New Stained Glass Installed as Sanctuary Renovations near Completion
It has been 4 years since our congregation made the decision to renovate our church Sanctuary, and the work is near completion. It has been an exciting and interesting process, which has involved the hard work and generosity of a large number of church members at Fairfax Christian Church. This is the story of our sanctuary renovations.
The entire first year was spent on developing a consensus on the design for the new Sanctuary. Where the worship space had been cinder block, with grey trim on the doors and windows, and industrial grey carpet on the floor, the design committee wanted a Sanctuary that was warm, elegant, worshipful and inviting. As one member put it, “We want our Sanctuary to be a place where people would like to be married.” With this in mind the committee explored the architectural style of the building, and formulated a renovation plan that emphasized clean lines, warm colors, and wooden design features. The most ambitious of these features were the ten, 20-foot tall oak columns, and the removal of the gray trim on the doors, frames and windows. The renovation crew was delighted to find that there was red oak under the door and window frames, until we found out how much work it was to remove several layers of paint and stain.
Before
The prior Sanctuary furniture (Communion Table, Pulpit, and Choir Loft) were all boxy and bare. So the new design involved creating angles –in a smaller, reconfigured Pulpit (made from the previous Pulpit); an angled Choir Loft with half-walls; and a refinished and redesigned Communion Table. The front stage area was also redesigned, to include similar angles. We were fortunate to have the help of a talented sound engineer, who advised us on how to improve the sound in the Sanctuary. We pulled up all of the flooring on the stage to insulate underneath; created angled corner walls to reflect the sound out from the front; put wainscoting on the front wall to reflect the sound out; and we put SoundSoak acoustic absorptive material on the back wall, to reduce echoing. The changes have vastly improved our acoustics, which were also augmented by a new sound system, also custom designed by the sound engineer.
In order to improve our Sanctuary lighting, we replaced the congregational lighting, and added side pillar lights and a full set of theatrical lights. All of the lights are wired into a new lighting board, with a new electrical sub-panel and power distribution center. The lighting board allows us to control every light in the Sanctuary, and to configure sets of lighting values for special services. It is the hope of the Sanctuary Renovation Task Force (SRTF) committee that the improved acoustics, sound and lighting would allow Fairfax Christian Church to host concerts, recitals, plays, and other special events.
Other changes to the Sanctuary included: insulating all four walls, and installing drywall; priming and painting; staining the ceiling; removing the old carpet; creating a new sound and lighting / AV booth; installing new carpet on the stage, and a new runner down the aisle; installing laminate wood flooring; installing wooden trim; wiring up microphones and speaker jacks; installing new entry doors and closet doors; and installing a new video screen and LCD projector system. The combined changes give Fairfax Christian Church a new look that invites people to worship in a warm, elegant setting.
During
The centerpiece of the Sanctuary renovation was the installation of a new stained glass window. The original design was rather abstract, with blue, blue-green and gold coloring. Some years back, it had been changed to a basic cross pattern. At that time, significant rot had been found in the beams holding up the window (and the front of the church). It had been filled in as well as could be done at the time, but was still a concern. As the renovations to the Sanctuary were progressing, the idea of completely replacing the stained glass window was presented. At the time, it seemed like a laughable idea. We were a small church, and stained glass windows can cost well over $600 a square foot to design, fabricate and install. And the size of the project is daunting –the window is 9 feet wide and 20 feet tall. The weight of the stained glass panels would require significant support in order to last.
The SRTF had been working on the renovations for about six months (1 ½ years after the start of the process), when we met Elizabeth Braun. Liz is a well-known stained glass artist, with over 25 years of experience in the Washington, D.C. area. She has created numerous architectural stained glass pieces, as well as a variety of forms of glass sculpture and art. Liz was captured by the enormity of the canvas, and generously gave Fairfax Christian Church a price that a small church could afford –less than ¼ of what others would have charged. Even then, it didn’t seem possible for the church to raise the funds for the window.
The design process began in spite of the fund raising mountains, so that people could envision what a new stained glass window might look like. The only two requests to Liz for the design were: 1) that it draw the viewer’s eye upwards; and 2) that it be darker on the bottom (so that speakers would not be backlit, as with the previous window). Liz produced numerous drawings in different styles, which the church members evaluated. It was amazing how the members, while liking several drawings, were most drawn to the ones of the cedars of Lebanon. There are numerous Biblical references to the cedars of Lebanon as the tree of heaven, and as a symbol of God’s love and presence. Fairfax Christian Church is fortunate to have a cedar of Lebanon on the property, as well. Liz created a wonderful design drawing with cedars of Lebanon and a sun, and enlarged it to poster size. She even added samples of what types of glass might be used.
The vision of what the new stained glass window could look like inspired a member of the church, Doug Cross, to come forward and pledge the full amount for the stained glass window as a memorial for his wife, Mary, and his parents. With this extremely generous gift, and the graciousness of Liz Braun, the stained glass window project was started. Its construction and installation was a monumental task, spanning over three years, and involving a heart attack (of Ragtime, one of the talented glass workers who helped Liz); many trips to West Virginia (where Liz fabricated the window, because she needed a larger studio); road trips by Liz up and down the East Coast, looking for the “perfect” piece of glass; and hours and hours of hard work.
At last, after over 6,200 volunteer hours by members of Fairfax Christian Church, over $80,000 in donations from church members, and four years of planning and hard work, the Sanctuary renovation and stained glass window installation is nearly complete.
After
On March 28th at 3pm, please join us in celebrating our Sanctuary rededication along with our distinguished guests, including the Fairfax City Council and Mayor, stained glass artist Elizabeth Braun, and charter and alumni members of Fairfax Christian Church. It will be a wonderful time to enjoy the new Sanctuary and stained glass window, and to appreciate all of God’s blessings at Fairfax Christian Church.
Article by Bruce Swett and J. Scott Thompson
