Dear St. Paul’s,
Nearly four and a half years ago I arrived at St. Paul’s knowing what one of my main tasks would be, to help usher in the next phase of campus development. Thank you all for your generosity that led to the resounding success of the Music Center major gifts campaign. This was no ordinary campaign for our Cathedral community. It was a lot of work in the background starting in my earliest days here.
And here we are, ready to open our very own Music Center. With great joy, I’m delighted to share that we will celebrate the Grand Opening of the Music Center on May 10, following our 10:30 a.m. service, with a special coffee with extra goodies to mark this milestone together. It will be a moment to gather, give thanks, and celebrate what God has made possible through the faithfulness and generosity of this community.
When construction began in early 2025, the usual obstacles of renovating a hundred‑year‑old building immediately showed. But because of you, our generous donors, we were able to deal with each contingency with clarity and deliberateness. From floods to uneven subfloors, and internet connectivity issues that affected AV early on, the construction team helped us beat back each challenge and stay the course for continued activity in our music programs’ new home. We had to dig up the entire area around the Queen’s Courtyard, but nothing stopped the team from accomplishing this goal together.
There was a stage at which things seemed to have slowed due to those inevitable contingency issues and the vitality of our campus life—our great partnership with Voices of Our City Choir, rental groups, and our own events. It looked as though we wouldn’t be finished until May of 2026. Fortunately, because of those close partnerships and the cohesive teams of St. Paul’s, Voices, and our construction group, we are now opening the new facility.
My biggest take away? It’s personal connection that drives success. Working the phones, personal meetings and solicitations are always far more effective than broad communications. While we may look at success as something that is inevitable in the rearview, we often fail to realize that motivated leadership and other supporters calling people personally gets us all where we want to go. Mission-driven success requires full commitment, passion, and a willingness to take personal risk for communal gains. Each person involved in the structural success of the campaign lived that out. Thank all of you for ensuring this next step forward in our perpetual endeavor to be the Cathedral for the City.
So, here we are, we will quite literally be on the doorstep of the space we all helped create for our musicians and to God’s glory. I hope you join me and others in blessing the new space on Grand Opening of the Music Center on May 10, following our 10:30 a.m. service.
In gratitude and joy,
Richard
