Slideshow
Here’s a gallery of photos documenting the process!
Stories from our Chapel
A team of folks would love to create a book documenting the history of our beloved chapel. If you have a story or photo or memory from the past 80 years at Grace,….please let the Office know! We look forward to hearing all about the history and beautiful moments that have graced our chapel over the years!
A wonderful update on our Chapel Renovation!
posted in Grace Notes, January 6, 2023
I am delighted to share with you exciting news about the revitalization of Grace Memorial’s chapel.
A team of Grace parishioners is hard at work on making badly needed improvements and upgrades to this beloved space. That team includes Nancy Entrikin, Sally Fraser, Sharon Loomis-Malin, David Waldow, Dave Shelman, Kathleen Shelman, and Kevin Walsh. Ultimately, these improvements and upgrades will include:
- Repairing the three stained-glass windows (all of which tell stories from Jesus’ birth) by replacing worn-out lead around the glass and remediating the bowing that the windows have begun to experience across the years. The Western most window already has its bow corrected – and damage from vandalism fixed.
- Replacing the pews with Cathedral Chairs. (Those of you who have been around a while may remember that Vestry decided to replace the pews with chairs some seventeen years ago. It is time to make good on that decision now.) The parishioners of beloved memory who are honored via plaques on the pews will be honored in a new way post-renovation.
- Refinish the floor and, ultimately, make the entire chapel floor the same level and, thereby, accessible. (Currently there are a couple of steps up to the altar.)
- Repaint and otherwise freshen up the space.
Your Vestry and the Chapel team envision a number of benefits to these improvements and upgrades. They are:
First – and probably most obviously – the chapel is overdue for some TLC. This work will once again make the chapel’s state of repair consistent with the love that our church has for it.
Second, this work will honor the chapel’s history by making it again into a space that is in use across the week. Currently, the chapel is inflexible and, therefore, it is rarely used. Our community is desperate for accessible meeting and ministry space, and the renovated chapel will robustly meet that goal.
Third, because the renovated space will offer new ministry and community opportunities it will facilitate discipleship – and generate new revenue for our church.
Finally, we will be able to enjoy and appreciate the chapel in a new way. A level floor and Cathedral Chairs, for instance, will make it easy to have a service in which the altar is in front of the stained glass windows, thus allowing us to appreciate and enjoy them more completely.
There will be an opportunity over the coming Sundays to meet the Chapel renovation team, to ask questions, and to share your ideas. Thank you to that team for all of their excellent work. And thank you in advance for bringing your curiosity and enthusiasm to this project.
Yours in the love of Christ,
Martin Elfert