Worship
The church, originally designed as a gymnasium, was to serve as a temporary worship facility. Despite our best efforts to make the church environment warmer and more inviting, and even with the generous gifts of time and talent, flowers and decorations, the church remains best suited as a gymnasium. Furthermore, the estimated cost to renovate the existing structure to meet current needs for worship and the much needed support facilities, along with window replacement and climate control would be excessive.

A new worship space is envisioned to have seating for 900 -1000 in a manner that is more in keeping with current liturgical practice while meeting parishioners' desire for a traditional design. A spacious gathering area will welcome our guests to foster a stronger community spirit before and after celebrations. Attention would be given to accommodating the disabled and the physically challenged. A day chapel that accommodates up to 80 people would serve as the place to gather for daily Eucharist, private devotion, and smaller numbers of guests for the celebration of weddings or funerals.

A rehearsal room with adequate storage space for equipment, is sorely needed to meet the needs of the music ministry, which includes the traditional choir, children's choir, contemporary choir, hand bell choir and Life Teen band.

The new church will have a sacristy that provides necessary privacy and space for the priests and other liturgical ministers, i.e., Eucharistic Ministers, lectors, altar servers, etc. and storage for vestments and sacred vessels used for the celebration of the sacraments. It will also include appropriate settings for a bride's room and nursery accommodations.

Our commitment to these details in a new church will enhance and enrich the experience of all who enter our doors to worship the Lord and celebrate the sacraments at St. Alexis. After 40 years in the desert, our Lord led the Israelites to the Promised Land and there they built a home. It's time for St. Alexis to leave the gym and build a proper ecclesiastical center, and consecrate it to the Lord.

Education/Religious Formation
Meeting and fulfilling the educational needs of the faith community has always been the main focus and vision of St. Alexis and supporting this vision was the establishment of the school in 1963. Grounded in Christian ideals and sound academic principles, St. Alexis School provides an excellent educational experience. Children enrolled in the school and religious education programs are challenged to recognize their individual gifts and to use them to make positive contributions to the community. To continue our mission of providing this quality of education, and to ensure the fruitful works of this parish, we must update and improve our educational facilities.

There are over 400 children registered in parish religious education programs. Since 1999, St. Alexis School has restored grade 6, and added grades 7 and 8. Prior to these changes, the program grew to include pre-school, full-day and half-day kindergartens. The enrollment of the school has grown to a 15-year high of 440 students for the 2003/4 academic year.

To accommodate the increasing numbers of students in both the school and Religious Education programs, a number of changes to the facilities have taken place. Leonard Hall has been renovated to include a library, a science lab, six classrooms and handicapped accessible restrooms. A new cafeteria and kitchen were completed in the fall of 2002 in the lower level of this building, formerly used for maintenance and storage.

However, additional improvements are needed, including a single controllable point of entry near the administrative offices. An increased buffer space for the bus loading area and a more convenient drop off/pick up area for school children are critical to meeting safety standards. The current configuration creates security and control issues because of multiple entrances. Congruent with this deficiency is the lack of a gymnasium for the school which is needed to attract and retain students, especially in the middle school, and to enhance the physical education portion of the curriculum for all students.

A consolidated area for school administration is needed and should include a common reception/clerical space, staff offices, work area and a staff meeting room. This would greatly reduce the need for duplicate equipment and supplies for the school and religious education programs, providing a savings for the parish. In addition, a resource library and a teacher's lounge/lunchroom would be created.

We would also like to address the growing needs of our working parents by studying the feasibility of day care, and expanding the after-school programs. Classroom space is adequate now, but four additional classroom/lab spaces will be necessary for long-term program needs.

Community Life and Outreach Programs
The 5700 members of St. Alexis have numerous and varied needs that are served by more than 60 ministries. Currently all of the parish ministries use the Parish Center, the school cafeteria or the rectory to conduct their individual programs and meetings. Due to the lack of available space, it is difficult to accommodate multiple gatherings and meeting areas for these groups are too often unavailable. Consequently, there is a compelling need for flexible support areas (additional small conference and meeting rooms, storage, etc.) to support these programs and ministries.

A major weakness in the parish facilities is the lack of an area for the entire parish to gather and celebrate outside of the church. A family center facility would be utilized by all age groups, including teens, with programs for working men and women and our senior community.

Presently, large gatherings are impossible and access for the disabled in existing areas is significantly limited. The new cafeteria is unavailable for parish activities or events, such as luncheons following funerals, during the school year. In order to foster a stronger sense of community among parishioners through greater participation in the life of the parish, particularly for large groups, banquets, educational and extracurricular activities, expansion is critical.

There is also a pressing need for storage space to accommodate the maintenance operations of the parish and for seasonal supplies and materials like the festival props.

…united in Faith, Spirit and Value