Pew Refurbishment – update June 28, 2019.
Two pew sections will be removed from the church next week to enable the trialling of the two pew finishes under consideration. We expect to have these back in 3 to 4 weeks for inspection and comment by all interested. In the mean time the two gaps created are to be used to help determine the size and location of “accessible spaces” to be created when the refurbished pews are re-installed over the coming months. Further information is available from Malcolm Bocking (0427 408 430). If you would like to contribute to this appeal, please use the tap & go device in the Church foyer set at $10.00, or make a donation online.
Pew Refurbishment Overview – January, 2019.
Our current appeal is focusing on improving the pews in our Church. It is a project that the Priests, Parish Pastoral Council and the Parish Finance Committee have been working on for several months now.
In thinking about this, the first consideration we had is that of weighing up our priorities in light of conscience. Through God’s grace we are a gifted community with resources and funds to direct to His work. First and foremost in this is our charity to those less fortunate than ourselves with real financial assistance and to minister God’s Word to our parish and the wider community. Through the generosity of parishioners, we attend to this energetically by way of our giving to many charities and causes, locally and overseas.
Further, a review of the many groups and activities in our parish shows that we are very active in ministering to all – including the young through our schools, state schools and youth groups. Additionally, we have many ministries for families, singles, middle-aged and the elderly. Our parish also has activities for adult formation and conversion. We look to enhance our community life with more social functions in 2019 and beyond. All this work is on-going and we can continually strive to do better.
It is important also that we care for, and maintain in good order, the facilities of the parish. It is a legacy that has been gifted to us by hard-working past parishioners. The Church is central to our worship and communion with God. It is where we honour and celebrate the divine gifts we have received. It is fitting that our Church is maintained well and is a place where we can rest with God without distractions. This is why we invested a few years ago, through the generosity of parishioners, in air-conditioning. There were times in the past when the hot summer days were very oppressive for our infants, children and elderly. The air-conditioning provides for an environment that is more congenial towards focusing our attention to the celebrations in our Church.
This year we will be focusing on refurbishing the pews of the Church as they are badly in need of repair and updating. This was an item requested by parishioners in our 2016 parish survey. The current pews were manufactured in 1982 and made from Pacific Maple with an expected life of 60+ years. The pews were originally finished with clear timber lacquer and some surfaces were recoated around 2003. Due to the age of the finishing they currently show signs of wear and lifting of previous surface treatments. We have around 202 linear metres of pews. A working committee was formed and has looked at many options and treatments including: replacement, working bees and refurbishing. For a range of reasons, including environmental considerations, it has been felt that professional sanding and repainting the surfaces would be the best and most economical option. This work, with periodic maintenance, would add another 60 years life to the current pews.
This will require quite some logistics and at times a large portion of the pews will be absent from the Church while they are being treated. We will be taking this opportunity to consider small layout changes of the Church which may improve the movement of people for Holy Communion and the sacred ambience of the Church.
Our current pews
Examples of similar pews in other churches we visited.
We are also hoping to address: improved comfort for those with additional needs, improved access and space for those with limited mobility, improved space for the choir and musicians. We welcome any suggestions you may have.
As you may well understand, this project is a major undertaking. We appreciate that this may cause some inconvenience and ask for your consideration and tolerance. We also ask for your support during this time to help us raise the necessary funds to maintain the legacy that parishioners before us have created. We invite you to consider a donation to this work of refurbishing the pews.
Richard Houwing.
On behalf of the Parish Pastoral Council with the Parish Finance Committee.
