SOUNDING BOARD -- St. Mark Presbyterian calls to the community for

input

Curt Webster

Thank you very much the timely, fair and accurate article on the

proposed purchase by Our Lady Queen of Angels of the current St. Mark

Presbyterian Church property (“Fulfilling a quest,” Feb. 9). At [the

Feb. 9] Planning Commission meeting, some members of the community

expressed concern over the development of the vacant parcel at the corner

of MacArthur Boulevard and San Joaquin Hills Road that is proposed as the

new site for St. Mark.

We genuinely welcome all voices from the community. We have already

had preliminary discussions with many community groups and intend to keep

that dialogue in place as we continue the lengthy and intricate process

of planning our new campus.

I cannot emphasize strongly enough St. Mark’s theological commitment

to stewardship of God’s creation. We believe passionately that humankind

has a divinely appointed duty to care for the Earth and preserve it.

When the concept of moving to the MacArthur Boulevard and San Joaquin

Hills Road site was first presented to the congregation, we collectively

went through considerable soul-searching in an attempt to discern our

moral obligation toward the property.

All of St. Mark’s preliminary conceptual planning has been based on

the commitment to care for the property and respect its natural condition

as a gift from the Creator. To that end, we are studying ways to restore

and preserve the natural condition of the canyon head and other areas on

the property.

We intend to use the property as an ecological class room for our own

congregation and the community at large. We are endeavoring to create

landscaping designs that will incorporate existing and restored

vegetation, and minimize water usage.

We welcome the community’s interest in preserving the natural

character of the property and solicit any suggestions to help us achieve

that goal. We hope that our campus will become a visible symbol of our

commitment to God’s creation and of the vast creative potential for

harmonizing human land use with ecological vitality.

It is not necessary to injure the Earth in order to enjoy it in the

manner which we believe God intended, and we hope that this campus will

serve as a living example of that principle.

* CURT WEBSTER is the director of outreach for St. Mark Presbyterian

Church in Newport Beach.