The sounds of a church campus during the week are unique – there are people buzzing to gain entry, meetings spaces being set up and meetings taking place, and the hum of a staff working to meet the ongoing needs of a community beyond Sunday worship.
For the past two weeks, those sounds have been joined by the sounds of hammers, saws, and the numerous discussions required among contractors working to transform the working and clergy sacristies into the spaces needed in a modern church campus.
The working sacristy is space used by the volunteers preparing for church services and is utilized by the Altar, Flower and Linen Guilds. The clergy sacristy houses vestments and provides space for the clergy to prepare for service. This space also contains the piscina where sacrificial wine is disposed of following service.
The project will allow for proper storage of all the elements used in our church services, improved and more efficient lighting, better security, upgraded insulation, and eventually much more efficient heating and cooling.
The construction team, led by McCourry Builders’ staff, stripped down both spaces, removing aged conduit and electrical wires, plumbing, cabinetry and two windows. It’s been a challenge as Trinity Church’s structural brick walls and unique treatments had to be considered.
Nancy Whisenhunt, who is the program lead for the project, said the results of the work will become more evident in the coming four weeks. New flooring will be installed the week of Feb. 5, followed by installation of new cabinetry and ordering of countertops.
Additional work includes new plumbing and installation of new lighting in both the working and clergy sacristies, the hallway between the nave and working sacristy and the clergy sacristy, drywall and plaster clean-ups, as well as installation of some new closet doors and painting as required. The goal is to complete the project before Easter week.
The sacristy project follows work in 2023 to address water leaks in our facilities, and additional work this year includes upgrades to six entry doors to the church to address general aging, safety and security, and providing American Disabilities Act compliant access – all while assuring adherence to the rich architectural heritage of the church.
“The aesthetic beauty of the church is part of our worship,” Cole Hedden, convener for the church’s Facilities committee, said. “We are working to upgrade and make more efficient all of our operations, but we’re also working with architects and engineers to assure that we maintain the traditional grace and beauty of Trinity Church.”
Photos:
Top row: (1) Altar and Linen Guilds using a spare room to store and work from, (2) Linen Guild temporary storage, (3) Altar Guild storage
Bottom Row: (1) Blueprints for the new sacristy space, (2) this was once a piece of plexiglass with a window A/C unit now being restored to the previous window, (3) the gutted sacristy
