On Monday of this week, A Joyful Noise Preschool opened its new school year after the summer break. And this Sunday, our Sunday School and Youth programs will start up once again. These happy and comforting rhythms in the life of our church continue seemingly undisturbed. 

But while our congregation was enjoying the all-to-brief summer months, our construction team was working furiously to complete an ambitious, “no really, you can’t be serious” scope of work while keeping the church open all the while for worship, weddings, memorial services, and other important events. Our staff moved upstairs at the start of the summer to temporary offices in AJN classroom space and then back downstairs to new or renovated offices, all amid the noise, dust, and daily chaos of an intensive construction program. Now this extraordinary project is complete but for our punch list and a few finish items on order. Wow, that was fast!

If you have been away from the church this summer, what you will see upon your return is nothing short of a transformation of our existing church building (plus excellent progress on the new wing that will open in September 2026). The Sanctuary and the Culbertson Room are—with one important exception—unchanged. But just about every other space in the church has either been refreshed or fully renovated. Some changes are readily seen, others are not visible or easily missed. But all are important. And in all cases, great care has been taken to retain and reuse existing furnishings wherever possible. Here are a few highlights:

What You Will See

• A complete reimagining of the church’s main entry area from Kenilworth Avenue, including a new workstation for Julie Smolucha, a repositioning and renovation of the Library, and a new glass-walled conference room in the area formerly occupied by Bill Evertsberg’s office and the adjoining administrative space. See Ann's photo above
• A relocation of the baptismal font in the Sanctuary to a new location to the right of the Lectern, making way for the planned at-grade entrance to the Sanctuary from the new wing.
• A beautiful and loving update to the Schmidt Chapel for children’s worship.  See Ann's photo above
• New staff offices, including for John Sharp’s team, at the east end of the first floor.
• Refreshed offices for Katie Lancaster, Christine Hides, and Bill Evertsberg including the incorporation of the prior Cloister area into Bill’s office as a private meeting and workspace. See Ann's video of Bill’s space below and her photo of Katie’s office above
• Updated AJN classrooms (now all on the second floor) and updated Sunday School classrooms in the basement, See Ann's video below plus a new AJN playroom in the basement.
• A reorganized and refreshed kitchen.