Submitted by Bob Goellner and Gwyn Gronlund, elders of Watchung Avenue Presbyterian Church
Indeed, WAPC is raising the roof, literally! Our Sanctuary building is now over 125 years old and it is time for it to be brought back into life so that it can be here for another 125 years. The roof will be removed down to the wooden substructure and then rebuilt with a new ridge vent and new shingles. The gutters will be refurbished and new downspouts will be installed. Work will also be done to route the downspout drainage away from the building, requiring some concrete work as well. Direct Call Construction, from Lodi, N.J. will do all of the work. They have earned the job due to their professionalism and ability to develop all of the multiple solutions needed to complete the various projects involved at the least cost.
Our immediate neighbors will find that, due to the new water drainage systems, they will have a better situation in all seasons of the year. We hope that this will make the construction noise and commotion more palatable and make life easier for them when the work is all done.
WAPC is also raising the roof figuratively, with music, songs, and preaching. We have a new Director of Music, Quinn De Geneste, and a new Preacher, Madelynne Lindsey. Quinn has a strong background in classical, jazz, and gospel music and a degree in musical composition. His presence brings all of this together in a remarkable fashion that has made our worship a musical feast. Madelynne lends her talents to our worship with her trained coloratura soprano voice and her heartfelt and animated preaching style. Together they too are Raising the Roof, from the inside vs. the outside!
Stop by and watch the roof progress and check us out at 10:00 a.m. on Sundays. Both should be a good show!
