125th Anniversary

Construction Begins

The scope of the project includes painting, repairing, and restoring the walls and ceilings of the church; cleaning every surface including the interior limestone block and stained glass windows; and as much as possible, restoring the original look of the church. In short, every surface from floor to ceiling, from Sanctuary to Narthex, will be touched—except the pews and slate floor which were determined to be in excellent condition.

Pastor Fenton, chairman of the 125th Anniversary Committee which is working with the Trustees, emphasized that "this is much more than a paint job. The limestone block inside the whole church will be scrubbed clean, the plaster will be repaired to its original look, all the wood will be cleaned and oiled, the lights will be cleaned and repainted, and much more. Our hope is that, when the project is finished, the church will glisten with a fresh face."

Mr. Nelepa and his crew have begun in the sanctuary. To date, the beautiful altar wall has been cleaned, together with the ceiling. Oil has been applied to the altar reredos. And the re-painting of the altar wall and ceiling—together with the reapplication of gold leaf—is now in progress. Each Sunday, members and friends of Zion will see the progress that is being made, and will gradually see the interior restored to its original luster.

A project of this magnitude requires certain logistical modifications. For example, during the next 3 months while work is done in the sanctuary and chancel, the pattern for the distribution of Holy Communion will be changed and Holy Mass on Wednesdays will be celebrated in the Chapel of the Holy Incarnation (located in the Rectory). By Christmass, Mr. Nelepa hopes to have the altar, chancel and sanctuary completed, and to begin work in the Nave.

The entire project will take 9-12 months to complete and will cost $142,000. To date, more than 70% of the money has been raised or pledged. The 125th Anniversary Committee and the Trustees thank all those who have contributed to this project, and those who continue to send donations. We are still in need of funding to complete the project. If you are able and willing, we ask that you consider a special donation to the 125th Anniversary Fund to help cover the cost of the beautification of Zion Church.