Iglesia Santa Maria – Working Together for Community Impact
- VEREP
- Aug 2
- 3 min read
Iglesia Santa Maria in Fairfax County is exploring how its underused land can serve its growing Latino congregation and the surrounding community. With VEREP’s guidance, support from St. Mary’s Church in Arlington, and funding from Trinity NYC, the parish is undertaking a feasibility study to assess the viability of building affordable housing while preserving its vital ministries and community partnerships.
Case Study provided by Kathie Panfil, Iglesia Santa Maria
Who We Are
Santa Maria’s first church service was in 2004. It began with 30 families to serve the Latino community, and today, about 600 people attend every Sunday, with several thousand participating virtually. Besides weekly services, the building features a large Sunday School and several evening study groups. It is also used during the week by two independent schools and a small Fairfax County program for preschoolers. The parking lot hosts a food distribution program biweekly, serving around 400 families.
The challenges facing this community’s members include housing, securing stable employment, and accessing quality healthcare. Members are often uninsured. Another concern of parishioners is finding and affording good after-school care and enrichment opportunities for their children. As for the church itself, plate and pledge offerings, as well as rent from the fine programs using our building, help sustain it, but the aging facility requires repairs and updates.
Our Project
Persistence is essential if considering building affordable housing. The idea first came up in 2014 when a parishioner’s daughter wrote a paper about the land next to the church, which wasn’t being used. How could it best serve the community? She researched building a senior retirement facility. However, zoning made such a building impossible on the lot. In the process, parishioners became interested in building affordable housing for seniors or others.
A few years later, Fairfax County was seeking more housing for seniors and other affordable housing projects, but the COVID-19 pandemic halted these efforts. Nevertheless, Iglesia Santa Maria was learning more about what would be involved if we were to build on our land. With the assistance of VEREP and grant funding from Trinity NYC, an initial study and an application to Virginia Housing for a feasibility study have been conducted.
Working with Others: Yoking
When Episcopalians say the Creed each Sunday, they affirm, “We believe in one church,” to carry the message of Jesus into the world together. Santa Maria believes that no congregation should work alone. Everything is better with joined forces. There should be collaboration in pastoral work. The members of one congregation may need jobs, while members of another congregation may be able to offer employment opportunities. When one church needs specific expertise, equipment, or materials another may be able to provide it.
Iglesia Santa Maria is now working together with VEREP and St. Mary’s Church in Arlington on its redevelopment project. Over the years, these two churches have worked together in various ways. When Santa Maria began serious study of ways to use its extra land, it was natural for Saint Mary’s to look for ways to collaborate. Recently, a formal Memorandum of Understanding was signed linking Santa Maria, St. Mary’s, and VEREP to explore options, including the possibility of building affordable housing. By involving two congregations and VEREP, there will be more human and financial resources for such a big project.
How Will We Decide What to Do?
The church already knows some essential elements of its plan. The current church structure will remain, but with new funds to address deferred maintenance. This is important because the building is essential to many others beyond the church community. The Building Blocks Preschool has been a good tenant for 25 years. The upper classrooms are rented to a Russian school. Daily communication with both programs is essential. Recently, when Fairfax County needed a location for a program for preschoolers with special needs, Iglesia Santa Maria was glad to offer them space.
The study currently underway will outline several feasible alternatives. The Project Committee, comprising members from Santa Maria and St. Mary’s, will then discuss them with the vestries, which may subsequently present them for further discussion within the congregations. VEREP will not only assist both churches throughout this process, but also maintain good communication with the Diocese.
Is your parish exploring how its land and buildings could better serve its mission and community? VEREP can help guide your next steps. Contact VEREP to learn more.
