Photo courtesy of CTSM Architects.
A rendering of a new home for St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church in Chelsea. The church began a capital campaign in January 2018 to raise most of the money needed for the structure. The total cost was expected to be about $1.5 million.
St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church is looking to build a new home.
The church, located on Shelby County 39, “is a place of worship for all people,” said the Rev. Eric Mancil, the church’s rector.
“All are welcome — regardless of what you look like, where you come from, who you love or what you happen to believe about God,” Mancil said.
That message is resonating, according to Jay Jerman, the church’s development committee chair, who said St. Catherine's is “experiencing significant growth.”
The church, formed in 2007, has outgrown its current facility — the old K-Springs Church of God, a small but charming 1930s-vintage wood-frame structure the congregation has rented for 10 years.
St. Catherine's is now raising money to build its new home on a 20-acre site it owns at Shelby 39 and King’s Home Drive.
The church is seeking to raise $1.2 million, although the project is expected to cost about $1.5 million, Mancil said.
St.Catherine’s kicked off its “Growing in Christ” capital campaign in January, brought it to an official close Feb. 25 and, on March 11, announced the results.
The church had raised about $580,000 in contributions and three-year pledges, according to Mancil.
This was short of the goal, but Mancil said that there were still people who might wish to contribute, and that the church would continue accepting pledges and contributions.
And Mancil was not discouraged. “It may take a little longer, but our goals have stayed the same,” he said.
The church hopes to break ground by the end of 2018, with construction expected to last 10-12 months.
“This has been a long time coming for so many of our members, and they are so excited that we are finally getting ready to move ahead with the new construction,” Mancil said.
“We have new people trying out our church, and they like it, and they stay, and they are participating, and that’s a good thing, but we’re burdened with a facility that isn’t serving our needs,” Jerman said.
St. Catherine’s needs more classrooms, office space and sanctuary seating, as well as a bigger parish hall, according to Jerman.
The new facility will also aid the church in conducting its extensive community outreach, which includes the Beans and Rice Pantry, The Bread Ministry and the Chelsea Community Garden.
“We'll be able to serve more people and grow our outreach in a way that isn't possible at our current location,” Mancil said.
The St. Catherine's parishioners are “committed to social justice” and feel a call to “love and serve those on the margins of society,” he said.
Jerman said the new sanctuary will accommodate 120 attendees and will be expandable to a capacity of 200.
He believes that St. Catherine’s “will grow dramatically,” much like St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church and Asbury United Methodist Church, both in Birmingham.
“I think it is important to have that vision,” Jerman said.
Most pledges and contributions have come from parish members, according to Mancil “But we invite anyone from the community to be a part of this exciting new chapter for St. Catherine's,” he said.
For more information, go to stcatherinesal.com.
