I am sitting in my new office as I write – it has a window! I know…little things. It makes me smile to write about it.
When we moved our offices into 1297 McDonough in 2016, we were immediately utilizing the entire space. We knew we would have to expand as our footprint grew and our work deepened. Quietly, we began to dream about what a new office could look like, and how a renewed space could allow us to serve our neighbors even better.
In 2019, these conversations began to take firmer shape. We worked with a partner firm to develop our renovation plans. We included those plans in our 2021 capital campaign. Then, in autumn of 2022, we began demolition and construction. Now, in these first weeks of 2023 we are mostly done.
This morning it hit me: I am sitting in a space that we envisioned almost six years ago. Dozens, if not hundreds, of people have had a hand in bringing this office to life. The realization amazes me a bit. Our work is often like this - we talk with neighbors and we dream together about what’s next. We think of new ways to sow flourishing. Then, we undertake the hard part of working slowly, methodically, and quietly making it real.
I’m thrilled to say that this particular vision is real because of people like you. I’m sitting here because there are people who are willing to take the long view of transformation. There are people committed to seeing our neighbors and FCS flourish, even if it takes time.
We have already come so far, and I’m eager to see more of our visions with neighbors come to fruition. As the light shines through my new office window, it fills me with hope for what lies ahead in 2023.
Thank you for being on this journey with us.
