When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." A second time he said to him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.” -John 21:15-17
Build a Kitchen at St Raphael!
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For over twenty years, St. Raphael Church has been a beacon of Christ’s light in Iowa City to the faithful and inquirers seeking to know the Apostolic faith, seeking to worship one God in Trinity and share the good news of Jesus with each other, people from all backgrounds, our neighbors, and the world. We do this through worshipping beautifully, connecting in fellowship, serving those in need, and providing spiritual teaching for daily living.
Our charming historic building provides us beautiful, functional spaces for worship, learning, and fellowship. We have creatively utilized space to house our food pantry, which saw explosive growth in 2022. But the building has one downside: there is no kitchen. Our fellowship meals come from our homes in crockpots. Our fundraising events are limited to what we can cook at home and transport to church. Most importantly, our ability to serve those in need is constrained by our lack of this vital space. We are so excited to be taking the next step in fulfilling our mission to serve those in need and connect in fellowship by building our kitchen so we can feed Christ’s sheep, and we invite you to be a part of it! Construction is slated to begin in summer 2023, and we need to raise $53,000 by April 30, 2023 to make this happen. With a kitchen in our building, our parish will be able to:
Can you help us with a donation or a pledge today? Donate using the DonorBox widget on this page, email a pledge form to treasurerraphael@gmail.com, drop your clearly designated donation or pledge form in a donation box at church. Our goal is to have the total amount pledged by April 30, 2023, in time for Bishop Anthony’s planned visit, and you will have until March 4, 2024 to fulfill your pledge. Download the Pledge form (PDF) |
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What needs to be done?
We have marked out an underutilized section of the utility space in the lower level that is suitable to be outfitted as a residential kitchen (a commercial kitchen is significantly more expensive and requires venting through the roof of the building. Iowa City allows churches to have residential-grade kitchens as long as the food prepared will be given freely, not sold). This project will require us to hire a contractor or contractors to obtain required permits and to complete all plumbing, electrical, HVAC, drywall/painting, appliance installation, and finishing. Fortunately, we have already received in-kind donations of many of the needed items - refrigerator, stove, sinks, dishwasher, work tables, light fixtures, pots and pans, and some dishes, and we have handy parishioners willing to donate labor toward non-credentialed tasks, such as hanging drywall, installing flooring, and painting.
What if we exceed the campaign goal?
If, by God's grace and your generosity, community pledges exceed the required amount for construction, the excess funds will be used for supplies to launch the free community cooking classes we plan to offer in our new kitchen.
