Episcopal Press and News
UTAH: Diocese welcomes first retreat center guests
Episcopal News Service. February 4, 2008 [020408-06]
Pat McCaughan, Correspondent for Episcopal Life Media in Province VIII
The Salt Lake City-based Episcopal Diocese of Utah welcomed the first retreat center guests to its newly constructed diocesan headquarters over the February 2-3 weekend.
The $8.8 million 33,000-square-foot red Utah brick and sandstone complex, known as the Episcopal Church Center of Utah (ECCU), "was five years in the planning, two years in the building," said the Rev. Mary June Nestler, diocesan canon for ministry formation.
Now it's ready for prime time, housing diocesan offices, a 26-bed retreat and conference center, a bookstore and coffee bar, resource center, a media center with webcast capability as well as environmental or "green" friendly features, Nestler added.
"One of the things we are most proud of is the state-of-the-art media and electronic communications center which includes three rooms with full ability to podcast directly, as well as educational classrooms," she said.
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori is expected as a retreat center guest when she keynotes the April 18-19 diocesan "Spring Weekend."
"The Presiding Bishop will do a house blessing and we'll have a formal open house with community elders," said Craig Wirth, communications officer for the diocese.
Formally dedicated at the October 2007 diocesan convention, the new headquarters sits in close proximity to the historic St. Mark's Cathedral and its recently constructed office center, which opened in April 2007. "It's our half-block area of downtown Salt Lake City," Wirth said.
Kenton Peters, of the Salt Lake City-based Buese and Peters Architectural firm which designed the new headquarters, said location is just one of the center's green-friendly aspects.
"Its central location offers easy availability to public transit and pedestrian access. Bishop Carolyn Tanner Irish has really been on the forefront of pushing her flock to be more considerate of how we rest upon the earth and our stewardship to it," Peters said.
"This diocese has long been on record as committed to stewardship of the earth and to setting an example in the state of Utah," agreed Nestler.
Prior to the construction of the new complex, both the cathedral and diocesan offices were located in rental property nearby.
"It really is a neat place, both historically and for the future, we have our little square here in downtown Salt Lake City," added Wirth. "We will have a fountain that we're building, and in the center of it all we have a labyrinth, so people can pause in the center of the downtown area and walk the labyrinth if they choose."
It will also serve as a hospitality center for the diocese, Wirth added. "We have a large diocese geographically, and it will be a place parishes can host retreats." The Diocese of Utah represents 23 congregations and about 6,000 Episcopalians.
At $42 per night for a single room and half that for double occupancy, the center represents a cost-effective alternative for downtown stays, Nestler said.
The bookstore for progressive Christians will stock new and used adult and children's books on a variety of religious and spiritual topics and will also offer art and gift items.
"Our focus is to empower all persons who visit to find the insight and grace they need to live more faithfully in a complex world," said the Rev. Jessica Hatch, bookstore manager, in an earlier interview.
The store space faces onto the commons area and features floor-to-ceiling glass on two sides and will offer access to secure wi-fi connections, and a coffee bar. The target date for opening the bookstore is March 1.
Peters said the ECCU's contemporary design that incorporates arches and other traditional features were planned to make a connection with the 130-year-old St. Mark's Cathedral.
The cornerstone for the cathedral, designed by well-known architect Richard Upjohn, who founded the American Institute of Architects, was laid July 30, 1870. Construction costs for the church, which was consecrated May 14, 1874, totaled $40,000, according to the website. Transepts were added over the years and the chancel and a sanctuary were completed in 1901.
The area was frontier at that time, under the governance of Bishop Daniel S. Tuttle, a New York native elected as the first missionary bishop of Montana, with jurisdiction that included Idaho and Utah. St. Mark's was the first permanent Protestant church to be established in the Salt Lake Valley, according to Karen Peña, the ECCU event manager.
"We're already seeing great interest, from the national church and elsewhere," said Peña.
"I'm excited about being the first ones to meet here," said the Rev. Joel Nau, diocesan campus minister and host of a planning meeting for an upcoming March 28-31 Province VIII youth event.
Nau serves as campus chaplain for the Lutheran-Episcopal ministry to Salt Lake City colleges and universities. He expects about 100 young people to attend the event, "At-one-ment: Acceptance and Faith."
"We're going to take a look at three of the Millennium Development Goals, environmental sustainability, HIV/AIDS and gender equality," he said. The workshops for the provincial youth event will be offered at the Cathedral center complex while participants will stay at the diocesan retreat center.
"We had great fun planning this weekend at the retreat center, including a tour of the space," Nau said, adding: "everyone was very impressed, and felt it was a very spiritual space."