A planned refurbishment at St Philip’s has been taking advantage of the COVID-19 interruption of their regular worship, allowing major work to be undertaken.
The Work Undertaken
Sanctuary and Nave Floor
Old carpeting has been removed. The old hardwood floor which was underneath the carpeting had to be removed as well, so that a new hardwood floor can be laid.
Bathroom Remodel
Two of the older bathrooms close to the administrative offices have been remodeled completely. The spaces were completely refurbished. Tiling has been completed recently and the area is starting to look very good. Very soon they will look like bathrooms again. The remodeling also necessitated the relocation upstairs of the church treasurer whose office was at the back of this block. The resulting increase in the floor area of the bathrooms is undoubtedly worth the sacrifice!
Tuckpointing and flat roof
Repair to the tuckpointing is progressing as we speak and repairs to one of the flat roofs are planned to start in mid-September.
Business (sort of) as usual
As a result of all this activity, there has been a certain amount of controlled chaos at St Philip’s. The Altar has been relocated to the Parish Hall, where several of the pews are also being stored. Father Frank has been conducting Holy Eucharist from the Parish Hall for a small number of the congregation, but fortunately, we have continued to be able to live stream the service, although it looks a little different!
We look forward to welcoming worshipers and visitors back to the remodeled sanctuary in the not-to-distant future, subject of course to the requirements placed upon us to limit the spread of COVID-19. Rest assured there will be many, many photographs, and live-streamed Eucharist services will transfer back to the sanctuary as soon as it is technically feasible.