Christ Alive Progress

Quite surprising is that the acoustics are excellent in the part of our new building that is the sanctuary. When we first plugged in our PA system (the one Mike bought at a pawn shop and that we had used in our tiny place over on Holly) and someone spoke through a mic, and I played notes on the keyboard we were astonished at the clarity and excellence of the sound. The ceiling is high with open rafters, and the walls are cement blocks: I anticipated problems with the acoustics, but the sound has proved excellent with no problems at all.

We spent quite a lot of time deciding on the placement of the platform, then, when  we all agreed, Mike called in one of his crews to do the work. They covered the cement blocks on the west wall with steel studs, stuffed in great blocks of insulating material, then hung drywall sheets.

Into the cement floor, they shot nails or screws or something to hold the metal studs that became the base for the 20×10 platform. One of our sweet new saints donated the lumber to finish it off–1 and 1/8 inch tongue and groove plywood–strong enough to support a camel, I think, just in case we ever get carried away with a Christmas drama!

“Mom, you’ll want to come see this,” Mike said to me as I worked in the church office.

I followed him into the sanctuary where I saw a couple of men strapping tall stilts onto their legs: one of them having a doubled-up set. When professional drywall men are working on very high walls, instead of using ladders and moving them around, they utilize stilts. It was amazing. They walked about as though nothing unusual was happening, even stepping off and onto the platform. When I looked straight up at one, his feet were higher than my head!

In his warehouse, Mike had a 5 gallon can of paint, whose cover read: Swiss Coffee. He sent over a painter and the paint, but when it was opened, it was not like any Swiss Coffee paint anyone has ever seen, but is a mix of moss green and taupe, I would say. He did a great job, though, and the color is quite pleasant. Anyway, almost any color will blend with cement and commercial grade plywood, wouldn’t you say.

So at church on Sunday, we had a real platform with a pulpit on it, a keyboard, and a couple of chairs. It was neat. Now, we’re scrounging around for carpet. Any of you who live near those carpet mills in Dalton, GA. or know where we can get a “killer deal” on carpet out here on the West Coast, I’d love to hear from you.