| From the Diocese of Newark Weekly Updates Call #5, Advent 2008 Christ Church, Hackensack A freak accident has led to extensive repairs and refurbishing at Christ Church, Hackensack. A plastic cup blew onto the roof and lodged there. (Who knows when.) Unnoticed, debris built up and prevented water from running off. It wasn’t until the plaster near the sanctuary bubbled and peeled, that the problem was recognized and roofers were called. The Church Insurance Company paid for most of the damage to be repaired, but then one thing led to another. We know how that goes. The vestry decided to move ahead with a long planned renovation as they prepare for the church’s 150th anniversary in 2013. Over $60,000, including the insurance settlement, has been set aside for this stage of the work. Walls were going to be painted anyway, so a new palette was chosen. Deep reds outline the windows. A rich blue with gold stenciling is dramatically transforming the sanctuary. The nave is a rosy beige. The iron rood screen, separating the congregation from the sanctuary (a different theology from a different age) has been moved toward the back creating a narthex. This renovation budget is a stretch for the congregation, whose social commitment to Hackensack is extensive. Their daily ministry to the homeless in the parish hall and their 6 month shelter a few blocks away are critical programs in the city’s care for its needy citizens. Rector Bill Parnell reflects on their situation. “We got started in the middle of the Civil War in 1863 and set about constructing the building immediately. The next big expansion was in the fall of 1930 less than a year after the Crash. Here we are again, doing major renovation at a time when the economy is in the tank. When times get rough, Christ Church renovates!” This can-do faith and spirit needs a little boost right now. When the contractor discovered additional problems where the roof angles and is hidden from view, he strongly recommended immediate repairs there and to a crack in an exterior wall. The congregation knew they could not defer these repairs as the work already in progress might possibly be ruined. The aging boiler and some bowed stain glass windows could wait, but not this. There is no wiggle room in the construction budget. Again, my thanks for your generosity. In Peace, The Rt. Rev. Mark M. Beckwith
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