Epiphany 351: July 17 Update

One of the questions that often comes forward from parishioners is: “What will we be taking to the new church?” To help figure that out our architects have completed an exhaustive inventory of the plaques, windows, and liturgical furnishings of the church. Here’s what we have (not counting chalices, and other types of altarware). Plaques and Wall Fixtures: 29. Stain glass windows: 15. Furnishings (pulpit, baptistery, paschal candle, etc.): 42. Over the next number of months and into next year we will be thinking and considering what we take and where it will go. Christian Vanderbrook, our Junior Warden, has some ideas for gathering your thoughts and suggestions, so watch for these opportunities to roll out this fall.

As you know from earlier updates, the Vestry accepted the recommendation from Larry Long, our organist, and the Organ Task Force to commission a new organ. Such a decision recognized the high cost of restoring and moving our current organ, which even after the restoration would not only be a 50+ year old instrument, but would also require expensive on-going maintenance for the remainder of its life. The new organ will be a mechanical action organ, as distinct from the electro-pneumatic organ we currently have, which requires far less maintenance and can last well over 100 years. Larry and the task force are continuing their work as they recently went on a tour of organs around the city to begin evaluating who to propose as our organ builder. The opportunity to commission a new organ that will serve the liturgical, spiritual, and liturgical life of the parish for the next 100+ years is a rare opportunity for any parish.

The Vestry also considered a number of designs for the placement of the organ based on the work our acoustician, whom Larry had worked with before and highly recommended. Those designs, along with Larry’s thorough review of the pros and cons of each design along with various aesthetic considerations with the Vestry, led the Vestry to the conclusion that the best placement of the new instrument will be within the Nave (Sanctuary) of the church so that our greatly loved music program will continue to be a visually and critically-valued centerpiece of our shared liturgical life and spiritual formation.

With this decision made the architects will continue to work very closely with us and with the acoustician, and eventually the organ builder once selected, to ensure that the our new worship home will carry forward all that we realistically take from our current home while also giving us new and undreamed of opportunities to discover new places of awe, wonder, spirit, and life.

Faithfully yours,