1. East Wall and Chancel Area

• there will be sheetrock on the walls that flank the faceted glass window
• the wall behind the chancel (below the window and sheetrock) will be replaced with wood overlaid with mullions (frames) that will match the window grid.
• in front of the back wall, there will be a wall the height of the bell tables (this will be set out from the back wall to provide enough room for the bell tables and musicians
• the pulpit will be downsized and lowered – the pentagonal sounding board will not be replaced
• the new chancel will be about 14″ in height, with one 7″ step up from the floor level
• all chancel furniture will be moveable
• the chancel will have stained hardwood flooring instead of carpet

2.  Faceted Glass Windows

• Berg Glass Studio, Inc., in Lubbock, TX will repair the East wall faceted glass window as well as all the clerestory windows on the North and South walls
• the frame wiill be the same color as the arches and beams
• the matrix (the squares that hold the glass) will be the color of chocolate
• window repair will begin on January 25th

3. Flat Roofs

• repair of the flat roofs around the sanctuary, over the offices and choir room has been completed, as has the roof over the Ormond Building

4. Organ

• organ installation and tuning is projected to be started on May 22nd and completed by July 7th

The Alternative Christmas Market was open for business three Sundays (November 27th, December 4th and 11th) in the back of the Fellowship Hall.

Over the summer, Covenant “adopted” our own Katie Andoe who is a teacher at University Place Middle School and helped replace most of her teaching aids that were destroyed in the tornado.  Katie thanked the congregation for filling a need she didn’t even realize she needed until mid-summer.  Covenant also helped provide many of the classroom supplies normally furnished by her students and their families – many of whom were also affected by the storm.

John Sikes reported on the status of the University Place Elementary School’s vegetable garden that was not too badly damaged.  He also said that said they were looking for a few good gardeners – or anyone with a semi-green thumb – who are looking to help in a very worthwhile endeavor.  Covenant’s M/E Committee has added this project to its list of tornado-relief efforts.

Martha Bace described Covenant’s on-going mission project with the Community Service of West Alabama’s Meals on Wheels program.  She was able to report that, although several of our regular clients were displaced, almost all were either located or accounted for before the May delivery.  She also said that the program is open for more volunteers to drive and deliver meals.

Celeste concluded the “mini-sermons” with a brief description of the Forest Lake Baptist Recovery Center and their efforts there and how Covenant is “plugging into” helping provide clothing and other necessary items for storm victims.  She also announced several other projects that include:

• Books, CDs, videos and DVDs for University Presbyterian Church’s annual Book Sale on November 12th (originally scheduled for April 28th) to support their Food Pantry
• Christmas decorations, ornaments, garland, wrapping paper, etc., for families of Covenant Dance Experience and Arts n’ Autism who were affected by the storm (anything leftover will go to the Forest Lake Recovery Center)
• Covenant’s annual year-end clothing drive for Bryce patients

Covenant has a long history of providing for those in need.  The worship service on October 2nd was a nice way to remind everyone that, even though we are in the midst of our own rebuilding, we still are able to reach out to others.

In Christ,

Martha Bace

Westminster Presbyterian Church to the rescue!  Yesterday I spent the morning with a youth group from that Hot Springs Arkansas congregation as they sorted the remaining glass and cleaned up the remains of the concrete framework.   I’d like to thank our sisters and brothers for their hard work.  We are truly blessed.

Click on the pictures in the gallery for a better look.

Covenant and its programs have lost the use of a large chunk of our space.  The Wilds building, with its three rooms, is unusable due to mold and other issues.  Two of our children’s classrooms–the nursery and the preschool room–are out of commission for similar reasons.  In addition to the sanctuary itself, the choir room in back of the pulpit area is unusable because a wall fell on it and caved in the roof.

Our contractor has produced an estimate of the cost to repair the damage to our church; our insurance company, State Farm, has produced a second one.  We are in the process of reconciling the two so construction can begin. The process has been complicated by two factors: our historic stained glass (made with a process that is no longer in existence), and our exquisite Casavant organ.  Each of these items has required separate estimates, and that has slowed the process considerably.  In addition, because the insurance and the contractor’s estimates are so far apart, we are seeking the aid of an insurance-negotiation expert from the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance program to help us resolve these issues.

Overall, we have been very fortunate.  This is brought home to me time and again when I hear about one of the many churches in Tuscaloosa and the South and Mid-West that were totally destroyed by this Spring’s tornado outbreak.

Please keep these churches, and their congregations, in your prayers, as well as all who were affected by these deadly storms.

Here at Covenant, we are in the process of negotiating with our insurance company the amount of the claim; the last I heard (Sunday), the contractor’s and insurer’s estimates were about $600,o00 apart.

The East end of the sanctuary

Our grounds look very different from the day after the tornado; see here for pictures from the first few days, and below for current images.  The sanctuary, as you can see, has a voluminous tarp covering the open East end, and on the West end, the blown-in, stained-glass window is now covered with wood.  An arborist advised that only two of the trees that remained after the tornado can be saved; most of them are now gone.

There are two areas in which we do not have estimates as of today.  Both of our large, faceted-glass windows must be totally rebuilt — there is not enough structural integrity left for a repair.  Several of us met with Andy Young, of Pearl River Glass Studio in Jackson MS, who is preparing an estimate of the repairs.

Earlier this week, Rush Watson, Gail Hasson and I met with representatives of Casavant, the maker of our pipe organ.  The West window was blown in by the tornado, exposing the organ to the elements.  The good news is that the damage seems remarkably light.  However, before construction can begin, the organ must be removed from where it is (a major operation that many take several weeks) and shipped for storage in a climate-controlled facility, where it can be cleaned and restored, and any damage repaired.

Though it will be some time before we can worship in our sanctuary, I thank God that we have made steady progress toward that goal.  Empowered by the Holy Spirit, I am confident we will continue to do so.

As far as we can tell, all members were unhurt by the storm, although a few suffered severe loss of property.  We need to be diligent in our prayers for them, and for all who have been affected by this terrible event.

Our neighborhood has been ravaged, especially to the North; our brothers and sisters at the Church of Christ a couple of blocks North lost their building, and Forest Lake Baptist Church suffered severe damage as well.  Please be in prayer for them and for all our neighbors, many of whom lost their houses, and some of whom lost friends and relatives.

Stay tuned here for more news and information, and please see the pictures below.  I will post the safest way to get to the church here later today or tomorrow.

Pastor Rick