It was good to see so many of you at worship this past Sunday. It will take awhile to acclimate to worship in the Merrifield Room but it is a good reminder that God is present everywhere and that the Eucharist is a moveable feast. I’m reminded that Jesus chose a hillside to feed 5,000 — fortunately we don’t have to deal with that big of a crowd.
My intent is to provide you with updates a couple of times each week or when something critical is happening. So here is the latest as of Tuesday afternoon:
The contractors have been busy on-site removing pews so as to have adequate room for the lift and scaffolding necessary for the wall repair. The doors that are historical to the building are being removed for safety purposes and steel construction doors will be put in place. The organ pipes and bench/console have been encased in plastic as well as the piano. Historical lights have been removed to safeguard and all other carvings, etc. have been removed from the walls and placed into storage. A construction-only entrance/wall has been built in the cloister to ensure our safety and limit those who have access to the construction area.
We are waiting for another opinion on the Te Deum stained glass window and there is a growing sentiment that the entire window may need to be removed for repair and safe-keeping. The decision on how best to care and repair this window must be determined before any rebuilding of the wall can occur. It is our hope and plan for all important parties (engineers, construction, masons, etc.) to meet this Thursday to receive the structural engineer’s report.
We are limiting the number of outside groups’ use of the building until we can finalize the scope of work and construction plans. It is our hope that we are still able to host a few Diocesan events such as Ministry Fair in May. We will be continuing our regular Tuesday noon service and it will be held in the Van Atta Room. This Wednesday evening, we start our Lenten series on Prayer. Please join us.
My thanks to all who have been so gracious with their time and energy and to the many, many folks who have included us in their prayers. We are on a long journey which will offer us the opportunity to see how much patience we have and also to discover who God has called us to be as a blessing to this community.
Blessings to you and yours,
Karen+