First Presbyterian Church of San Pedro

February 3, 2010

The Messenger

Pastor's Corner

Sacred Space

This Sunday, February 7, the Sanctuary Redesign Committee will present their proposal for revitalizing our sanctuary in this new millennium. They have been working several months now with an experienced architect, they have attended countless meetings, and they have wrestled repeatedly with priorities and costs. They have also been listening very carefully to you and your need for sacred space.

When we first began this process, almost everyone we heard agreed that our sanctuary was a bit dated. The chancel is arranged in a very ancient design that fits a monastery much better than a church. We've seen it for many years, and so we're comfortable with it, but several members of the choir feel isolated in this setting, and the sound they can project from their pews is quite limited. That's why they must come forward to sing for us most weeks.

The waist-high walls surrounding the pulpit and the lectern are also very dated by the standards of today. They made sense in other eras when churches wished to emphasize the spiritual separation between worship leaders and their congregations, but most leaders in church today wish to build rapport instead. The sound system is uneven for a whole variety of reasons, some of which involves design, and the lighting in our sanctuary is quite dim by the standards of today.

Thus, most of you agreed that our sanctuary could use a bit of work, but several of you also expressed a valid fear: "we do not wish to lose our sacred space." You didn't want the sanctuary to look like a high school auditorium or even the Nokia stage. Instead, you wanted sacred space with pulpits, fonts, and tables that made you feel at peace. You wanted your stained glass, and you loved those organ pipes that you could see.

The Sanctuary redesign committee spent several months addressing these problems, hopes, and fears before agreeing on a creative new design. I won't tell you ALL about it, because I don't want to "spill the beans." But I think you will agree that this new proposal creates a greater sense of "openness" in the church while preserving--if not enhancing--that sense of "sacred space."

This proposal will be presented shortly after worship on Sunday. After this presentation, all members of the congregation will be given an opportunity to ask questions and share feelings they may have. We expect some of those comments to be negative, because every brick and board in this building has become precious to some person through the years. But, if you listen carefully, we think you'll also hear a genuine sense of excitement for what our sanctuary might become. And I hope you'll notice that all comments will be treated with respect.

My hope is that the vast majority of you will be pleased with this proposal. But if we hear recurrent concerns, then we will take them to the Mission Facilitation Team, which must recommend adoption of (or amendment to) this design. Then, Session must approve the final plan. Just as the Sanctuary Redesign Committee has been listening to your comments for the last several months, my prayer is that God gives each of us the ability to listen to each other so that our sacred space can be beautifully, functionally, and thoughtfully enhanced.

I'll see you on Sunday!

ALL 6 volleyball teams will be playing next Saturday, Feb. 13th.

See you there!