Stepping Stone Theater

[Emmanuel Mennonite Church]

Hi to everyone on the committee,

I went this morning to look at Stepping Stone Theater in St. Paul, about four blocks north of the Ten Thousand Villages Store, just the other side of Summit Ave. What I liked about it is that the worship space is definitely big enough, and it is handicap accessible, with a new, big elevator in a convenient location.  And Julie, with whom I spoke, seemed like a very friendly, helpful person, representing an outfit that genuinely wants renters.

The downsides are:

• worshiping in a theater that is now closed off from outdoor light (it used to be a church sanctuary)
• There would be stage props up in place during the theater season, which is most of the year
• It may feel too big for us--seats for 300 in the lower level
• the seats are typical theater style seats. Or is that a problem, compared to hard wooden pews?
• classroom space: 1 big room that would need to be divided, and another moderate size room; then we'd have to make do with an entry foyer and the auditorium for any other Christian education classes
• no space amenable to big meals and fellowship time, only a tiny "kitchenette."
• cost could be over $500 a week, unless they give us a break. I told them what we're paying, and, at best, we might find something in the middle.
• storage space is uncertain-that struck Julie as a new idea--and office space is currently out of the question.
• Street parking is more tight and iffy, since some of the streets around Stepping Stone only permit parking on one side, though we may be able to use parking at the William Mitchell law school.

Despite the handicap accessibility issue, I do not feel as positive about this space as I did about Kehilat Sar Shalom. I'll be looking today at their website and the visitor information they sent along with me to see if there may be any issues of incompatibility.

I also have called Fr. Kevin at St. Peter Claver, who directed me to the Catholic Mutual Insurance Co, which handles space rental issues for the local archdiocese. There I was told about three places to check:

• Trinity Catholic School, 835 E. 5th St., St. Paul
• St. John's Catholic School in St. Paul, 951 E. 5th St., St. Paul
• rooms, maybe a sanctuary, at the St. Lawrence and Newman Center by the U of M, Dinkytown area.

Of these three, I have called Fr. Johnson at the latter one, the Newman Center, and am waiting for a return call. The first two are out there, off of I-94, just east and north of downtown St. Paul, near Metro State University. Is that too far east for our search? You weigh in, Jim, you all are pretty far west.

 

What do you all think?

 

Mathew

"Christ's love compels us, for we are convinced that One died for all..." 2 Corinthians 5:14
For more, check out our website: http://emc.mennolink.org/
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