| Sue:
Over 3 million served…That is Russ' and my conservative
estimate of how many people have passed through our sanctuary
during the past 52 years. That is a lot of footsteps down the
aisle, a lot of hands rubbed along the woodwork, a lot of seats
on the pews. Over the last two weeks, both in church and in
Steeple Notes, we have heard wonderful personal stories from
some of those who have special feelings for this place. Now
it is our turn, to attempt to express the feelings we have for
the sanctuary, and why we believe whole-heartedly in the project
to renovate and rejuvenate this sacred space.
The sanctuary
is a place where we open our doors to the community--where
we welcome any and all who enter through them. It is where
we receive new people into our church family, and where, as
a family, we celebrate, laugh, and cry together. Above all,
it is where we come together as a community of faith, to worship
God and encourage each other in our Christian journeys.
Russ:
My first experience in our sanctuary is one that I cannot
remember, but some of you may. For it was October 5, 1952,
when Bishop Marshall Reed came to dedicate this new church
building and sanctuary, and to baptize me, his grandson. On
that day, a number of you, together with the collected assembly
of worshippers in this very space, spoke these words of commitment:
With
God's help
we will so order our lives after the example of Christ,
that this child, surrounded by steadfast love,
may be established in the faith,
and confirmed and strengthened
in the way that leads to life eternal.
You honored
that commitment by encouraging me:
As I
sang from these steps in Primary Choir,
As I received my first Bible in second grade,
As I sang my first duet in fourth grade with Danny Gipson
in "The Thorn-Crowned King",
As I was confirmed as a member of this church,
As I returned from college to speak on Student Recognition
Sunday from this pulpit,
When I exchanged wedding vows with this special lady across
the chancel, and
When she and I together brought our babies to this place
to be baptized with your commitment of support.
In the
intervening years, our children have shared similar moments
here. And then nearly two years ago, my mother's funeral brought
us here to feel God's presence in a different way.
These
are all elements of my story, but they are also parts of your
story and our future stories together, as we gather in this
holy place to worship God.
Sue:
My own personal connection with our sanctuary began 36 years
ago when my family moved here from southern California. I
was a soft-spoken 14 year old, a little too shy and intimidated
to enjoy breaking into a new group of kids in Sunday School
or youth group, so during that first summer my Sunday mornings
were spent in worship services in the sanctuary. In the fall
I joined the Young People's Choir, where I met and bonded
with my fellow choristers in the soprano and alto sections,
some of whom would eventually become friends, sisters-in-law,
and even co-workers-people like Carrie and Cathy Ives, Katie
Warnock, Patty Watson, Margaret Allshouse, Sue and Jan Halmhuber.
In those days, the youth choir (which was 7th through 12th
graders) always sat in the Chancel when they sang in the worship
service. This gave ample time to check out the boys (from
a safe distance) who sat on the opposite side. I remember
especially well one particular tenor soloist, a couple of
years older, whose name was Russ.
Organ
lessons with Rod Petersen gave me my first opportunities to
experience the sanctuary at times other than Sunday mornings.
As a college senior I took a turn at delivering part of the
sermon on Student Recognition Sunday. From there, Russ' and
my stories coincide, and he already has mentioned a number
of the significant family events, both joyful and sad, that
we have experienced here.
In my
current position as Director of Children, I have the privilege
of regularly bringing children into the sanctuary during worship
- to join in teacher dedication, to receive their Bibles,
to sing a song during finance campaigns, to wave palms on
Palm Sunday, and for many of them, these are their only visits
to the sanctuary. I wish all of us could retain the wonder
and awe they experience when they hear the organ, see the
stained glass windows, and join with the congregation in worship.
Russ:
Unfortunately, a bit of our own wonder and awe is diminished
when we miss some beautiful tones in this room's "dead
spots", when we can't hear an important word or humorous
punch line, and when our enthusiasm for singing (and that
of our neighbors) is dampened by the struggle to read the
hymnal in the shadows of the current lighting. The good news
is that these issues are fixable, and slated for improvement
in the sanctuary project.
Our sanctuary
has brought us many experiences with the divine. Its beauty
is an inspiration. The singing of "Silent Night"
together by candlelight at the close of the 11 o'clock Christmas
Eve service brings lumps to my throat every time, as I revel
in the beauty and meaning of the moment shared with all of
you. I have felt similarly overwhelmed as our choir joined
with children's and youth choirs and the congregation in the
anthem "The First Song of Isaiah", singing "Surely
it is God who saves me. I will trust in him and not be afraid".
Sue:
Worship involves all of our senses. As we open our senses
of sight and sound, taste and touch, and open our mouths in
songs of praise, we open ourselves to God. Much effort went
into the CLC's lighting and sound, to support its use as a
worship space. Shouldn't we put similar effort into making
this dedicated worship space, this sanctuary, as beautiful
and excellent as we can?
Russ:
This is a wonderful place - it simply needs our loving care,
attention, and, yes, a significant investment. Please join
us on June 6 with your pledge of financial support, doing
the work that we have to do to protect and enhance our sanctuary,
to bring ourselves and future generations into closer communion
with God. This space, God's space, is worthy of the best that
is in us.
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