From the Pastor
There are moments when history and future seem to intersect at one bright flash. I had one of those yesterday when I came into the Sanctuary while Eric Tuper-Giles and Kris Kirby were laboring to take up the pews in preparation for scaffolding necessary for the next steps in our renovation progress. It was beastly hot, and they had been at it all day. Over the years, many of the screws had rusted. Some were stripped. They had been replaced with whatever was at hand so that no two screw heads were the same. History rose up from the very floorboards as the aroma of old wood. I could almost hear the echoes of sermons preached, of children's shoes, of choirs and handbells and laughter.
That space is a sanctuary, not because of a label on the schematics, but because the presence of God's people has hallowed it and impressed holiness into its very wood and glass. At that same moment, I saw what will be. Not clearly - we're not equipped with a crystal ball! But I could see the building blocks of the activities that our ministries are beginning to envision. A beautiful, resonant space in the chancel for singing, speaking and even an intimate worship experience. A cross, perhaps, that would draw the eye higher, and ground the chancel. Accommodation for technology that allows people to participate even when they can't be physically present. Arrangement and decoration of the Narthex area that will make it a welcoming space. The organ - finally, after surviving lockdown, delays and misadventure; a magnificent instrument. An arrangement of pews that will accommodate wheelchairs and walkers and caskets and wedding parties and maybe even a Palm Sunday donkey on wheels. None of these can be fully present until the sheet metal and conduit are fully installed behind the plaster walls. And as it has for centuries, the Sanctuary and ministries of Barre Congregational Church will be shaped by both dreams and sweat.
We sure have had the sweat. Pushing on to do this work during the hottest days of the year has been challenging and frustrating. The staff is balancing the work we were called to do for the congregation with the things that must be done to make it possible for Lajeunesse to complete this renovation on time and on budget. Our honey-do list has tasks that still need to be done, if you would like to be part of this history. We are buoyed by the knowledge that on Sunday, no matter what the sanctuary looks like, we will be able to worship; roomies and zoomies, and that God will be present with us.
We are heirs to an important legacy. We are also God's co-creators of the future for this building, and all our resources to serve and bring hope to this community. Literally, we are standing on holy ground.
Warmly,
Pastor Leigh
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