Some Thoughts on Our First Return to the Sanctuary

The sanctuary is back, and so are we! Nearly eight years is a long time to be away from such a magnificent space, but we tend to believe that things happen for a reason.

So close but so far: fortunately, the Fellowship Hall was only a room (and a world) away; it is not to be underestimated. That modest room kept us together for a very long time. Now, as we move on and move in, we reap the rewards of so much hard work, craftsmanship, generosity and kindness.

Below, we caught some initial reactions to our return to the sanctuary — and on Palm Sunday!

It was profound. I started tearing up a little bit once I started hearing the pipe organ. It’s always been a great community space. I remember walking in here in 2008 for the first time and being blown away by it, but now we’ve seen how everyone has banded together to get it back up. The feel of the place is so special. The way the sound bounces around, everything gets focused upward. Everything sounds very “important!” ~Michael Daves

Old First Sanctuary, Palm Sunday 2019. Photo by Vera D’Elisa Nieuwenhuis

I found it much more emotional being back in the sanctuary than I expected, especially sitting in here as the organ was playing the prelude and seeing the sanctuary fill up. So many people looked upward, admiring the beauty of the space, and being lifted up by it. It was really profound to be back in here with everyone. It’s the end of an era, really, and the beginning of a new time for us. It’s a very beautiful moment, and beautiful to be part of it with this community.  ~Karen Bulthuis 

Old First Roosevelt Organ 2019. Photo by Vera D’Elisa Nieuwenhuis

Stepping off of 7th avenue into the Old First sanctuary is like releasing a long held breath. After seven long years, the ceiling seems to rise higher and brighter, and the space seems to expand, even as it draws people together around the table. We have much more work to do, but this Easter we will pause to celebrate the good work God has done and continues to do in our community and world. ~Katherine Jacobs

I’ve been an Old First member since 1990, so it’s very familiar to be back in this space — and yet wonderful at the same time, because I realize the work that had gone into it. I remember very viscerally what a shock it was [when we heard about the ceiling issue], and the need to repair the ceiling. It put a burden on the congregation and that engendered fear in all of us. I think it was a moment of awakening for the church. And I think that we’ve really rallied, and it’s just amazing. I feel that deeply being in here today. ~Anita Kiere

It’s a place of such beauty and spaciousness. One of the things I am struck by is how intimate it feels in the midst of all of that; how much it mixes the sound of people together. It creates community, and it lifts you and connects you. And I am reminded of the light in the space, and the way the stained-glass windows color the light; what it is to be surrounded by the stories of these parables about God’s love. It’s felt like a space that has been asking of us for many years. Today, I am reminded about how much it has to give back. And it was just worth every minute. ~Jenn Cribbs

Old First Sanctuary, Palm Sunday 2019. Photo by Vera D’Elisa Nieuwenhuis

This is my church, and I’m proud of it. I’m glad to be back in it! It’s like my home. And it’s a home for so many people. ~Janet Mahon

For most of the last couple of years, there was scaffolding in here from deck to ceiling. You could not anticipate the entirety of what this was going to look like. Coming back in here, it’s just incredible. The light, the features, the feeling of the space. It’s just magnificent. It was worth all the effort. ~Ken Nieuwenhuis

Old First Ceiling. Photo by Vera D’Elisa Nieuwenhuis

I had forgotten about the glorious sound. I had seen the light coming in here the last few weeks as we were getting it ready. But I had forgotten the glorious sound. And now I remember! ~Pastor Daniel Meeter 

It feels like a distant memory. It really feels like church. It feels a lot more sacred. But I did enjoy the years we had in Fellowship Hall. It feels like we all got closer. We got to see each other’s faces and get to know each other and see the new people coming in. And yet, this is fantastic. I love that the pews are more open. ~Fabiola Santos-Gaerlan

It’s delightful to be back. It looks better to me. It feels brighter. It’s just wonderful to be back. A long wait. ~Kent Adams 

Old First Sanctuary, Palm Sunday 2019. Photo by Vera D’Elisa Nieuwenhuis

When I first walked in here [25 years ago] it was so dark. You couldn’t see all the beautiful decoration. I walked in here about a month ago and I just sat, and I was pretty much overcome. So today is not my first time back in here, but I’m really amazed and overwhelmed. The quiet in here is amazing when it’s quiet. I’ve been too close to it for so long, but I’m pretty excited. I’m pleased. ~Jane Hively Barber 

I’m just amazed by the light. I had forgotten about how incredible the light was in here and the colors coming through the stained glass. I just find it so warm. Something about it has changed since the last time we were here. It used to be rather dark to me, but now it feels rather golden. I’m really thrilled. I hope our neighbors come, even if they don’t want to worship. They’ll see what a marvelous treasure we have in the center of Park Slope. ~Ann Herpel

Old First Sanctuary 2019. Photo by Vera D’Elisa Nieuwenhuis

I didn’t realize the importance and the gift of the sanctuary until we lost it, and then being away from it for so long. So much energy and so much passion and so much leadership came out of this small congregation to get us back. It just made me appreciate what we have in a completely different way. When I first walked into Old First, I loved the congregation right away, but I’m not an architecture person. It wasn’t until this process unfolded for the last seven years that I really came to appreciate what we have. Now that we’re here, I feel proud, blessed, thankful. ~Jeff Cribbs

It was very emotional. It was so amazing to be in that space after so much work and so much incremental progress that we’ve seen. To see all the doors to Seventh Avenue wide open represents the openness of the church to the community and to all different types of belief and believers. And even doubters and non-believers. We welcome everybody, and the feeling to be able to do that was amazing. Then we heard the organ, and that sent it to a whole ‘nother level!  ~Wayne Adams

When I first walked in, I thought, “oh, my gosh, I’m on the wrong side,” because I used to sit on the other side all the time, when my son, who is 27 now, was little. [The return] was very warm and pretty amazing. I felt that the mood that it created and just the feeling of when we used to worship in there was quite different from worshipping in Fellowship Hall. And it all came rushing back to me while I was sitting there. ~Cecilia Whittaker-Doe

Old First Sanctuary, Palm Sunday 2019. Photo by Vera D’Elisa Nieuwenhuis