The Liturgical Furniture is Finished! And More…

Hope you had the chance to Make your Mark on the flooring of the sanctuary on Sunday!  The messages are so moving, and it means so much knowing that these prayers and scriptures will be inscribed in the very place where we will serve communion, baptize people into the faith, and proclaim the good news of the Gospel.

Things are moving along at a very fast pace these days.  Much of it we can witness in the sanctuary itself, other things are going on behind the scenes.  For instance, the chairs are all completed and just waiting for a finished space to be delivered to.  And our new liturgical furniture is completed as well.  Pictures of these are below.  It is fun to watch how all the pieces are coming together, and to imagine how we will live into this space anew in the years to come!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And more on the Liturgical Furnishings… AND the Cross!

http://www.thecenturyguild.com/tcg/projects/93?piece_image_id=1458

Update on Liturgical Furniture

Our wood artisan from Century Guild has posted the first progress images of the project at this website:  http://www.thecenturyguild.com/tcg/projects/93.  They are making good progress, as you can see.  These pieces haven’t been permanently assembled, but dry assembled to check the fit.  They have a lot of sanding and such before final assembly, but you can get a better sense of what they will look like.

Update 12/1/11

This week we had another walk through with the architects, and we are now at the 50% completion point in the project!  Incredible work is being down on both the inside and the outside.  The obvious things are the roof, perhaps the most dramatic of all.  But also, this week they installed all the windows, so you can see inside the sanctuary now.  Inside the most notable is the beginning frame for the halo that will house the duct work, speakers, and lighting.

We also sent off the suspended cross for an extended spa trip, you know, for a good exfoliation, and some fresh paint.  Will be as good as new when it returns from its North Carolina holiday!

Exciting stuff going on!  We continue to closely monitor the work, and welcome questions.

Assisted Listening Discussion for the Remodeled Sanctuary, Monday, December 5, 7:00pm

The newly remodeled Sanctuary will have a state of the art Assisted Listening System.  To assure that the needs of the congregation are being met, please join us for a discussion with the sound consultant and a demonstration of the new system.  Bryan Whitney will be in attendance to assure the system’s use and operation is understood and that it meets the needs of the users in the congregation.  If you have any questions or concerns prior to the meeting, please talk with Bryan Whitney or Brent Shoemaker.  This meeting will be held in room 105.

Liturgical Furnishings

Work has begun with the new liturgical furnishings for the sanctuary.  While we don’t have any “live” pictures at the moment, Century Guild (the wood artisans who are creating the furniture) has put together a web site for us to track the progress.  Thus far it only includes the drawings, but you can check them out and get a sense of what it looks like.

http://www.thecenturyguild.com/tcg/projects/93

 

Update 11/21/11

As you have probably noticed, the Sanctuary Renovation continues to move forward.  The month of November has seen major work on both the inside and the outside of the building with a very exciting afternoon spent with a crane lifting the new HVAC system, which is about the size of a mini-van, up and over the Sanctuary!  The following is a list of items that have been started or completed this month:

·         Selection and ordering of the Sanctuary chairs.
·         Design completed and construction begun of the Liturgical Furnishings.
·         Removal and refurbishing of the Celtic Cross has begun.
·         Framing and refurbishing of the Cupola is in progress and will be finished by the end of the November.
·         Removal of existing roofing will be completed by the end of the month and the new roof will be promptly installed.   Balancing the weather with the removal and installation is a delicate task!
·         Roughing in of all interior lighting has been completed.
·         Completion of concrete work to include the new choir walkway, the chancel, and all areas where electrical boxes were placed into the floor.
·         Formation of concrete interior portal will be finished by the end of the November.
·         Installation of the Halo, frame and duct work, finished by the end of the November.
·         Painting of exterior and interior components is in progress.

In general, there is a lot going on!   Last Sunday, there were roughly 20 members of the Congregation that came into the Sanctuary after the 11:00 am Service.  It was really great to have folks in the Sanctuary to see the progress that is being made and see, first hand, the work that is being done and certainly the progress that is being made.  We are trying to have more members of the Congregation in the Sanctuary on Sundays.  Please join us… it is truly an amazing transformation of an amazing space.  We are getting there and, by the way, remain on schedule and under budget!

Update – 11/3/11

So much is happening this week and next, it is hard to keep up with it all!  Take a look on Sunday at the new paint job on the outside.  When I have pointed it out to folks, they have to take a second look, because it looks so natural, with how well it compliments the support beams of the walkway to the Education Building.  The only problem is that now you can REALLY see how bad off the roof is.  The good news is that the roof work begins this Monday, so lots of visible outside changes to be done VERY soon!

In addition to that,

* The sidewalk has been poured around the sides of the building, providing safe passage to and from the side/emergency exit doors.

* The niches on the back wall to provide storage have been built.

* The electrical work is well underway, especially the new electrical/AV boxes in the floor.

* Framing has begun for the “halo” to go around the lower ceiling to provide improved lighting, sound, and duct work.

* The divide between the 2 sets of doors between the narthex and sanctuary has been removed (and amply supported!!!).  That has made the biggest difference to me so far.  It REALLY opens the room up.

Next week, major items include roof removal, and pouring the cement to level out the floor in the sanctuary.  We are going to be able to see some major changes very soon!

And don’t forget to give hearty thanks and encouragement to Brent Shoemaker, who has spent countless hours tracking more details than I can begin to imagine.  And to John Hagner, who has provided expert legal counsel in negotiating contracts and bank loans.

Update 10/19/11

Sanctuary Renovation Update

Wow!  There is certainly a great deal happening in the Sanctuary right now!  It is amazing what 6 to 8 people working in the Sanctuary for 8 a day can actually accomplish.  And, for that reason, it is difficult to provide a current update.  It is almost “old news” by the time it is actually “news”!  That said, however, what follows is a list of the done or current work that is being done in the Sanctuary.

• The final construction contracts have been executed… thank you John Hagner for your leadership, patience, and perseverance!!
• All asbestos abatement work has been completed, inspected, and approved.
• The old HVAC system has been removed… so long trouble!
• All flooring, windows, wall board, and duct work has been removed.
• All wiring has been removed and the new electric box, which is about ¼ the size of the old one, has been installed.
• The sacristy has been gutted, the walls rebuilt and the windows removed.
• The raised chancel has been removed.
• The outside walls one either side of the stone wall have been removed as new windows will be installed.
• The concrete sidewalk on the side of the Sanctuary facing the Education Building has been prepared and will be poured in the next couple weeks.
• New power and AV outlets have been installed in the floors throughout.
• New insulation has been installed around the base of the building, outside; 2 feet down, as well as all interior walls have had new insulation installed.
• The new niches, for storage and artwork, have been built.
• The chair decisions have been made.  The choice was the two tone, wood chair.
• The tile flooring decisions have been made.  The natural earth tone green color tile was selected to complement the stone wall versus trying to match it.
• The liturgical furnishings plans have been drawn and the creation of what will be true works of art will start the end of October.
• The new roof shingles will be delivered soon, and with the giant white containers in front of the sanctuary right now which contain the roof insulation, the roof replacement will be started soon.  The old roof will be removed by the end of October and the new shingles will be quickly installed.
• The crane that will be used to put the shingles on the roof will also be used to lift the new HVAC system into place and a new fence will be built around the unit.

I am sure there is much more to report as the work being done each day is truly amazing.  It is happening… it is on schedule… and as of this update, it is under budget.   It is an awesome project and quite a sight to see.  Please contact me if you are interested in seeing the progress.  I would be happy to walk you through it one evening.  If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to reach out to me at bdshoemaker@gmail.com. 

Thanks, Brent Shoemaker

 

 

Update 10/12/11

It is amazing how quickly the work is going!

INSIDE WORK

Inside work this week entails electrical work, framing out doors, and installing the electrical boxes in the floors to allow us to hook up both electrical and audio in key places, reducing those unsightly extension cords (i.e. tripping hazards!) around the sanctuary.

Once these electrical boxes are installed the concrete for the chancel area will be poured, which will make a huge visual difference to the space.

Next week they will start building the wooden “halo” that will go around the ceiling, containing lights, speakers, ductwork, etc.

OUTSIDE WORK

Meanwhile, you may notice the fence that has gone up around the building, as a means of securing the supplies and keep folks safe.  There are also heaping pallets scattered around, shrink wrapped in white plastic.  This is the foam board insulation that will go on the roof.  Next week they will be removing the shingle and beginning that work.  Pray for nice weather!!!