GIFTS FOR GOD’S HOUSE: A RESOUNDING SUCCESS
This Eastertide, as we celebrated the Resurrection and faithfully anticipated physically regathering in the sanctuary, we invited the parish to join in “Gifts for God’s House—Celebrating the First 125 Years,” a campaign to raise funds to undertake some modest refurbishments of our sanctuary. The campaign concluded on 30 June 2021. We are blessed by the generosity of our parish family who accepted the invitation to look forward and fund the various elements envisioned by the task force.
We are pleased to report that the campaign, which included projects projected to cost $36,000 plus a $4,000 donation to the Outreach Fund, exceeded these goals. The total donated was $53,011. Some donors gave without specifying particular projects, while others funded certain gifts, so all elements of the campaign have been funded. With the tithe to Outreach of $5,301, we are now implementing the various projects which honor our past, bolster our present, and look to our future. Any remaining monies will be placed in the Memorial Fund:
As we celebrate All Saints’ 127th anniversary, we would like to update you on the progress of projects from the Gifts for God’s House campaign. We are delighted to report that several are largely or completely finished:
1. New Advent altar hangings, made by Bramante Studios in Canada, have arrived and are ready to be blessed and used for the first time at service on 14 November.
2. The conservation of Julia Addison’s The Five Angels in the Resting Chapel is complete. We can now appreciate the wonderful details of this piece, many of which had been obscured by a century of dirt and mold. The lighting has also been adjusted to make the artwork more visible. The excellent work was done by Theresa Carmichael and Geraldine Brooks, our art conservators.
3. Two new votive candlestands are situated in the Resting Chapel and the back of the sanctuary and are being used regularly for prayer intentions.
4. The updates to the children’s area are largely in place, with new decorations, better storage facilities, and cushions for sitting on the floor. Some additional changes are planned for the coming months while both kids and adults are enjoying the new amenities.
Remaining projects are all in progress:
1. The new sanctuary chairs are on order from Ratigan-Schottler. Their manufacture and shipping has been delayed due to COVID-19 related supply issues. We hope to have them in place before Christmas.
2. For the history display, the walls to hold the display have been purchased, and work has begun on the first exhibit. Look for this material in the new year.
3. The technical structure for the online Tour of All Saints is being built and the text written. New photographs will help to illustrate our extraordinary windows and artwork. Again, look for the launch of the revised tour in the new year.
Once again, we are enormously grateful to the whole parish for their support of these projects. Thank you!
Margaret Bridge, Richard Burden, Margaret Hogan, Elinor Horner, and Bradley MacDonald