Last night about ten men from the Homeless Shelter came to the Great Canon of St. Andrew instead of Fr. Damian and me going there for the weekly service and Bible study. This morning they came and helped us take down the deck that we've left up until the dome was far enough along that I can finish it from scaffolding. We took it down in four sections. Javier is cutting it away from the staircase.
A section of the deck weighs a few hundred pounds, so the more the merrier.
The deck is gone and all that is left is the "stairway to heaven". This is my helper, Javier, getting ready to cut the landing.
The deck is gone and the entire nave is open area now. Our priest, Fr. Damian is standing on a ladder where the Iconostasis will be.
We now begin finishing the bottom of the dome and the rest of the ceilings. The stripes in the dome are streaks of wet plaster and drywall joint compound.
This is a view of one side of the nave from the altar area and from on top of the scaffold I'm working on in the previous picture. With the deck gone we were able to finish the arches. The other side of the nave mirrors this, so we actually have a cruciform Church. The choir will be on one side and the Kliros will be opposite on the other side. The door you see will be the entry into the Church. There is a covered patio that we will eventually enclose for a narthex.
This is me. Sitting. Finally. Whew. What a day.
After Presanctified Liturgy we all processed from our temporary meeting area over to the Church so the Mission members could see what had been done today. We had a single light bulb to light the space and we sang the Troparia of St. John the Theologian and "O Lord of Hosts Be With Us" from Great Compline. In all of my years it was one of the most moving moments of my life. Glory to God.
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A section of the deck weighs a few hundred pounds, so the more the merrier.
The deck is gone and all that is left is the "stairway to heaven". This is my helper, Javier, getting ready to cut the landing.
The deck is gone and the entire nave is open area now. Our priest, Fr. Damian is standing on a ladder where the Iconostasis will be.
We now begin finishing the bottom of the dome and the rest of the ceilings. The stripes in the dome are streaks of wet plaster and drywall joint compound.
This is a view of one side of the nave from the altar area and from on top of the scaffold I'm working on in the previous picture. With the deck gone we were able to finish the arches. The other side of the nave mirrors this, so we actually have a cruciform Church. The choir will be on one side and the Kliros will be opposite on the other side. The door you see will be the entry into the Church. There is a covered patio that we will eventually enclose for a narthex.
This is me. Sitting. Finally. Whew. What a day. 
After Presanctified Liturgy we all processed from our temporary meeting area over to the Church so the Mission members could see what had been done today. We had a single light bulb to light the space and we sang the Troparia of St. John the Theologian and "O Lord of Hosts Be With Us" from Great Compline. In all of my years it was one of the most moving moments of my life. Glory to God.
8 comments:
WOW!!!!!!
Amazing work.
Really beautiful stuff, Steven.
- V.
Most excellent!
Absolutely beautiful. I can't wait to see pictures of the completed church.
I cannot believe how quickly this is progressing. Truly blessed guidance. God has sent his angels to assist you s-p.
Joyous!
Really, truly marvelous. And how lucky they are to have you, steve!
I spent the weekend framing some new walls for our parish kitchen renovation--I'm looking forward to the chapel construction! Your last few posts have been really inspiring in that regard.
God bless all of you at St. John's!
-justinian
Your mission is truly blessed to have a man with your wisdom and your practical knowledge. You are a man of many talents and you use them for a higher purpose.
the "patterns" on the walls and the dome in the making remind me of the death star, but all of that will soon change :)
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