Dear St. John the Divine family,

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 

As we informed the parish at our most recent Annual Vestry Meeting, we would be calling a meeting of the parish to discuss and decide upon a major project to address the leak in the roof around the belltower. 

To that end, parish council has called a Special Vestry Meeting for Sunday May 16th at 11.30am. Due to the ongoing pandemic restrictions this will be on Zoom. 

You can register for that meeting here:
 https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwqcu-rqz4uGtLZPIMDvRx6p6vhCDrZuKC9

If you require assistance with registering or want information about phoning in, please contact the office.  

The roof around the belltower has been a problem for some time. We believe that this problem will only become more complex and expensive the longer we wait to fix it. For that reason, we believe that this project is important for the ongoing life and ministry of St. John the Divine.

To help in our decision making, parish council has collected quotes from 3 different companies. There are more detailed supporting documents attached to this notice1, but in summary they are: 

 

  1. Hi-Land
    1. Metal siding: $61,845 - $65,845 + taxes & shipping/handling
    2. Wood siding: $65,015 - $69,015 + taxes & shipping/handling
    3. Tower removal2: $117,548 - $145,864 + tax
  2. PE Custom Work: $164,535
  3. Xtreme Roofing
    1. Metal siding: $79,850 + tax
    2. Wood siding: $87,295 + tax

Parish Council has unanimously recommended Hi-Land quote 1.a. Metal siding. This is not only the least expensive option, but also provides better durability, better warranty and less ongoing maintenance than the wood option. 

Additionally, Hi-Land has offered to do some design with the metal siding, at no extra cost, to make the tower an accent feature for the building. Examples will be forthcoming in future communications. This decision would likewise be guided by feedback from vestry.

If it is possible, please raise any questions you might have ahead of the meeting, as this will allow us to provide answers more easily and the meeting to proceed more smoothly. 

A huge thank you to the three companies who quoted us, all of parish council, and particularly David Hildreth in their work, dedication and care to get us to this point and allow us to make an informed choice as a parish.  

This is a fairly big undertaking, and I know that St. John’s has had roof problems for a long time. The Church is not the building, but this building is, I believe, an important tool for our ministry in this place. I personally feel positive about our ability to take this on and for it to make us stronger as a community. Please pray for our shared life and ministry, and for the collective discernment around this work and decision, that we may be guided by the Holy Spirit in all things. 

 

Yours in Christ, 


CG+ 

1The files attached to this communication is in the form of a “zip file.” Most computers can open these. If you have any trouble accessing the files, contact the office and we will send you PDFs. 

Please email Elaine at the church office to receive a copy of the Zip Files. info@squamishanglicanchurch.ca

2It was requested by parish council to get a quote about whether it would make sense to just remove the belltower. Not only does this appear to be a more expensive option, but several sources have made the case for the tower as a unique identifying mark in the neighbourhood for St. John’s. This option is not recommended for these reasons at this time.