And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.
-Exodus 25:8
sanc·tu·ary
- the room in which general worship services are held
- a place of refuge and protection
About three years ago, the preliminary discussions began about renovating our sanctuary. They began with me, to be honest. I wanted a more flexible worship space, which chairs would help facilitate.
I wanted a more accessible and open sanctuary, and we needed more bathrooms and kitchen space for our larger gatherings. So, we started the process of renovation, a process that took much longer than we thought it would. In the end, I think that it’s important that we took our time, because we are really creating new sanctuary, and sanctuary is important space…it is safe space, hopefully, and space where we can at least create conditions favorable for an encounter with the Holy.
We’re hopeful to be in our new sanctuary by the end of the summer, barring supply issues that are pretty rampant right now. You can see in the photos that the “bones” of the space are taking shape and you can get an idea of what it will all look like when complete. It is true that we no longer think of our sanctuary as the place where God “lives.” We, along with many other faiths, don’t personify God in that way anymore and tend to think of God as everywhere, even in each of us. So, in that sense, God is in our sacred space – particularly when it is filled with each of us.
During the remodel
I’m anxious – after a year plus of being away, manufacturing “sanctuary” at a distance, getting our community online, to welcome you all back to a space that is more welcoming, more functional, more “sanctuary-ish,” than ever…a place where we can be in community, and with God, together.