opening ourselves to the fullness of god’s calling

May 5, 2025 - After years of careful planning, hard work, and generosity, we are about to start renovations! We are on schedule to begin construction in early June 2025. We are finalizing construction documents and contracts and working on logistics. A huge thank you goes to Herron Horton Architects, the buildings & grounds committee, the vestry and staff, and everyone who hauled stuff off for donation this spring in The Great Christ Church Clean Out.

What happens next: there will be two phases to construction. In phase one, the parking lot entrance, office area, and parlor will remain accessible. The rest of the first floor of the parish house will be under construction, and there will be a construction fence around most of the parking lot. We will have stairway access to the second and third floors, and occasional use of the elevator. A second phase follows when the first floor is finished, in which we’ll have access to most of the parish house. In phase two, the addition along Scott St will be removed removed and green space added.

Parking: this block will be a busy one, as Central Arkansas Water next door begins renovations at the same time. There will be construction fencing around both parking lots, though we will have a few accessible parking spaces near the parking lot entrance to the parish house. We are working on temporary parking agreements around the church and will have information shortly. As a reminder, street parking is free on Sundays, and the public lot across Capitol Ave offers free parking on Sundays until noon.

Accessibility: there will be an accessible entrance into the church throughout this project. In phase one, the parking lot entrance will remain open. In phase two, there will be an accessible entrance on the south side of the parish house (into Parke Hall), with a temporary ramp from the parish house into the south transept. Watch for details and signs as we get closer.

Restrooms: while we would like to have a fancy restroom trailer rented for this project, that is not in our budget. We’re going to try using the restrooms we have to see if they are sufficient for Sundays. There are two restrooms in the church (vesting and bell rooms), one in the Undercroft, one off the parlor, and several upstairs. Watch for signs, and your feedback is always welcome.

Nursery: the last Sunday that our current nursery will be open before renovations is May 25. During construction, we’ll be assessing the needs of our families with young children and making programming plans for the awesome new kid space. During that time, we encourage families to bring kids to church, to use the prayground space, and to enjoy children’s chapel. We would like to thank Aquanetta Jackson and Teresa Donley for their many years of dedicated work in the nursery. If you would like to contribute to a purse as a way to say thank you, please contact Dustyn in the office, dspencer@christchurchlr.org.

Meetings: if your group is planning to meet at the church during construction, we’ll find a space for you! Contact Dustyn Spencer, dspencer@christchurchlr.org, or drop by the office.

Finding what you need to know: check here for project updates and progress. The best way to find out what you need to know for an upcoming Sunday (what entrance do I use? where can I park?) is to make sure you’re signed up for the weekly announcements by email, which you can do at christchurchlr.org/connect.

A lot to celebrate! Ascension Day, one of the great feast days of the church year, happens this year right before we begin renovations. On Thursday, May 29, we’ll have a BBQ dinner beginning at 5:30, the opportunity to write prayers and blessings on the walls before construction begins, master plan tours, and the celebration of Holy Eucharist with choir at 7:00 p.m.

We’d love your support: it’s not too late to join the capital campaign that is making this once-in-a-generation project possible. For more information, visit https://www.supportchristchurchlr.org.

One final word: if you have questions, please reach out. Big projects always have a few bumps along the way, but even with those, we are beginning an exciting chapter in the life of Christ Church. Please hold our parish in your prayers and watch for God at work as we open ourselves to the fullness of God’s calling.

Faithfully yours,

- The Rev. Dr. Kate Alexander, Rector, on behalf of our design and engineering teams:

Jennifer Herron and Jeff Horton, Herron Horton Architects

Noah Kinder and Eric Tarver, Energy Engineering Consultants, Inc.

Martin Smith and Mary Nell Miskin, Environmental Design Group.

And the buildings & grounds team:

John Blackwood, Bert Finzer, Allen Pettit, Joe Stanley, and Porter Brownlee (client representative).