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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I am excited to share that the Vestry has to entered into a contract with Covenant Texas- a subsidiary of Century Oaks Construction for the renovation of our Parish Hall. This marks a significant milestone in a journey that has involved years of discernment, planning, prayer, fundraising, and careful consideration.
This moment is worth celebrating, not because we are beginning a construction project, but because we are taking an important step toward strengthening the ministry and hospitality of St. Andrew's for generations to come.
The name of our capital campaign, Lift High Your Legacy, was chosen intentionally. A legacy is not simply something we inherit. It is also something we leave behind. Every generation receives gifts from those who came before and bears responsibility for those who will come after. The buildings we enjoy today were built, maintained, and improved by faithful people who understood that they were not building for themselves alone. They were building for the future.
Now it is our turn.
The Parish Hall is one of the most important buildings on our campus. In many ways, it serves as the front porch of St. Andrew's—our gate to the community. More visitors pass through its doors than any other building we own. It is where families gather after funerals to share stories and comfort one another. It is where wedding receptions celebrate new beginnings. It hosts meetings of the Seguin Art League, Master Gardener training programs, Chamber of Commerce gatherings, first responder meetings, and numerous community events throughout the year. It is where parish meals are shared, friendships are formed, children learn, and ministry happens.
For many people in Seguin, the Parish Hall is their first experience of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. Because it serves both our parish family and our wider community, it deserves great care and thoughtful stewardship.
As we have learned throughout this process, renovating the Parish Hall in a way that truly serves everyone is not a simple undertaking. The building itself reflects the history of our parish. What we commonly call the Parish Hall is actually several different structures that have been joined together over many decades. That history gives the building character and tells the story of a congregation that adapted as needs changed. Yet it also presents significant challenges.
The small restrooms do not meet modern ADA standards. The hallway between our office and hall is not ADA compliant. The kitchen was designed for a different era of ministry. Creating a facility that is welcoming, accessible, functional, and worthy of future generations has required extensive planning, careful design, and holding onto financial practicality.
One of the difficult realities we have faced is that time has not been our ally. In hindsight, we delayed this project longer than we should have. The reasons were understandable. We wanted to be thoughtful stewards. We wanted to make wise decisions. We wanted to ensure that any renovation would meet both present and future needs. Yet every year of delay brought increased construction costs and paralysis.
Unfortunately, inflation has become a formidable adversary. Since the COVID pandemic, construction costs have risen dramatically at rates well beyond what was common during the previous decade. Inflation pays little attention to our hopes, our schedules, or our deliberations.
Had this project moved forward three years ago, it is reasonable to estimate that the total cost would have fallen somewhere between $700,000 and $750,000. Today, even after a thorough Value Engineering process aimed at identifying savings wherever possible, the project cost remains at approximately $946,000. AGC reports that construction costs increased roughly 42%–44% between February 2020 and early 2026, depending on the category measured.
Many factors have contributed to these increases. Supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, rising material costs, and global instability have all played a role. More recently, international conflict has continued to place pressure on construction markets. While we pray for peace and stability in our world, experience suggests that construction costs rarely move backward. Waiting longer would likely expose the parish to even greater expenses in the years ahead.
For that reason, the Vestry believes that moving forward now is both prudent and necessary.
To support the project we will need additional funds in the range of approximately $250,000. We are investigating a line of credit with an option to convert to a fixed rate loan, if needed, at project completion. Frost Bank, 1st Commercial Bank, and ECBF (Episcopal Church Building Fund) are institutions providing borrowing pricing. We believe this approach offers the greatest flexibility while minimizing costs during both construction and the completion of the capital campaign.
At the same time, we remain committed to responsible stewardship of all parish resources. The Vestry will continue to evaluate prudent uses of endowment income while carefully protecting the principal of the endowment itself. The corpus of the endowment represents the faithful generosity of previous generations and remains dedicated to supporting ministry long into the future.
We will also continue pursuing every grant opportunity available to us. The parish staff and Vestry are committed to exploring those possibilities wherever they may exist. We do so with realistic expectations. Churches are often not among the highest priorities for grant funding, but we remain determined to seek every available resource that may assist this effort.
As always, gifts to the Lift High Your Legacy campaign remain welcome and appreciated. At the same time, we must not lose sight of the importance of annual stewardship. The ministries that happen within our buildings remain just as important as the buildings themselves. Worship, Christian formation, outreach, pastoral care, music, and service all depend upon the faithful generosity of God's people.
Ultimately, this project brings us back to a simple truth — buildings matter because people matter.
When Luke tells the story of Christ's birth, he notes that "there was no place for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7, NRSV). The absence of welcome stands in sharp contrast to the hospitality God continually extends throughout Scripture.
In Exodus, after leading Israel out of bondage, God instructed the people to construct the Tabernacle. The Lord declared, "And have them make me a sanctuary, so that I may dwell among them" (Exodus 25:8, NRSV). The Tabernacle stood at the center of the community because God's presence was meant to be at the center of their common life.
The same principle continues today. Churches build spaces not because God can be confined to buildings, but because people need places where they can gather, worship, learn, grieve, celebrate, and encounter the presence of God together. Sacred spaces proclaim that there is room for everyone. They communicate dignity. They embody welcome.
The adequacy and invitation of our buildings matter because they belong to God, and they belong to our care. Communicating something important about the God we believe we worship. They tell visitors, neighbors, and strangers alike that they have a place here. More importantly, they remind people that they have a place with the God who seeks to dwell at the center of every human life.
That is the heart of Lift High Your Legacy.
We are not merely renovating an aging building. We are strengthening a place of welcome. We are investing in a ministry that will continue long after we are gone. We are ensuring that future generations inherit facilities capable of serving both church and community with grace, accessibility, and hospitality.
There will be challenges ahead. Construction projects always require patience, flexibility, and perseverance. Yet this moment also invites gratitude. We can give thanks for the generations who built before us, for the generosity of those supporting this effort today, and for the opportunities that await those who will one day inherit what we leave behind.
Thank you for your prayers, your generosity, and your commitment to the mission of St. Andrew's. Together, we continue the work of lifting high the legacy we have received and preparing a place of welcome for those whom God will send in the years ahead.
God’s peace,
The Rev. Stephen Shortess
Soaring Fuel And Metals Costs Send Prices Higher For Construction Materials In February; Iran War Makes Further Increases Likely | Associated General Contractors of America
How the Iran conflict affects U.S. construction materials - SLC3 -St. Louis Council of Construction Consumers
PPI_Tables_2026_03.pdf
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