The ELEVATE Project is Taking Shape, Inside and Out

Construction on the ELEVATE project continues to move along. St. Luke's staff had the opportunity this week to tour the parish house, and it is safe to say everyone came away amazed. What has lived for months as drawings, fencing, and dust is beginning to take shape as real rooms and spaces. Like any project of this size, this one has not been without its hiccups and delays, but on the whole the work is progressing steadily.

The project will bring more than accessibility to St. Luke's. Included in its full scope is a new memorial garden on the front lawn of the church, to be named the Cotton Fite and Mark McIntosh Memorial Garden. Set along the street, it will be a visible sign of welcome to neighbors and passersby as well as a place of rest. Seating in the garden will invite anyone to sit awhile, whether to pray, to remember, or simply to enjoy a quiet, green space in Evanston.

The garden will follow environmentally sustainable practices for the interment of cremated remains, allowing ashes to return gently to the earth, and those interred there will be remembered by name on a memorial plaque. Together with the church's columbarium, the garden ensures that those who love St. Luke's may remain part of this community forever.

The garden's name honors two beloved associate clergy. The Rev. Dr. Robert Cotton Fite, who died in 2017, served as priest associate at St. Luke's for almost 40 years and was known for his dedication to peace and justice. The Rev. Dr. Mark McIntosh, who died in 2021, served as a priest at St. Luke's and was among the Episcopal Church's most distinguished theologians. In naming the garden, St. Luke's honors both the pastoral heart and the searching mind of its ministry.

A dedication will be held when the garden is complete, and details about interment arrangements will be shared as the project moves forward.