UPDATES - NOVEMBER

After the roof was in place W.S. Miller removed all of the wood that was shoring up the walls from the bottom of the trusses down. We had hoped they could use this wood as studs for the drywall, but the brick walls had many bends and bulges in them that would have made applying drywall very difficult. Instead, W.S. Miller chose to use metal studs. Fiberglass insulation was put between the studs, even in the interior walls forming the Sunday School Room and Office, and then drywall was added.

There are a few differences from the original design of the building. The small classroom, which used to be where the Adult Sunday School class met, will now be the office. A second floor was added in this space to provide easier access to the attic and to provide a place for the primary air conditioning unit. Although this second floor obscures the 2 stained glass windows in this room, they were boxed out so that the whole window can be seen from inside. The large classroom, which used to be the office, is now the Sunday School classroom. There was some discussion about using this for the children's Sunday School room, but at this time the children's teachers have decided to remain in the education building and this large classroom will be used by the Adults. This room will also be used as a nursery during worship and as a viewing room for funerals. So a window has been built into the wall looking out into the sanctuary (so nursery workers can see what's happening during the service), and double doors were installed instead of a single door (so there is more room for people to enter and leave the room during a viewing.)

Before the drywall was installed the electrician ran the wiring for the electrical outlets and lights. This has been one of the greatest advantages of the rebuilding project. We now have outlets below every window, several in the stage area, and several in each classroom. We can also install new, brighter lights that would have burned out the old wiring.

In June the Bell Tower committee reviewed two proposals to replace the Cupola. Both designs were to be open, like the original cupola, and both used a steel frame. Campbellsville Industries in Kentucky, a company that W.S. Miller had worked with in the past, proposed covering the steel frame with aluminum. Bahret Church Interiors, who was restoring our pews, recommended Fiberglass Specialties in Texas who proposed a plastic reinforced fiberglass covering. Because both companies came highly recommended the committee chose Fiberglass Specialties because of its lower price. After working out design details for the cupola with Fiberglass Specialties, W.S. Miller rebuilt the bell tower that the cupola would rest on.

Eric Brandt, the site Forman for W.S. Miller, was very busy as we neared the end of the project. He reinstalled the wooden stage rail, except this time it was used at the side of the stage and Eric built a brand new stage rail across the front of the stage to match it. The new stage rail is a little longer and its "picture frame" panels match the panels on the stage front below it.

Many years ago there used to be stained glass windows in the front of the sanctuary. When the Education Building was added the windows were removed and doors were placed in the cavities. The windows were stored in the attic of the sanctuary. Miraculously the windows were not badly damaged by the fire, so W.S. Miller had a subcontractor repair the windows. Eric Brandt built shadow boxes in the front wall of the sanctuary and the electrician installed fluorescent lights in the boxes. Now the windows have been reinstalled and are nicely illuminated.

Installing the wood trim was a little more challenging. The subcontractor was able to make trim that looked like the old trim, however the windows are now a couple of inches deeper because we used metal wall studs and drywall instead of plaster walls applied directly to the brick. So the subcontractor had to make an extra piece of trim that extended the window frames to come even with the drywall. One advantage to this is that we now have deeper window sills to place Christmas decorations on.

Once Eric Brandt had installed the trim and hung the doors, the walls, trim and doors were painted and the stage front was stained. The window frames again posed a challenge. The painter had hoped that lightly sanding the frames would provide a sufficient surface to paint over. However, the sanding revealed that several different layers of paint (including red, white, and green), and even varnish, had been used in the past and the only way to get a suitable surface to paint was to strip all the layers off to the bare wood. The same had to be done with the original stage rail.

During this time the Trustees made a crucial decision to protect the stained glass windows. Because the sanctuary will be air-conditioned, the stained glass windows no longer need to be opened in the summer. So the Trustees decided to have the windows sealed on the inside and painted shut on the outside. They also decided to replace the Lexan storm windows with whole sheets of Lexan.

Back in January of this year Glenn Zeitler and his family moved into our community and started attending our church. Glenn used his past experience in home construction to help us develop a stain that would blend with both the pews and the pulpit furniture. W.S. Miller installed hand rails for both sets of steps going to the stage and added a hand rail to the steps from the Education Building into the choir loft. Although the painter stained one of the hand rails, the other two were installed near the end of the project and Glenn has taken on the task of adding the finishing touches to these rails.

For the sanctuary lights the church once again looked to Bahret Church Interiors for guidance. In August the congregation chose a light fixture in a brass finish that was designed especially for churches. Instead of 6 light fixtures as in the original sanctuary the Rebuilding committee went with 9 light fixtures in 3 rows of 3 to provide even lighting throughout the sanctuary. They also decided to add 3 light sconces along each wall and track lighting above the pulpit area. The rebuilding committee also chose a drop ceiling with a 4 x 4 acoustical tile and revealed edge, much like the ceiling installed in the Education building. Once the ceiling grid was installed the lights were hung and wired. To say that we have enough light in the sanctuary would be an understatement. In fact, some people have suggested we might need to wear sunglasses in the sanctuary. (grin)

W.S. Miller also did some fix up work for us around the church. The brick walls were pressure washed and some of the brick work was re-pointed. Door frames in the Education Building were painted and a new door was installed at the back of the kitchen. A shed was also built to house the fuel tanks rather than putting them back in the basement. Once the scaffolding was taken down it was time to repair the sidewalks that were cracking from age and damage by the heavy equipment. Bob Brandt brought his crew in to remove the old sidewalks and pour new ones.

During the Summer the Pew Committee and the Carpet Committee worked together to select fabric for padding the pews. They narrowed the selection down to 3: Red, Blue, or Sugar Plum. All three colors are present in the stained glass windows. They then selected a carpet color to compliment each pew fabric. The congregation was given a chance to look at the samples during church, and we even had the samples on display at Dick Watts' Carpet and Furniture Barn during the week. The congregation voted in favor of the Sugar Plum color for the pews and a darker plum color for the carpeting. The Carpet Committee reviewed quotes for installing the carpet and selected the Carpet and Furniture Barn. The Carpet Committee was split on the idea of using tile in the foyer instead of carpeting, so they took the idea to the congregation. Two-thirds of those who voted liked the tile. So the tile has been installed in the vestibule and the classrooms, sanctuary, and stage have been carpeted.

At the end of September Bahret's was ready to work on the pews. We were unable to use the Pannebaker Cabinets warehouse for the work, so the Fire Company graciously allowed us to use their hall. Several men from the church and the Fire Company moved the pews out of the storage trailers and into the hall. The crew from Bahret's cleaned the pews and stained them to match one another. They then glued foam to the seats and backs and covered them with fabric. Then the pews sat in the hall for 2 months. By Thanksgiving the sanctuary floor was carpeted and on the evening before Thanksgiving the men of the church (and even some family members visiting for the holidays) moved the pews into the Sanctuary. To help get them across the parking lot the pews were placed, two at a time, on pallets carried on a fork lift driven by Jerry Auker. The next week the crew from Bahret's returned, lined up the pews and fastened them down. They also added a few coats of polyurethane to the front doors of the Church.