Dreaming Our Future
Fall 2024 Progress Update
Community feedback following the initial stages of the Dreaming Our Future process indicated strong interest in two types of site development: increased use of and access to the beautiful outdoor areas of our campus; and the creation of attractive and affordable apartment units to help meet local housing needs. Work is currently underway on an orchard southeast of the Thomas Center, which will feature benches, durable artwork, and a wide variety of fruit trees in a tranquil, moose-proofed setting; further landscaping plans include a walking trail bordered by flowering and fruiting trees and perennials.
Conceptual work on possible housing options has been a time-consuming process requiring land and feasibility studies, and we are grateful to have been supported in this work by grants from Trinity Church in New York City.
Now that these studies have been completed, the Dreaming Our Future committee is excited to share a comprehensive report of the work to date, including conceptual plans for housing up to 90 families and a link to a Request for Letter of Interest (RFLOI) that will be shared with a wide network of potential development partners. All potential partnerships and projects will continue to be presented to the congregation and vestry for review. For a summary of the project to date, you can view the presentation that was given to the Vestry on September 9, 2024.
View the Dreaming Our Future presentation from the September 9 Vestry meeting
If you’re interested in the comprehensive report and conceptual plans for housing up to 90 families, it is available at the link below. You will be able to read a Request for Letter of Interest (RFLOI) and Master Plan that have been shared with a wide network of potential partners.
Thank you for your continued support as we are guided by God in choosing how we will move from dreams to reality.
Review housing development possibilities and the RFLOI
What is "Dreaming Our Future"?
In 2020, St. Mary's began a process of discerning our future that we are calling Dreaming Our Future. It's not a new endeavor, really; every ten years or so, the vestry and congregation have embarked together on a period of reflection and discernment about who we are as a faith community, and where God is calling us.
Stepping back from our usual flow of work and ministry gives us an opportunity to reflect on our history as the people of God in this place. We recall who we have been throughout the many phases of our seven decades as St. Mary's. We name what has sustained us, kept us strong and vital, and where our ministries in the world have shown the love of Christ to the wider community of Anchorage, and even to the wider world.
Check out the Dreaming Our Future website
How are we Dreaming Our Future?
The Process:
STORIES - This is where we started, telling the story of St. Mary's in our own words. As we recalled our collective and individual histories, we celebrated what has gone before, and looked toward a future that arises out of our shared calling and values.
CHOICES - Here, we identified our strengths, and invited input from others to explore the needs of the wider community. What are our dreams for the future? Where is God leading us in the decades ahead? What possible ministries feed our souls, serve God, and are possible now?
DECISIONS - And now, we, acting through our Vestry, begin to make decisions. We decide which of the proposals, if any, make sense for us at the present time. We bring our vision of the possible into the present. We may choose to pursue a program, or a project that involves construction, or to stay the course with our current flourishing ministries.
Michael Burke's Sermon on Dreaming Our Future, May 30, 2021
Stories: Our History
Recording of Session 1
Session Date: March 6
Recording of Session 2
Session Date: March 13
Recording of Session 3
Session Date: March 20
Recording of Session 4
Session Date: March 27
Recording of Session 5
Session Date: April 3
Choices: Taking Action
