Update and Invigorate

For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.      2 Peter 1:16

          As we began “ZOOM”-ing from our lonely but still beautiful sanctuary  several months ago, I realized that the reredos (a screen or the wall behind the Altar) was in a bad state of disrepair. The wall was cracked about halfway up, the paint was faded and blotchy, and there was water damage indicating a leak somewhere in those side light windows. After some searching, I realized that the windowsills were actually rotted and that water was seeping into the wall where it would run and steak the paint. I spoke with the Vestry and several contractors and thus we began our journey to the repair and painting that begin this week.

          Our needed repairs afforded us the opportunity to consider new colors for our parish that would invigorate the appearance of the property and proclaim the life of the Gospel lived here at Creator. We consulted a “color specialist” who spent hours at Creator matching colors to the brick, mortar, wood, windows, carpet, and heavily considered the beauty and reverence of our worship space. Creative Contracting, the contractor we used to repair and refurbish the entire inside of the Church building years ago and who has extensive experience working in churches, also helped us with examples from their repertoire. I am confident we are taking care of God’s house here at Creator in ways that will please and inspire worshipers for many years to come.

          Your Vestry has met in small groups three times, for several hours, with the consultant and reflected on this opportunity to make wise choices. Many more hours have been spent by the Vestry discussing and fine tuning the proposed changes. I tell you, it has been a joyful experience for me to be a part of such a caring and concerted effort to honor God and our Parish Family in this project, especially in a time when our hearts are heavy and weary of being apart.

          Here are some of the results of our designing and planning. You’ll have to use your “mind’s eye” to picture the transformation—subtle and updated and fresh as it is intended: the woodwork around the exterior of the Church and portico will be painted “Nantucket” (a burlap tan/taupe close in shade to the color of the brick mortar) and Dover white (a creamy and understated shade of white). This will lighten the outside and give a new and brighter witness along Route 360. The Dover white will flow into the Narthex and the Nave of the Church, thereby joining the outside to the inside in a consistent flow. As you enter the sanctuary, the rich colors of the windows will draw your eyes to the front of the Church where the Altar and brass candles will be the center point against a striking yet well-situated blue reredos. The shade we chose for the reredos is called “Honorable Blue” and is, I believe, a perfect complement to our beautiful windows and colorful match to our banners and liturgical dressings.

          This is a big change for our parish and an exciting new chapter in our desire to honor God and witness to our community. I know that my descriptions may be hard to picture, but I want you to know that the efforts behind this undertaking were faithful and devout. Please pray for our work underway and our parish re-gathering, which will soon be possible. It will be very exciting as we regather, to experience our beautiful parish home in this new way.
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