Our third, June 15, meeting with Liturgical Design Consultant Gale Francione focused on the center of worship–the Assembly. Gale used photographs of our sanctuary and of others to help us evaluate different configurations. We considered churches with flexible, movable seating, others with fixed pews, and others with a combination. Some arrangements were front-facing, others were “U-shaped,” and others were in the round. Some were all at one level, and others had platforms of various materials. All configurations require effective lighting and sound. All these possibilities led us to think more about the relationship between music and the assembly–what configurations and placement can help musicians to both represent and lead the congregation?
Although our team’s focus is the sanctuary, we are inevitably considering related issues: the relationship between the sanctuary and the gathering space; the number and placement of the doorways between the two spaces; and the status of the original south entryway in a renovated sanctuary (one possibility would be to replace the red entry doors with windows, and to replace the imposing side-facing concrete steps with a ground-level gathering space, garden, or sculpture display space).
The Sanctuary Design Team (including those who couldn’t attend the June 15 meeting): Pastor Mike Wilker, consultant Gale Francione, Wilfred Bunge, Brenda Carlson, Kate Elliot, Jennifer Larson, Mark Z. Muggli, Carrie Nimrod, Mark Potvin, and resource persons Adrian Walter and Spencer Martin.
Plan now to meet with the Building and Sanctuary Teams on Wednesday, June 29, 6:00-8:00 PM to see the updated building plans and to discuss with the Sanctuary Team the principles that will guide the sanctuary design.
