David Olson, vice chairman of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota’s trustees, writes about stepping back from a vision of rebuilding the diocesan office as a multipurpose facility:
Over the past few years we have been imagining how our office building at 1730 Clifton Place in Minneapolis could be converted from a drain on resources to one that creates community. Our hope was to create a Missional Innovative Partnership by collaborating with St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral and Episcopal Homes to build Episcopal Commons with the vision that we would enhance the capacity of each organization to fulfill its mission in a sustainable way. As you might expect, this kind of innovation often requires imagining, learning, and re-imagining along the way. We have recently come to understand that Episcopal Commons as we first imagined it will not be possible. The financial realities of such a project are not feasible as it is currently configured.
… The Trustees have already begun working on ways to re-imagine new ways to achieve the original goals of the Episcopal Commons project. While the “bricks and mortar” outcome of the original Missional Innovative Partnership will likely look different in the end, the innovative missional aspects that help solidify a sustainable future for the Episcopal Church in Minnesota will be unchanged.
Previously at TLC: “Transforming a Block”
