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Fundraising For Future Generations... The Nehemiah Phase II church renovation project For Our Father's House is now complete! Praise be to God who inspired us to take on this ambitious task in order to enhance our place of worship. Now we pray that you, our church family and community, will feel moved to support this effort. Only through your generous donations can we pay for the work that has been done. Come see the renovation for yourself! Come share the vision that is now a reality! Welcome to the future of MCC!! Please scroll down to find out more about this fantastic project for future generations. Tell us what you think or ask questions by e-mailing the church office at church@middleton.org.
To him be glory in
the church and in Christ Jesus Ephesians 3:21
Photo Gallery November 23, 2008 (Click on each photo's thumbnail to enlarge.) A wonderful homecoming service was held on Sunday, November 23. Pastor Larry gathered the crowd in prayer at 10:00 AM just outside the front doors. We entered the newly refurbished space singing, "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." The sanctuary was quite full for our "Welcome Home" service, including the folks up in the balcony. Grateful parishioners took advantage of the handicapped lift. People enjoyed singing with the Worship Team to the lyrics displayed on the PowerPoint screen. There was quite an assortment of goodies at Coffee Hour, afterward, in our lovely Fellowship Hall.
The Nehemiah
II Committee For Our Father's House is extremely please with how
the project turned out. We hope we have helped to make MCC a better place
of worship for all generations! Now is the time to show your support by
contributing to the project! Please feel free to contact
Pastor Larry about ways that you can help. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As of October 11, 2008 Exciting things are happening at MCC as we near the end of our project For Our Father's House! Now that new lighting has been installed and the ceilings and walls are painted, all that staging has been removed! You can see the stage at its lower height, curved in the front to match the curve of the pews. New walls have been added on the right in front of the organ and on the left where new stairs and a small wheelchair lift allow people to mount the stage. The molding above the stained glass hides a screen that can be lowered for projecting movies or PowerPoint from the balcony.
With the help of many others, members of the Nehemiah II Committee For Our Father's House put in some long hours choosing paint colors, carpets, flooring, and fabric for a new velvet curtain. The center picture shows the side entrance to the narthex from the sanctuary has been reworked. Below, right, the handicapped entrance is nearly done and awaits installation of the wheelchair lift!
Praise the Lord for the hard-working, talented people whose skills have made it a reality!
Keep an eye on this web page as we
near the completion of the project "Share the Vision Make it Happen!" Click here to read our prayer for the project. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As of September 1, 2008 The sanctuary is filled with staging. The boards on top form a temporary platform for the workmen to use while installing lights and audio-visual equipment, working on carpentry, and painting.
In the narthex, new walls are all framed and ready to be rebuilt with new glass doors and windows.
These three artist's concepts show the new sanctuary design: Left, the platform has been lowered and the partitions in front removed so that there is plenty of room for the Worship Team to perform. Middle, looking toward the back of the sanctuary, the view is of the reinforced balcony with extra seating. New glass doors and windows looking into the expanded narthex. Right, the modern AV system projects from above balcony seating to the screen in the front of the church.
Things are happening in other parts of the building, too. A brand new closet has been framed in Fellowship Hall and will eventually be used for storing chairs and tables when not in use.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As of August 4, 2008 Framing is begun on the addition that will house the handicapped entrance from the parking lot. A cement pad has been added in front and a new staircase leads down to the Sunday School rooms.
In the narthex, the front doors have been pushed out to provide more room. Next will come steel supports, wiring, and the new wall with glass doors and windows looking in toward the sanctuary.
Here you see the chancel platform at its new height, ready for electrical work and a wheelchair lift.
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As of July 25, 2008 Inside the Sanctuary, Narthex, and Balcony The 1st picture below depicts the chancel area at the front of the sanctuary taken down to the floor. The next 2 pictures show the wall now removed between the back of the sanctuary and the narthex. The last picture looks at the balcony with its floor torn out.
As of July 31, beams to support the new chancel platform are about 80% complete. The structure reaches all the way down to Fellowship Hall, below! The electrical work is about 40% done. Handicapped Access This 1st picture is outside at our future handicapped entrance and wheelchair lift that will take you either downstairs to Fellowship Hall or upstairs to the Sanctuary. The 2nd picture shows inside a former closet on the Sanctuary level where the lift will bring you. The 3rd picture is of the old men's room which will become a handicapped-accessible restroom.
As of July 31, the cement flooring for this addition has been poured and we are ready to build! Praise the Lord that this project will surely make our church a more relevant, engaging, accessible, and loving (R.E.A.L.) place of worship for all. Share the Vision! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As of July 15, 2008 Sanctuary Demolition Here are some pictures of the sanctuary, narthex, and balcony as of July 15, 2008:
E-mail from
Pastor Larry Schell Dear MCC Family; Today I was reminded of what a momentous occasion we are in the midst of as our sanctuary is renovated. As the chancel (front raised) area of our church was taken down (see attached picture), the workers called Bruce Hersey over to show him one board with some writing on it. The board said:
"This platform &
stairs built by Carl and Earl Jones, November and December,
1958
with help from Larry Bullen (?), David Fairbanks, Earl Jones Jr., Okie
Johnson, 1958! I wondered how many weddings took place on that platform, how many baptisms and Christmas Pageants? Indeed, a renovation of the kind that we are undertaking is one that happens only once every fifty years. How true are the words of Psalm 100, verse 5: For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Let's join together in prayer as the work is underway!
Peace, Here are some pictures of the board that was found:
While the demolition and restoration continues inside, work has also begun outside to prepare for building the housing for our wheelchair lift! As of July 16, a hole has been dug for the foundation and footings are in place. The concrete pad for the former Sunday School entrance was actually as deep as the hole and took the better part of a day to be chipped away!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As of July 1, 2008 The empty sanctuary is poised and ready for renovation! The organ is wrapped to protect it from dust and debris. It will be boxed in with plywood before heavy construction begins. Our ambitious project involves lowering the chancel (altar platform area) from five steps high down to three steps and removing the partition walls. This entire area (except for the balcony) will become handicapped-accessible so that all may participate in worship and musical activities. We plan to add new lighting, air conditioning, and a modern audio/visual system as well as new paint and carpeting.
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For Our
Father's House - Update Letter Please send comments about this site to web servant |
Phase
II of our restoration project is under way! We began over a year ago
with Nehemiah Phase I, which focused primarily on the outward appearance
and structural integrity of our worship space. This project included a new
roof, replacement of windows and doors, and a brand new exterior paint
job! At the conclusion of Phase I, the building was determined to be
sound, secure and sealed!