FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH



Vol. 28, No. 11 December 2019

Merry Christmas!

May the beauty and joy of Christmas and the surprising wonder of God’s love surround you this Christmas and throughout the New Year!

Dawn Garrett-Larsen Denise Morphy

Alicia Francis Edie Rice

Debbie Lyon Jamie Varney

A Message From Our Moderator

Breathe.

As we head into the year-end mad dash, I have just one word- breathe.

Take a deep breath and know that everything will be fine.

Exhale and let go of the weight of things you cannot control.

Breathe in the fresh, crisp winter air and recall moments with family and friends.

Blow out the twinkling candles and make a wish.

Inhale the smells of treats baking in the oven and expectant smiles.

Let out the air of negativity, anger and fear.

Take in oxygen filled with love and empathy.

Breathe so you can be as kind to yourself as you are to those you love.

Breathe so you can be forgiving and let go of the burdens you carry.

Breathe so you can be present during the moments that matter.

Breathe in deeply and exhale fully.

Hannah Morgan

Church Moderator

First Congregational Church

We want to know you better. Please take a

moment to indicate your talents and interests.

I have a passion for and experience in the following area (s):

|Baking/Cooking |Public Safety/First Responder |

|Building things/Repair work |Leading or facilitating groups |

|Calligraphy |Helping others feel welcome |

|Finance/Accounting |Marketing/Public Image |

|Theatre/Drama/Dance |Music/Singing |

|Event/Party Planning |Assisting Worship |

|Flower Arranging/Gardening |Writing |

|Research/History |Videography/audio/photography |

|Seamstress/Sewing |PC hardware/software |

|American Sign Language |Graphic Design/Artist |

|Teaching |Social media/Website |

|Languages/ |Other: |

|Translation: _______________________ |______________________ |

Name: _____________________________________

Preferred phone or email: _____________________________

If you had time, how would you be interested in growing our church?

Prayer List

Muriel Allemand (Jim & Connie Malone’s friend); Steve Beck (Heidi Schwarz’s brother); Keith Blaker; Brad Bliss; Annie Boss (Bill Huberlie’s granddaughter); Eric Burns (Guy Burns’ nephew, cousin of Linda Whalen); Marjorie Case; Cathy Coots; Peggy & Bob DeSantis (Dorie & Don Raw, Sr.’s friends); Family of Clint Atkins (Amy Ogden’s brother in law & family); Jerry Gomez (Kathi Nacca’s friend) Barb Harradine; Jeff Johnson (Jim & John Johnson’s brother); Jim Kolesar (George & Carin Herren’s friend); Sue Kotalik; Loren (Meg & Jack Radley’s friend); Evelyn Lottero (Debbie Cutter’s friend); Lynn (Joan Ryan’s friend); Priscilla Martinez (Debbie Cutter’s friend); Eileen McCarthy (Carla DeMeco & Betsy Dresser’s friend); Liz Nelson (Kathy Ward’s friend); John Paul and Pat Smith; Chris Pritchard (Rick, Cindy Mullen & George Herren’s friend); Rev. Lee Rader (Amy Ogden’s friend) Jack and Meg Radley; Sara (Meg & Jack Radley’s granddaughter); Smith/Dworetsky Family (Okke & Kathy Postma’s friends); Sally Stowell (Alice Berry’s mother); Walker (Don & Dorice Raw’s friend); Kathy Ward; Gordon Wenner (George & Carin Herren’s friend); Josh Yeo (Barb Stahl’s friend); Jason Zeller (Kathy Ward’s son); Linda Zeller (Kathy Ward’s daughter in law)

If you would like to be included in our prayer list,

please call the church office or speak to the pastor.

| |Happy Birthday! | |

| | | |

|Dec 1–Jillaine Newman | Dec 7 –Brian Beiner |Dec 20– Jim DeMay Dec 21- Alice |

|Dec 2- Chris Ieda |Dec 8- Jim Ziegler |Berry |

|Dec 2- Jean Logan | Dec 9- William Uhlen |Dec 22- Debbie Jackson |

|Dec 3– Judi Stewart | Dec 9- Hannah Weeden |Dec 24 –Karen DeSanto |

|Dec 4- Myron Beal | Dec 11-Emma Cleveland |Dec 25 –Mark Davison |

|Dec 4- Don Crowe | Dec 12- Gwen McCausland |Dec 25 –Stu Gillim |

|Dec 4- Alison Boldt | Dec 13- Sue Blaker |Dec 25- Jean Ingalls |

|Dec 4- Betty Lyon | Dec 15 – Patrick McAlpin |Dec 27- Alan Lupton |

|Dec 4- Marty Muehe | Dec 18– Elliott Morgan |Dec 30- Rich Morgan |

|Dec 6- Holly Bond | Dec 18- Judy White |Dec 31- Helen Ellis |

|Dec 7- Beth Uhlen | Dec 19- Nancy Parsons |Dec 31 -Michelle Nevin |

| | Dec 20- Thomas Rice | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| |

| |

Annual Report Deadline

This year’s Annual Report deadline is earlier this year: Dec. 15, 2019. Reports need to be sent via email to Alicia at: office@. No exceptions, please! Thank you!

Weathervane Deadline for Jan. issue is Dec. 15th.

A THANK YOU TO MY CHURCH FAMILY

On 8/18/19, I had a stroke along with cellulitis and sepsis on my right leg. I was hospitalized for a week, then in rehab for 2 weeks. I continued home therapy for another two weeks. I was pretty scared to say the least. Without the love and prayers and visits from Dawn and members of my church family, I don’t think I would be doing as well as I am. I want you to know how much you all mean to me and I am very grateful to be a part of this wonderful congregation. And the continued support I have received since returning to church has been so heartwarming. I continue to work every day at getting better and giving my brain time to heal. I have found a support group for stroke survivors and families on Facebook and they are helping me through a lot of issues now. They validate what I am going through because they are dealing with the same things. Needless to say, I am very blessed and grateful and wanted to express this to all of you. I have a bounty of love and support also from my husband, children, other family members, and my beloved P.E.O. sisters.

Much Love,

Kathy Ward

A Message from Your Resource Committee

The Resource Committee wishes to thank everyone who has returned their pledges.  Thanks to all of you, we are off to a great start but we still have a long way to go to meet our goal. Please try and return your pledge card by Nov. 30th. REMEMBER, WE MUST HAVE YOUR PLEDGE IN BY THE BEGINNING OF DECEMBER IN ORDER TO USE IT TO HELP SET THE 2020 BUDGET.  If you have misplaced your pledge card there will be cards at the front and back of the church and in the social room or you may e-mail or call Alicia and she will send you one.  Thank you for your help.

CHRISTIAN ED NEWS:

Calendar:

December 1: Children’s choir will sing Candle Song; Regular Sunday School and youth

December 8: Children’s choir will sing Candle Song; Christmas Pageant rehearsal in the

chapel (Preschool – downstairs)

December 14: Youth ring Salvation Army Bell, followed by cookie decorating

Bell ringing at Runnings at noon; pizza and cookie decorating at church at 1:15

December 15: Children’s choir will sing Candle Song; Christmas Pageant will take place

in the chapel after the service

December 22: Children’s choir will sing Candle Song; Advent Workshop – Preschool,

K-5 and youth; appearance by Santa and Mrs. Claus!

December 29: Informal service – no Sunday School or nursery

Christmas Pageant – December 15

Our annual Christmas Pageant will take place on Sunday, December 15. Once again, it will be in the chapel immediately after the church service, and before coffee hour. We hope you will join us for this traditional celebration of the Christmas story!

**Parents: First rehearsal will be on December 8 during Sunday School time; dress rehearsal will be December 15 (during the service, immediately before the performance).

The Advent Workshop will take place on December 22. Meet Santa and Mrs. Claus and tell them how good you’ve been this year! Craft supplies and holiday activities will be provided. Come join in the fun! Parents and other adults are welcome to help. Contact Debbie Lyon at ce@ to volunteer.

Our Youth will ring the bell for Salvation Army on Saturday,

Dec 14, from noon to 1 p.m. at Runnings. There will be pizza and a cookie-making party immediately afterwards in the church kitchen. See Jennifer Brownell to sign up.

Thank You Very Much…..

♥ The front entrance wreaths were given by D. Guy Burns and family in memory of Nancy Burns and other members of our congregation who passed away this year.

♥ To all the folks and youth who will ring the bell to support the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign this year.

♥ Your generosity in providing coats to provide warmth this winter is much appreciated. They will be donated to the Salvation Army. 

♥ The turkey tree was also "stuffed" with hats, gloves, scarves and mittens for Salvation Army families. Thank you!

Adult Education Class in 2020

One of the most common requests I have received since arriving at the First Congregational Church is to have an adult education class or Bible study group. After the holidays we will be offering a class called “What is the Bible?” which is a basic introduction to the Bible and how those who do not read the Bible literally should approach this holy text. We will talk about various versions and translations, about how the Bible was written, about biblical authority, tradition and experience and their importance in interpreting the scriptures. We will explore the various kinds of writings in the Bible, including creation stories, law, prophets, psalms, apocalyptic literature, gospels, and epistles!

If you are interested in participating in an adult education class please let Dawn know. We have not yet determined when this class will meet. The day of the week and time of day will depend upon the people who choose to attend and their schedules. Thanks for your interest!

[pic]

HOLIDAY EVENTS:

41st Annual Messiah Sing – Along

The 401st Annual Community Messiah Sing – Along, under the direction of Edith Rice, will be held Sunday, December 8, 2019, with rehearsal at 1:00 pm and performance at 3:00 pm in the sanctuary. All singers are heartily invited to join in singing this wonderful music, concluding with the magnificent “Halleluiah Chorus.” Scores will be provided, as well as refreshments between the rehearsal and the performance. Any questions, please call 394-2184.

Salvation Army Red Kettle Drive: Bell Ringers Needed:

The dates for the Red Kettle Bell Ringing are: The dates are Dec. 4:

12 pm-8 pm in Tops lobby; Dec.14: 12 pm-8 pm in Runnings lobby;

Dec. 21: 10 am-5:30 pm in Runnings Lobby. There will be sign-up sheets on the Library Bulletin Board in November.  Thank you all for your help to make a difference!

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

The Christmas Eve Candlelight Service will be held at 5:00 PM on December 24th. This service is one of the most beautiful services in Canandaigua. Plan to be at the church no later than 4:30 to find a good parking space and to hear the choir’s pre-service music! PLEASE NOTE: Due to our standing room only crowd, and the fact that we have had to turn people away again last year, we ask that all church members arrive by 4:30, and that no more than one additional seat be saved (for your driver) when you arrive. Thanks for being considerate of all!

CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR NEEDY FAMILIES

We need your help! Again this year, we will be providing Christmas help for some struggling families in our community. The Salvation Army takes applications, screens them and then distributes the needs to churches and community groups. We have several families that we will be helping this year. Barb Henry will have a table in the church library on Dec. 1 and Dec. 8 and will assist you with sign-ups for specific adults and children by age and needs. All gifts will be due back to the church by Dec. 15th. The church will also be purchasing Walmart gift cards for the families, and if you would like to contribute, please contact the church office. Any other questions, please call Barb Henry at 585-585-733-3649 or the church office. Barb will also have written instructions for the family gifts.

A Christmas Carol

We are fortunate that Kim Tenreiro will again bring his one-man presentation of “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens to our Chapel. The performance this year will be Sunday, Dec. 15 at 2:00. This event is for the benefit of Light Hill Comfort Care Home and The Historic Building Preservation Fund. Tickets are $10.00 and will be available for sale after church from Janet Tenreiro. Over the past 10 years, the performances have generated over $93,000.00 for the charities that have hosted. This year, we have high hopes of exceeding $100,00.00!

The Finger Lakes Camerata Christmas Concert

“Star in the East: Holiday Music Through the Ages”

Saturday, December 7, 2019

At 3:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary

Begin the Christmas season with a free concert of holiday favorites, directed by Anthony D’Agostino! This select group of singers will perform arrangements of many carols, young and old! We hope you will join us for an enjoyable afternoon! A free will offering collected.

The Christmas Card

Several years ago, a suggestion was made by a member of the church that has become an annual tradition, one that brings pleasure and greetings to church members. The idea is simple. Instead of spending money on cards and postage to send a greeting to your friends in the church, send your greeting on a church Christmas card. To participate, pick an amount that might represent what you would spend to send your own cards, and donate that amount to the church. Deadline is Fri, December 13th to have your name included.

The invitation is open to everyone. Note on your check or envelope that it is for the Christmas card; be sure to include how you would like your name to read, and look forward to receiving your greeting in the mail. This year’s donation will be used to provide gift cards for the area families we will be sponsoring for Christmas through the Salvation Army.

Gleaner’s Pantry In Need:

Although you have been very generous to Gleaner’s Pantry, they have an emergency situation.  They are nearly out of canned goods.  They need canned veggies, fruit and pasta sauce.  They are entirely out of cereal and small oatmeal packets.  If you can help, please fill the blue barrels in the library.

Please purchase the same size you would buy for yourself.  Although the large sizes are appreciated, Gleaner’s is forbidden by law to break open packages to make smaller sizes.  They are also forbidden to pass out anything in glass containers, so please purchase metal and plastic containers.

A word of caution: please do not donate outdated items.  For the most part, these items cannot be passed on to other people and must be disposed of.

We realize that you are asked for help constantly and we also realize that the members of this Church family are the most generous in the world.  Please know that your help I greatly appreciated.  God bless you.

Expense Savings in Postage, Copier and Paper

Starting in June of this year, we ended the practice of mailing the Weathervane to church members and have been using email.  Starting this fall we also started the practice of reusing the inserts in the Sunday service church bulletin, adding to our overall savings.  The good news is that over the last 5 months we have saved approximately $900 in expenses in postage, copier and paper. We also saved many hours of staff and volunteer time preparing the mailings for the newsletter.  We are very pleased to report that these savings will help us reduce our budget for supplies as we start working on our 2020 budget.  

Board of Trustees

Family Promise Update from Nancy Parsons

There are good things happening at Family Promise over the past month. Brenda Spratt, the new Director (since mid-summer) has presented the strategic plan for 2020 to the Family Promise Board and they are supporting her plans for the next year. Last week, The Regional Director of Family Promise for the Northeast visited the day center on North Main Street. The Director met with staff and the local church coordinators sharing support for their efforts and thoughts of better utilization of space and storage needs at the day center.

You may have heard that the Family Promise bus broke down a month or so ago. Then the rental van provided for a month free, failed to pass inspection. They have been renting a van for the past month, an expensive solution. This next week, an almost new 2019, 15 passenger van has been purchased for Family Promise by an area foundation and car dealership. As you can imagine, the Family Promise people are grateful and relieved by this news.

Some additional news:

Forty Ontario County churches are involved in Family Promise with more interested in the western past of the county. (Honeoye area) Fourteen churches serve as host churches. One church has left as a host church because of space concerns, however that church is now a support church.

Volunteers in various roles now total approximately 700.

Family Promise seeks to assist 81 individuals in a year, and they are now operating at 75% capacity. Some individuals are staying a few nights, and some are staying for several weeks as staff work on locating jobs, lodging, daycare and coordinating with the school system the child attends. They also seek needed health care resources. Families are usually referred by the Department of Social Services, Catholic Charities or the Salvation Army. They are pre-screened and must sign a rigorous contract for acceptance into Family Promise. They are “followed for a year” after “graduating” from Family Promise services to assist them in making their self-sufficiency a long-term solution.

The need continues as last year 345 students were homeless in Ontario County.

Two weeks ago, Rev. Dawn and I met with Brenda Spratt so Dawn could familiarize herself with the program and day center. If anyone is interested in learning more or in attending the volunteer sessions (about 2 hours) contact Nancy Parsons or Rhonda Nyerges and we’ll do our best to answer your questions.

The church will hold a training session on Monday, December 9th for all those who are interested in volunteering at Family Promise. The training will take place in the Hayes room from 6-7:30. The host church we help during their host week is Victor Presbyterian Church and they will be hosting families December 15 – 21. If you would like to join those who have already signed up for the training, please contact the church office.

POP YOUR TOPS!

Don’t forget to save your pop or can tabs for the collection at church! The collection jugs are on the shelf in the hallway by the sanctuary. We donate these to the Ronald McDonald House charities.

[pic]

New Church Directory

This is a year of new beginnings. The Congregational Life Committee is excited to announce that we will be creating a new pictorial directory! We have a wonderful software program that already has the basic information about families in our data base. We just need to take a current picture of each individual, couple or family to add, correct any incorrect information and we will have an easily updatable and printable color directory to help our community get to know one another more readily.

We plan to take photographs after church during December and we’ll see how many more need to be taken in January. If you spend the winters in the south, please make sure to have your picture taken before you leave!

[pic]

New Members

We will welcome new members into our fellowship in January of 2020. If you are interested in exploring what church membership means or know that you would like to join the church, please speak with Dawn or any member of the Congregational Life Committee. Those who prefer to maintain their membership in another church but wish also to join this congregation may do so as Associate Members. We will work together to schedule a date that works for all who would like to join the church.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Thanks once again to this amazing church family for your ongoing generosity to the victims of domestic violence in Ontario County. The holiday season is upon us, and it is good that we keep these victims in our prayers. There is a great need for disposable diapers and other baby care products, as well as for the usual adult personal care items listed above the bin behind the pews. Please remember that the law requires that all donations be new and in their original packaging. Thank you once again, and God Bless!

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration

Again this year, our church will host the Community MLK Celebration, at 12 noon on Monday, January 20. Students from the Canandaigua Academy Drama Department will provide a dramatic presentation of Dr. King’s words and the elementary school chorus will provide music. Award winners will be announced for the poster contests. There will also be a community choir to sing “Precious Lord”, directed by our own Edie Rice (choir will practice at 11am – please sing with us). Following the event, there will be a light lunch in the Dining Room. We are in need of cookies to be donated for this reception. Please see Sue Blaker if you can help with cookies. Please join us for this extraordinary event in our sanctuary!

The Canandaigua Academy Madrigal Choir

will present their Fourteenth annual Madrigal Dinner on Saturday, January 18th, and Sunday, January 19th, 2020, and the dinner will be held in our chapel. Seating will begin at 6:00pm Saturday with the procession and meal beginning at 6:30pm, and Sunday, seating will begin at 2pm. Catering will be provided by Eric’s Office. Tickets are now on sale. Tickets are $35.00 per person, with seating limited to 84 per show. The event has sold out the last ten years. For more information and/or to order tickets please contact Sean Perry, Academy Vocal Director, at 585-396-3833​ or perrys@. NO Tickets will be sold at the door; advanced ticket sales only.

The First Congregational Church Organ

By Denise Morphy - Sunday, November 17, 2019

Good Morning! It is my pleasure to be with you this morning to talk about the recent renovations to our magnificent pipe organ. I have found over long years that congregations have an emotional attachment to their pipe organs and why not? They lead us in song, in prayer, in praise of God in times of joy and times of sorrow. But the hard fact to all of this is that pipe organs have to be maintained, especially very old pipe organs. Their parts wear out and need to be replaced.

Our organ was built in 1882 by Johnson and Son of Westfield, Mass. It is their Opus 586 of a total 860 instruments. The Johnson firm was well known for their high quality instruments, both from a mechanical and tonal perspective.

There is a verse in the Bible that whenever I encounter or hear it, it gives me pause and causes me to think.

The verse is Acts 13: 36

“Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep…”

During this stewardship campaign season we can think of this verse as it might pertain to us here at church.

I think of the decades that this organ has played services in this church. Through the turn of the 20th century, the First World War, the great Depression, the 2nd World War, the Social justice movements of the 1960’s, the Vietnam War, the Sunday after 9/11 that so many of us remember.

Through all of these historical times the generations living in them were faithful stewards of this church and took great care to keep this organ in good repair.

We come to our own generation. In these past 15 years our congregation, with Parsons Organ Co. (and I cannot say enough good things about their work ethic and faithfulness to the mission of their Company) have done extensive repairs and upgrades to this instrument.

In 2004, using funds given to the church from the Arthur S. Hamlin estate, Parsons was contracted to improve the tonal quality of the instrument. The major improvement of this project was bringing the tuning up to standard pitch. Before this improvement the voice of the instrument was flat.

After the 2004 improvements, it became apparent that our high quality, historic instrument was in need of an updated and more reliable console. The console is the “control center” of the organ that sends the electronic signals to the organ pipes. Again, in 2012, Parsons was contacted for their recommendations. Many, many updates were included in this project including the ability for the organist to record and playback practice which is highly useful. I will demonstrate this feature after the Postlude today. We found that a new exterior cabinet for the console was cost prohibitive, so Parsons recommended using the existing cabinet and refurbishing it.

This project was supported by a significant gift, from a long time church member Martha Anderson, which was designated for music needs. This gift combined with two gifts from the Muehe charitable trust, other memorial fund gifts and 2 generous undesignated gifts made this work possible. An added gift of a cymbelstern by Marlin Potter completed the work to the joy of the congregation.

In 2017, we began the work of re-leathering the many, many leather parts of the organ which had deteriorated. When an organ pipe is not speaking, the felts and leathers prevent the air from entering the pipe. Very thin leather is used at hundreds of connection points to ensure there is no air leakage which would adversely affect the reliability of the organ. There are approximately 1500 pipes. Also, leather is used to keep the wooden pipes of the organ in tune. There are 158 wooden pipe gaskets. We determined that some of the leather in the organ was 90 years old. The re-leathering of the organ was a very work intensive project designed to last long years to come.

The Great division was completed in 2017. (The lower keyboard on the console controls the Great Division of the organ.) The project was paused until the funds could be raised to complete the re-leathering of the remaining divisions of the organ.

In the summer of 2019 the work was completed thanks to very generous and faithful stewards of this project. The names of those donors are listed in the bulletin insert.

I would especially like to thank Marlin Potter not only for his monetary contribution in memory of his wife, Bobbie, but, also, for the contribution of his time visiting Parsons during the project with keen interest in the future needs of the organ. Along with Marlin, Tarry Shipley, Scott Warnshouse, and I visited the Parsons shop. We viewed the room where hundreds, maybe thousands, of parts of our organ were carefully laid out, and we could observe the “leathering” process and chat with the very skilled and knowledgeable work men. We thank Matt Parsons for this tour.

These large projects are important but so too is the good stewardship of this congregation to the on-going annual maintenance and tuning of the organ. Including emergency situations such as the Sunday morning of the Messiah Sing-a-long in 2017 when the motor that supplies the wind to the pipes burned out and we had to call Parsons to fix it just in time for the sing-a-long to go ahead as planned.

Many past generations faithfully contributed to the upkeep of this magnificent instrument. We are doing the same in our own generation so others who follow us will be lead in song, prayer, and praise by the beautiful tones of our pipe organ to the Glory of God.

The First Congregational Church Bell Tower

By Milan Kutner - Sunday, November 17, 2019

The Theme letter for this year’s pledge month “Year of New Beginnings” seems very appropriate for what has happened during this year. Three major events have taken place in our church providing us with good reason to celebrate today. A second building dedication, after 206 years, will take its place outside and on the front steps of the church today.

Looking at the “New Beginnings letter,” Denise, our professional organist, will not only play several special pieces of music but will talk about the history of the organ from its early days to the present. Outside, after our normal church service, the upgraded Johnson and Son organ will be dedicated along with the renovated Bell Tower.

Our most important “New Beginning” is the “coming of Dawn”. It sounds like a book title but actually is our new minister beginning her tenure with our church. Dawn came to us in September of this year with a flying start and hasn't missed a beat yet. Dawn becomes the 22nd minister that has graced our church and the first women to do so. Dividing 22 years into 206 years tells us that the average minister stays with us approximately 9 years. Dawn you have 8 ½ years of service to go. (It's a joke Dawn) We wish her the best in her new calling.

The third new beginning is, of course, the renovated Bell Tower. After 206 years with its large bell ringing daily on the hour, and the “Golden Feather” weathervane that has been stuck in place, a total remake was in order. Tarry Shipley, our church treasurer, knowing that we were in for some large expenses came up with an idea that will change the way our church funds major projects. Tarry, came up with idea and single handed launched the “Historical Preservation Fund” now known as FLACE. In over 206 years no person in our congregation has ever taken this step to create a monetary fund just for the preservation of our old building. Had this fund been in place 25 or 30 years ago, paying for large projects would be much easier as the fund would have grown greatly, not only financing the project but allowing us to move faster.

Approximately 6/7 years ago, the trustees of this church had an engineering study performed by Historical Architect Company by the name of Jack Waite Associates. The findings were very revealing and some cause for concern. The report outlined three major problems that we face in our church with one that needed attending soon. So first on the priority list was rebuilding all of the 200 year old stone and concrete supports holding up the sanctuary floor. After years in a dry basement atmosphere, the 200 year old supports were starting to fail due to the sand type cement used in those days. About three years ago, using Jack Waites as contractor, all of the conical stone piers were rebuilt with new modern-day concrete.

A great deal of time was spent by the trustees trying to find just the right contractor for the Bell Tower job. We evaluated two companies closely but felt that maybe they did not fit our criteria of what we expected to be done and also, felt that their pricing absorbent. Anyway, feeling that we were going at it the wrong way, I decided to check the Internet to see what type of contractor actually specialized in Bell Tower and Steeple type of work. Working high above the ground is a specialty in itself and limits the number contractors that might be interested in this type of work.

After coming up with about six companies that work on church buildings, I decided to concentrate on the one that was closest to Canandaigua maybe only five hours away. The name of the company is CIS Steeplejacks USA and is a company that works all over the country specializing in church Steeples, Bell Towers and roofing. Looking at their website, they had great photos of very similar things that we needed to be done so I made contact with them and had many conversations with Michael Hardin the owner.

He seemed very interested and eager to do the job and convinced me to pursue his company which I did. His six references were impeccable. I checked all of his references and they all said the same thing that he did unbelievable good work.

The next challenge came in our trustee meeting. Being a company found on the Internet and not being local, our trustees seemed very skeptical to approach CIS Steeplejack. However, when we started to talk about costs, with CIS's ball park being $100,000 lower, everyone sat up and took notice. Based on the information that we had, the trustees decided to give CIS Steeplejacks a try. Another engineering study was made by CIS and then a formal quote was had indicating a cost of $210,000 plus an overage of $10,000. Based upon these figures and the fact that he could start in May this year, we gave the contract to CIS.

Work began in May when a boom lift appeared in the front of church. The next day a crane showed up telling us that the bell is coming down so the under structure could be examined for support defects. Work began earnestly on the third day when a crew of five Steeplejacks showed up dressed in safety harnesses and ready to go. During the next four weeks or so, the crew did nothing more than to remove layer after layer of rotted wood, sheet steel that was totally corroded, a layer of plywood, and a rubber membrane that was put on to seal all plus about 20 coats of paint. Three dumpsters were filled with defective material and carted away to the dump. Every bit of metal flashing was removed to check to see if the wood underneath was still structurally sound. All wood that was defective was removed and replaced with new cedar boards and beams. Columns bottoms were removed so excessive wood rot could be removed and then rebuilt. What appeared to have happened was when the rubber membrane was installed, it trapped moisture inside of the tower, promoting the rot. Much paint scrapping took place especially on the top tier where it was apparent that many coats were put on and not scrapped. Looking up from the ground it was quite the site to men dangling from ropes, men sitting on boatswains’ chairs, and men working on the boom lift. It was a real sight to see.

Reaching the top to inspect the weathervane was an easy task when using the lift. The weather vane that had stopped in one position was removed to repair its rotation as well as renewing the gold paint that had flaked away somewhat. When Michael returned from Ohio, I asked him if he was able to repair the weathervane and make it rotate. When he took it out of its wrapping, I was totally in awe as Michael totally covered the quill area with 24 carat gold leaf and made the weathervane able to rotate once again. It was like magic in my eyes.

From 1813 until 1824 our church had no bell. In 1824, a British capitalist by the name of Sir Patrick Colquhoun, donated a bell that was 800 lbs. In weight. This was our first bell and it hung in the Belfry until 1859 when our second bell was installed. When the United Church across the street put up a large bell, much larger than ours, and with a much louder ring, our congregation had to get a new bell. Off to Troy, NY went Rev. Oliver Daggett and Gideon Granger the 2nd, to get a new bell. So, in 1859 a new 2508 lb. Steel bell was hoisted up into the Belfry where it hangs to this day.

One of the hardest things to do in a project like the Bell Tower is raising enough money to pay for it. I would like to recognize 3 major donors that helped immensely in funding the Bell Tower project. First is Bill Rayburn who donated money that helped us rebuild the undercroft and later from his estate another donation that helped us greatly with the Bell Tower project. Secondly, I wish to thank Phil and Anne Wehrheim that found interest in the project and wanted to help monetarily. Phil is a bit of an history buff and followed what we were doing closely. And third near the end of our project a donation from the estate of Diane Case enabled us to complete work without worrying about paying for it. Thanks go out to everyone that contributed to the Historical Preservation Fund, Tarry Shipley, individual donors, and everyone that I may have forgotten.

The bell is back in its place and will ring from 8:00AM, on the hour, until 8:00PM everyday. Hats off to the Steeplejacks for their great work, and our Trustee Committee for their many hours of input and advice. I would also like to thank my dear wife for putting up with my time away from home, the support she gave me during the project, providing dinner for the Steeplejack one time and her personal interest in the Bell Tower project.

Thanks for listening,

Milan Kutner,

Trustee

IMPORTANT DATES:

(new calendar format)

December

Sun. 12/1 Advent Candle of Hope; Choir, Worship & Sunday School

Mon. 12/2 Nomination Committee 10:00; Camerata Rehearsal Sanctuary 7:00

Wed. 12/4 Cdga Clergy Luncheon at Zion Fellowship 12:00; Handbell Choir

Rehearsal 6-7 pm

Fri. 12/6 9:00 Decorate Sanctuary for Christmas

Sat. 12/7 FL Camerata Concert in Sanctuary 3:00

Sun, 12/8 Advent Candle of Peace; Choir, Worship & Sunday School; 1:00 Messiah Rehearsal; 3:00 Messiah Performance

Mon. 12/9 3:00 Resource Committee; 4:00 Trustees; Family Promise Training 6-7:30 pm

Tues. 12/10 Martin Luther King Day Committee 3:00

Wed. 12/11 Handbell Choir Rehearsal 6-7 pm

Sat. 12/14 Family Party 12-4 Social Rooms

Sun. 12/15 Advent Candle of Joy; Choir, Worship & Sunday School; Hand Bell Choir Plays; 11:45 Children & Youth Christmas Pageant in Chapel; 2:00 Kim Tenreiro “Christmas Carol” performance in Chapel; January Weathervane Deadline; Committee Annual Reports due

Wed. 12/18 Handbell Choir Rehearsal 6-7 pm

Sun. 12/22 Advent Candle of Love; Choir, Worship & Sunday School; 10:45 Sunday School Advent workshop; 11:45 Christmas Eve Rehearsal

Tues. 12/24 5:00 Christmas Eve Worship

Wed. 12/25 and Thurs. 12/26 Church Office Closed

Sun. 12/29 Worship around tables in Dining room; No Choir, Sunday School or Youth

[pic]

-----------------------

BE THE

Church!

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download