Monday, February 15, 2010

A more photographic bunch you've never seen

Yesterday I took the camera to church to take a few snaps of the people as they gathered to worship.

People gathering for worship

These were taken before we started and people were still coming. But as soon as they all saw me taking pictures, they put on their "Say Cheese" faces and smiled a ton. Good models that way.

The reason I took the shots?

Well yesterday morning was the last morning we would be using those 60 year old pews.

We have a few ministry opportunities that simply require more space than we have presently, so we explored the possibility of getting chairs and removing the pews, so that we could use that space with greater flexibility. The idea was very well received and a decision was made to order some chairs. That process was handled quite well considering it's a 110 year old church with a long history and you don't just toss out 60 year old pews.

So tomorrow the new chairs are due to arrive and by this coming Sunday we should be sitting on more flexibility than we have been on too date.

11 comments:

  1. They just don't make stuff like they used to, look at what good shape those 60 years old pews are in!
    Whatcha gonna do with them? Sell them on Kijiji?

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  2. Well, they do look good, from a distance. Turns out they are not like solid anything kind of wood. They are plywood and cheaper lumber with a veneer cover. In some places the veneer is actually wearing through.

    So we asked if anyone wanted a pew and they are all spoken for.

    Done and done.

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  3. Oh my goodness. You're getting chairs in the sanctuary. It's like a life-long dream has come true for you! :) I'm very happy for you. Being at Faith has made me realize the utility of chairs v. pews. I guess you were right all along.

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  4. Photographic? Interesting use of language reverend Friesen. ;)

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  5. Dixie - how can pews ever be a good thing in church, except to maintain an appearance?

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  6. Toni, I always liked pews because you could "squash up" next to whoever you're sitting with, as opposed to having marked lines between seats, even if the chairs are connected like they usually are these days. But having been at Faith, it hasn't been too bad. I usually have one or two kids on my chair anyway. :) Still, it feels weird for Marc and I and our three miniature people to take up five whole seats.

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  7. Actually pews or chairs have a purely functional purpose, to hold one's body while one worships God. That's all really. Like the building that contains them.

    But shifting to chairs gives us flexibility to use the space better and helps us to remember that the site isn't holy, it's the people inside who are.

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  8. I agree about the function, but the issue I've observed with pews is that they separate people (who will often try to separate themselves anyway). And they're usually pretty darn uncomfortable, but that does have the advantage of keep one awake through the sermon, so I guess it's not all bad.

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  9. Perhaps we should go back to the tradition of not having any seating in the sanctuary at all. All standing, all the time!

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  10. Was it a tradition, and if so, when from?

    Standing is hard on the very young and very old/infirm. While they were happily masochistic a thousand years ago, we don't need to be so: there's benefit in suffering for the name of Jesus but none from being silly.

    What I'd quite like in a *younger* church would be seating that could be moved quickly into place, so that people could participate more freely with their bodies in worship, but then bring seats quickly into place for the word (if there was one). Seating could be provided at strategic places for those who needed it.

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