NAVE RECONFIGURATION PROJECT DETAILS

 
 
 
 
September 30, 2019
 
Dear St. Augustine of Canterbury Community,
 
“I am so ready for fall!”  That’s a statement I often hear at this time of the year.  The weather cools off a bit and nature begins its display of glorious new colors.  This is apt metaphor for the changes that are coming to St. Augustine’s this fall.  Our worship space is about to take on a new look in just a few weeks, and I’m so ready! 
 
After years of dreaming on my part and many months of discussions and planning by our Vestry we are ready to make a significant change to our Nave.  The reason driving the change is a practical one:  the need to accommodate more worshippers as our parish grows.  The reasons for the design of the new space are theological and historical.  I’m excited to tell you about these practical, theological and historical aspects of the enhancements, but let’s first start with a basic description of what we’re planning:
 
In summary, the changes we are making are:
 

• Replace the existing pews with individual chairs.  The chairs are upholstered, have kneelers and will be stained the same dark walnut color as the pews and wood paneling currently in the Nave.  The new seating will make better use of our space.  We currently can accommodate 10 people in each of our 22 pews plus 30 more on the chairs in the side chapel for a total of 250.  This seating will be replaced with 312 chairs, a 25% increase. 
• Reconfigure the existing altar platform to one level only, remove the communion rails and move the existing organ and choir area to that reconfigured space. 
• Create a new, octagonal, moveable altar platform to be primarily placed in the very center of the worship space.  This platform will have removeable altar rails and cushions on four sides, and bear a 16-foot image of a labyrinth on its surface.  
• Purchase a custom-made, free-standing altar with a carved Jerusalem stone top that is also moveable as needed.
• Upgrade a portion of our audio equipment.

 
We’ve included a “worth-a-thousand-words” drawing that I hope will help you visualize what the new space will look like.   We’ve also included details of the practical, historical and theological bases for the design choices we’ve made.  I look forward to sharing more details about each of these aspects of our change in the coming weeks.
 
All of this transformation will cause some disruption to our usual routine beginning Monday, October 6th and culminating in the consecration of the new worship space -- along with the grand new Alice M. Norton Memorial Columbarium -- on November 3rd.  So please pardon the near-term mess and rejoice with us in the opportunity for a new, fresh and meaningful look for our space in the near future.
 
Sincerely,
 
 
Fr. Joseph C. Alsay
Rector

PRACTICAL ASPECTS of the Coming Changes:
 
Our reconfigured Nave will:

• Accommodate more worshippers without the need for extensive/expensive construction.  Even though our number of members, pledgers and Easter and Christmas worshippers have risen sharply over the past three years, our attendance has leveled out.  Common wisdom is that when a worship space is 70% full it does not feel welcoming.  70% of our pew capacity is 154, which is roughly the average attendance at our 10:45 am service, leading us to the urgency of increasing our seating capacity. 
• Provide flexibility for various configurations and types of worship services.  The chairs can be easily connected together for stability.  They also have kneelers and comfortable upholstery, and are stackable, providing the best aspects of pews but with added versatility.  The altar can also be moved to various locations either with or without the 18’ altar platform beneath it.  The altar platform is also portable, with eight separate sections and removeable altar rails and cushions.
• Take the first steps in our Master Architecture Plan.  Almost from the outset of our master plan development we have envisioned changing to flexible seating and a moveable altar.  Taking this step right now is consistent with that long-range planning.
• Provide a Labyrinth.  The wooden altar platform will have a permanent prayer labyrinth designed into the surface.  By removing the altar the labyrinth can be used on a regular basis for prayer and meditation.
• Convert our Nave from a single-use space to multi-use for large meetings, dinners and events.  Our parish hall, approximately 2300 square feet, can accommodate about 120 people at round tables.  With average Sunday attendance at around 200, this current parish hall size is far short of the need for parish-wide events.  After the Nave reconfiguration the chairs and altar can be removed from the space and provide us with nearly 4800 square feet of space for special events.
• Be funded entirely with special gifts.  Due to several memorials and special gifts, this project will be funded without doing parish-wide fundraising.

 
HISTORICAL AND THEOLOGICAL ASPECTS of the Coming Changes:
 
Through the wonderful flexibility of our new space we will understand in new, fresh and powerful ways that we are pilgrim people, not unlike our ancient biblical ancestors.  The variety of ways that we continually decorate our space for various church holidays and seasons will now be enhanced with the ability to rearrange the space as well.  In Christian liturgy there is no audience, only participants in the unfolding drama of our understanding of God. 
 
A church is the place where the Christian community is gathered to hear the word of God, to offer intercession and praise and, above all, to celebrate the Eucharist.  Thus, having the altar located in the midst of the gathered congregation stands as a special image of the church itself – God in the midst of the people.  
 
The new altar will be constructed of hard wood and have an inlaid slab of Jerusalem limestone from the Holy Land on the top.  Prayers and intercessions of the current members and friends of St. Augustine’s, as well as scripture passages relating to the Eucharist, will be permanently placed between the slab of stone and the wood during construction.  These will be our heartfelt dreams and prayers for those people in our community that are searching for what we have found at St. Augustine’s.  Thus the altar will become a time capsule of our hopes and dreams for the future mission and ministry of our church. 
 
It is our further hope that, when funds are available, our present altar will ultimately be repurposed into the new baptismal font and pool. The continuity of this cherished piece of liturgical furnishing will be evident through the creation of a piece that will aid in the initiation of new believers for generations to come.