consider all viable options. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to strive forward to bring this project to fruition.
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April 28, 2019: 
Hello to all and Happy Easter!  Your building committee met with three architect firms on April 3rd. for a walk through of our facilities to help them become familiar with what we have and to answer any questions about  the facilities. They may have further questions as they prepare a  proposal to us for our gathering space. We also provided to Fr. Dave with two floor plan designs for a possible addition to the existing rectory including a two car attached garage.
 
These are exciting times at our Parish so please keep us in your prayers ,that we make wise decisions -
God Bless ! 
 
Share your thoughts at [email protected] or call 517.546.0090 x705.

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Hello to all at St. Joseph Parish
 
The St. Joseph Building Committee has been very busy meeting every other week and will continue to do so for the near future. Our meetings start with a different opening prayer for each meeting lead by our chairman Ed Schrock.
 
 I would like to share this week’s prayer with you:
 Heavenly father, as we enter this work space we bring your presence with us. We acknowledge your power over all that    will be spoken, thought, decided, and done within these walls.
  
Lord, we thank you for the gifts you have blessed us with. We commit to using them responsibly in your honor. Give us a fresh supply of strength to do our task. Anoint our projects, ideas, and energy so that even our smallest accomplishments may bring you glory. 

Lord, when we are confused guide us. When we are frustrated calm us with the light of the Holy Spirit. May the work that we do and the way we do it bring faith, joy, and discipleship to our parish community.   Amen
 
We are in state of basic drawings for our gathering space and our Rectory. We have run into some physical limitations after we met with the city of Howell and their specific requirements for our new projects.  If any parish members have any questions or comments that you would like to share with the Committee, please start writing your questions for us.  Please note that we have a building committee email address at:  [email protected] and a voice mail at: 517-546-0090 extension 705.  Thank you for your inquiries and we will do our best to keep the St. Joseph Parish posted.
 
Our closing prayer this weeks meeting:
Lord, your word is a lamp  to our feet and a light to our path. Thank you that we can live in
             Your light and walk in Your truth. May the things that you revealed and thoughts that we
have shared tonight dwell in our hearts and stir us into action. 
             We ask all this in the precious name of Jesus.  Amen

Thank you and God Bless to all,
Respectfully submitted by Jim Frankfurth  and Eric Pogrmich 
Spokespersons for the Building Committee,
 
September 1, 2019:
Your parish building committee held a meeting on August 21  we began with our opening prayer offered by our chairman Ed Schrock I would like to share with you.
 
Lord, as we gather today at this meeting we ask that You will be in our midst. Help us to make decisions that will be pleasing to You. Help us to be able to discuss the matters at hand in a reasonable way, and to be willing to give up having our own way. God, let this meeting be productive and, as should be the case in all areas of our lives, help to keep You at the forefront of our minds as we do the work set before us.  Amen
 
We discussed the Rectory first including floor plan designs. We are hoping to have this ready to share with you on Sunday, October 6, 2019 at 9:30 am and Tuesday, October 8, 2019 at 7:30 pm along with some possible designs of our proposed Gathering space. Building committee members with our architect Dave Swanson will be soliciting your comments.
 
Our Closing Prayer: AS we close this meeting ,Lord, we want to give honor to You. Thank You, God for the time we had today to discuss issues and make decisions.
May You bless each person who took time to gather here today and let Your hand of protection be on them throughout the rest of the week. Let the work done here tonight come to fruition, and let it all be for Your glory. Help us each to do our parts to bring the plans discussed to life.  Amen