New Church Life Jan/Feb 2015 | Page 88

new church life: jan uary/february 2015 1. The Church is primarily about people, not buildings. Thus it is of utmost importance that any addition or renovation takes into account the needs of visitors and members by providing an entrance and meeting area that is obvious, attractive, comfortable and convenient, with simple flow patterns to and from the sanctuary. 2. To eliminate many of the overlapping uses that exist in the building, a large multi-use space needs to be created. 3. To enhance the comfort and worship experience the nave should be remodeled to address lighting, environment and aesthetics. 4. To provide for the continuation of the excellent academic programs of the Washington New Church School, two additional classroom spaces need to be created. 5. To address the critical need for office space (currently housed in storage areas and other shared space) two offices need to be added. This vision allowed us to move forward with the confidence of knowing that as long as we focused on these priorities we could weather the ups and downs of designing and building and all the large and small decisions that accompany a project like this. The first shovels went into the ground on March 28, 2014, with hopes of occupancy by the end of August. The plan was to gut and remodel most of the original building and add three new classrooms, an office and restrooms. This meant that most of the building had to be vacated as soon as school closed in June – proving to be a monumental task! Sunday Services also would have to be held outdoors or in local homes until the project was completed. Heavy rains in May set the project behind but by summer bobcats and other large machinery could be heard rolling around inside the building, knocking down walls and carrying out the debris. For some, this was a very sad time, seeing their beloved church building torn apart, especially the sanctuary where so many special occasions were held – Tableaux, weddings, baptisms, etc. – and rightly so! Yet, around the middle of July, as the demolition dust settled and new construction began in the sanctuary, a special visitor – a pure white dove – took up residence in the sanctuary, sitting on a new beam just above where the chancel was to be. She stayed for around two months, coming and going daily, sometimes perched above the workers as if supervising the construction. The dove gave many of us hope through some difficult weeks. In August a major setback pushed occupancy into the school year. What 84