Amazingly enough, I grew up right around the corner from our current parish - a block and a half away - even though I was an Episcopalian then. The parish loaned space to a startup ECUSA congregation at the time, and a friend's family were members there. I have seen the parish grow from its start in 1967, when they had this hysterically ugly little round white prefab building that was known locally as "The Great Pumpkin". It was so ugly, but I have looked in vain for a picture of it on the internet! The parish would build a building, then when they built the next one they would recycle the old one into something else. Now we have a beautiful traditional Romanesque-Revival (H.H. Richardson) -styled brick sanctuary (seats 850). The old sanctuary is now the parish hall, the old rectory is the parish offices, the church bought two adjoining suburban houses and converted them to a rectory and housing for the sisters. The Great Pumpkin was wrecked out and the parochial school now stands on the site.
A year ago we had a mission with a presenter from the Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament during Lent. By the second week of May, we had an Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel up and going. Good things have followed.
I think we are at the beginning of those baby steps. Before restrictions, seven classrooms and a nursery were added. The youth room now takes up two of those rooms and we have a florishing parish library in another, leaving us with only four classrooms. There is talk about adding a second story to the wing of four classrooms, but it is only talk right now.
Between the church and the hall we had a breezeway and grassy area that was mostly weeds. It is now a beautiful garden with a gazebo and benches and tables for meditations. The youth sometimes meet out there in the summer. Our church (currently be re-roofed) was originally planned to convert to a gymnasium.
We have improved an area, thanks to the Knights of Columbus with water, tables, trees, volley ball sand court to a park in honor of a pastor who was with us for a year and then died.
So, you can see that with the landscaping and sprinkler system that is being installed we are ready for the next step. I think it will be plans for a new church, possible enlargement of our parish hall and the offices.