Renovation News
Protection of the building interior from dust and damage has been the focus of almost all the work in June. A "wall" extending from floor to ceiling and from wall to wall has been built across the nave and gallery to protect the interior from dust and debris during demolition of the chancel floor and removal of marble to accommodate the extended chancel. The windows in the chancel and at the front of the nave have been covered with protection.
The pews that will remain in place during the work have been boxed in.
The pews that had to be removed to provide space for the extended chancel, access ramp and piano have been removed and placed in storage.
In the chapel the concrete slab has been exposed and sections cut away to allow for excavation of footings for the steel structure that will support the chancel. Temporary supports have been installed to allow the existing columns to be removed.
The progress of the project is being recorded on a photo blog at
www.stpaulsrenovation.org
. You can sign up on that site to receive a notice when new information is posted and you can give us feedback too!
Search Committee News
Since our uplifting and inspiring send-off at the May 20
th
church service, the St. Paul’s Rector Search Committee has been hard at work designing our search process. The search committee has benefited from the wise guidance of Roseleen Ricks, our search consultant. We also met with the co-chairs of the search committee that recently concluded a very successful search for the new rector at St. James Episcopal Church. They provided terrific advice and suggestions for our search.
The first phase of the search process is a listening tour, and we need to hear from all of you. This phase in foundational to the rest of the search. We will be seeking your thoughts on St. Paul’s, its future, and the attributes we need in our next rector. In August and early September, we will seek to understand what St. Paul’s means to each of you. In September, we will ask all of you to participate in an assessment which will provide a clear picture of who we are as a church and what is most important for our future. The tool we plan to use will provide key indicators of our congregational health along with areas of challenge and potential growth. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we want to meet with you. We will be scheduling meetings and focus groups in September and October.
The information we gather on this listening tour will inform the creation of our parish profile – the story of St. Paul’s. The parish profile will be circulated within the Episcopal community. It is one of the primary means for potential candidates to learn more about St. Paul’s.
On behalf of the search committee, I ask that each of you take time over the next few months to share your thoughts and wisdom with us. We are grateful for your wisdom, your support, and, above all, your prayers.
