Through the Window

I don't know if I have gushed much about our wonderful little church on this blog but we go to a wonderful little church.  John and I were part of the initial team that started the church almost 7 years ago and it has grown from the 12 people, including children, it had when we joined to over 200 people in its short history.  We are now busy planting a second church across town.

During that first year we had an amazing opportunity to purchase a building before we even held our first official public service.  It was crazy but God just opened the doors and paved the way so clearly we had nothing to do but walk through them.  I was the church treasurer at the time and signed all the paperwork on the purchase while John and another friend became the building maintenence crew.  I think being so much a part of the beginning life of this building for our church has made it feel a lot like home for us.  When I walk in the building I have the same comfortable feeling as I do when I get home.  I especially love being there when the building is almost empty.  You can feel God's presence everywhere.

Since its purchase we have done many construction projects which John has been part of in one way or another.  The first thing we did was take down some walls to create a foyer area outside the sanctuary and put in large windows and double doors in the back wall of the sanctuary.  Then there was the covered roof we put over the front door and of course John re-designed the whole lower level.  Not to mention carpet, paint, windows...We have definately put our mark on this building. 

But we hadn't done anything in the sanctuary.  It is such a big, important project we wanted to be sure we could do it right so we have enjoyed the charm of cracking plaster, dull paint and missing trim while waiting for inspiration and funding.

The church originally was built by a Lutheran Church and had a beautiful Stained glass window in the front of the sanctuary.  When they moved they took the window with them.  We bought the building from a Jewish Synagog which had made its own changes including a false wall in front of the empty window and a large cabinet to hold the Torah.  We simple draped the cabinet in fabric, stuck a simple wooden cross into it and called it good.

This spring the opportunity to do something came.  The Lutheran Church with the windows was no longer displaying them and offered to give them to us when we were ready to re-install them.  Someone got wind of this fact and annonomously offered to pay to have them re-installed.  John bid on the job and we all prayed it was within the budget of the donor.

John got the job and began the amazing transformation.  While the job isn't quite done, we still have carpet and a few other small details to finish, the look has transformed the space.

Here is a before picture from Isabelle's baptism:

During construction: the false wall is down and light is shining in through the plastic!

The window frame behind the false wall.

We decided we didn't want such a large alcove so John actually framed a new wall in essentially the same place as the old wall and installed the window frame it in.

After:

Pentacost Sunday.  We all posed after the service for a picture in the new space.