Building a chapel

There's lots of excitement this week at the Church on the Pike!

The J2A (Journey to Adulthood) group moved into new, larger digs, where they can have a sofa and other soft seating, plus a TV with a DVD player. This was a great move for them and me! What they left behind is a basement room which the Rector said we could refit as a meditation chapel (we have a large chapel on the main floor, but people pass through it on the way to the kitchen and the bathrooms -- not very conducive to quiet prayer).

Now, this basement room in itself is nothing to write home about. It's 8.5 feet wide and 40 feet long, and is illuminated by blindingly bright fluorescent lights (we are determined to find softer lighting). The blue carpet is elderly and stained. But the kids did paint it nicely when they vacated, and at one end we have placed the altar that used to be used for Sunday School chapel services. Bingo! Instant chapel! Now we just have to work on the fine points.

I have lots of wonderful help. One friend is very creative, and came up with a great idea for reusing an old dossal that had been lying abandoned. Another friend is a bargain hunter, and knows the best places to get cheap, good-quality carpet. Yet another person is investigating window film, possibly in a stained-glass pattern, to help us cut the glare. One idea begets another. I am fortunate to have creative friends!

If we can get new carpet laid in time, we would like to have a Lenten Quiet Day on the 17th of March. I'm praying we can be ready by then! Anyone who'd like to share ideas for what else we might need in our chapel should post them here!

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