Seven months ago this week, we moved into our newly renovated Sanctuary. It has been amazing. The things we are able to do with the space have increased dramatically. When it is set up for Traditional worship, Sonny Walden, our Minister of Music, claims it is one of the finest acoustical facilities in the city of Atlanta. We have been contacted by a multitude of churches who want to see how we are able to transition our Traditional space into Contemporary space. If you were here last Sunday afternoon during the Chancel Choir concert, you saw the lighting capability we have as we lit up the Sanctuary in red, white and blue. And, we are just at the front edge of learning what is possible.
Of course, there are still a few glitches…particularly in the sound as we transition from the Contemporary service to the Traditional service. Some weeks it works perfectly. Other weeks, some in the chancel area are able to hear while others struggle a bit. We are continuing to work on this and hope to have the situation resolved in the not too distant future.
One of the really exciting things that is in our immediate future is the installation of our new pipe organ. Already work has begun in places you probably did not notice. Quimby, the company that is preparing and installing our organ, has been working here at the church on the blower and associated wind lines. They are also at work on the structure and mechanics of the wind chests at their shop in Warrensburg, Missouri.
In the next couple of weeks, we will enter into the installation phase of the project. You will see evidence of the work starting on or around July 15. This will take several weeks, and then we will begin the tuning phase of the project.
During the installation phase, we will continue to worship in the Sanctuary, but don’t be surprised to see pipes stored on some of the pews in the back, or for the chancel area to show evidence that work is being done. Remember, it will only be for a few short weeks.
The completion date is expected to be September 15, 2019. Can you believe it? That is less than eleven weeks from today.
In thinking about all of this, I have been reminded of those words in Psalm 150:
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament!
Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness!
Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord! (NRSV)
Blessings,
Dan