Sermon: Report on the Progress for the 200th anniversary of the church building 9-8-24
Exactly one year ago on September 9, 2023 I used my sermon time to talk about the upcoming 200th anniversary of this church building and how we are beginning plans to make changes to make the church safer and more accessible. I went through the history of this building using a handout with pictures showing how this building has been modified at least 8 times to meet the needs of this congregation over two centuries. We then held a parish-wide meeting to go into more detail and get feedback about our plans.
The purpose of my remarks today is to provide an update on what we have done this year to set the stage for our follow-up meeting today after church. I begin by putting what we are doing in context. I turn to scripture using the portion of the book in the bible written by Jesus’ half-brother James’ letter to the churches. James writes to encourage his readers to live consistently with what they have learned in Christ. He condemns various sins, including pride, hypocrisy, favoritism, and slander. Some believe this may be the oldest book in Christian scripture. It is written to the Jews who have been dispersed beyond the church in Jerusalem. He is concerned about showing favoritism and writes “You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” He invites the church to be attentive to those who have special need in the congregation.
In our context means providing for the needs of an aging congregation making modifications for our current life as a community.
I want to remind you a year ago our planning group for the anniversary renamed itself to the Journey to 2026 Committee. It is a recognition that this parish has been on a journey for almost three hundred years and in this building for nearly 200 years. It has been a journey in faith with changes and challenges along the way. Those before us have remained faithful to their call in community and our present efforts simply are to join the journey that began nearly 300 years ago. Here is a snapshot of what has been done this year.
When we met last year, we walked through several projects to make our space safer and more accessible to meet our current and changing needs. When we met in the parish hall, we talked about several systems needing attention like rewiring the church, installing high energy efficient heating and air conditioning. We realized that we were within reach to do the heating and air conditioning and as you can see have accomplished that goal. We are making progress.
Last year we received an important piece of feedback. There was no accessible second point of egress other than the front door. So, we moved up one of the areas we were planning higher on the list. The proposed redesign of the backdrop behind the altar provided a solution. You will see the design again in the hall. It has a door going directly into the tower without the current barrier we currently which forces us to squeeze around the panel to get into the tower.
This year, thanks to Steve Konopka, Lino Rodigher, and others we removed the small platform holding the altar returning the front to one level as it was originally built. It makes our altar and communion rail more accessible and safer to use. They removed the pews across the front opening space for those with walkers or wheelchairs.
Thanks to a special gift the memorial garden is now safe and accessible for all with the stunningly beautiful walkway. Right now, thanks to a generous gift we are also well on our way to renovate the multi-purpose room in the parish hall to make it a better space for meetings, Sunday school and storage which is at a premium. We also redid the fire protection detection system this year and upgraded the electrical service. So, in short, we have been active in getting things done on our list as we had resources.
Moving forward we are hoping to install a bathroom in the back of the church, finish the front design, restore the front clear glass windows which date back to 1826, widen the entrance coming into the church, insulate the ceiling to maximize efficiency our of our new HVAC system, add lighting over the congregation, rewire the church, make some adjustments to our sound and broadcasting so those joining us from home may have more consistent sound then our current system affords.
Some might wonder how does all this mesh with retiring the debt we have on the land we purchased in 2021 so I want to speak to that as well. We began owing a loan with interest of$150,000. Thanks to the no interest loans taken out by parishioners and donations we have lowered the interest-bearing debt from $150,000 two years ago to $77,000 one year ago to today at $46,000. We anticipate lowering that further this year through fees paid by Commons Community Development Corporation who are developing the housing project and sale of the wetlands to the town approved at our Annual Meeting in January.
While I’ve focused on projects related to this building to meet our current needs, it is important to remember the church is not the building but the people of God. If we didn’t have this place for worship we would still be the Body of Christ in the Episcopal tradition in this corner of God’s realm.
While the church is the people gathered as human beings place is important for us to gather as the Body of Christ. My friends, we have inherited one of the most historic buildings still in use in our diocese. Those who journeyed before us were faithful stewards of this place and now we continue that stewardship. Importantly, what we will hear after the service is aspirational to see how much we can continue to complete in time for our 200th celebration in October 2026. It is one way we express our gratitude for God and are attentive to the needs of our community today and those who will follow us. Amen.