St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Austin Moves Forward With a Capital Campaign

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
March 17, 2024

Austin, TX – St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and Day School has successfully completed a Focus Group and Readiness Assessment that was conducted by James D. Klote and Associates. For years St. Mark’s and their Day School have wrestled with facilities that have outlived their lifespan and have grown increasingly costly to maintain. The Focus Groups revealed an overwhelming majority of the congregation and parents at the Day School were both excited about moving forward with the proposed Master Plan and are willing to be active participants, moving both the church and school into the future.

A formal report was presented to the Vestry, which, after review, was voted on and approved. St. Mark’s will begin moving forward with James D. Klote and Associates for the capital campaign to underwrite their long-term vision as captured in the master plan. “It is very encouraging to see a church family moving into the future in unity with a common vision to provide facilities for both the church family and the community they live and worship in,” said Bill Rowley, Campaign Consultant.

The master plan consists of four separate phases. Phase one includes overall site preparation of infrastructure, a new Nave, and redoing the parking lot at an estimated cost of 7.7 million dollars. Phase two is a new parish hall with an estimated cost of 4.6 million dollars. Phase three is the addition of a new administration building and additional columbarium for 3.6 million dollars. The final phase includes buildings for the Day school and the removal of the old Nave at 5.8 million dollars.

“We desire to build a church for the community that will last for over 200 years and serve multiple generations,” said Jay Brown, a member at St. Mark’s. “With over 8 acres of usable space, we are looking forward to melding the natural beauty of the property into a facility that both enhances the worship experience and complements the natural elegance of the surrounding habitats.”

St. Mark’s will work closely with the church family, the community, and James D. Klote and Associates to undertake the capital campaign and bring their vision to fruition.

With offices in Great Falls, Virginia; Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; and Toronto, Ontario, James D. Klote & Associates is the largest full-time, on-site stewardship consulting firm in North America. For additional information, please contact the firm at www.jdklote.com or (703) 532-7633.