The concept of a renovation of the dais at the Congregational Church of Boothbay Harbor began in the spring of 2024. It was a team effort – many teams – lots of church members volunteering much of their time and talent for each step of the renovation. We knew we needed to make the dais more flexible, accessible, and larger to accommodate our growing vocal choir and our growing bell choir. And all work had to comply with accepted finish details and meet current safety standards. We needed a ramp for those who use mobility equipment. The vocal choir had been squished onto chairs between the organ and the beautiful organ pipes. And it was hot in the choir loft in the summer. The bell choir was squished between the dais and the pews with little room to maneuver.

Since COVID in 2021, we had begun hybrid services. We needed much better audio and visual upgrades. An AV committee was formed to review all the different possibilities. The carpeting in front was old and stained. While the sanctuary looked beautiful, it was no longer functional, but we were keenly aware that we had to preserve the sanctuary’s historic character.

The sanctuary is located in a historic building, circa 1848. We knew we needed to protect the adjacent curved and plaster walls and to match the new construction with the existing historic aesthetics but with a modern twist. We needed to partner with a qualified contractor to deliver high-quality results while adhering to a timeline, budget, and specifications. In addition, the contractor had to assist an organ specialist in moving our valuable organ console from the workspace and covering the bank of pipes to protect them from construction dust, debris, or potential damage, and then assist the organ specialist to replace the organ console into its new space at completion.

Now that the ground rules were set, a Building Committee was formed to interface with a designer who was hired to redesign (at least four times!) the dais. There were numerous meetings. Once the design was approved by the congregation and cost estimates were prepared, we were on our way. Another committee – a Capital Campaign – was formed to request pledges to pay for the renovation. And we needed to find a wonderful, conscientious builder who would care for our sanctuary as much as the congregation does. By the fall of 2025, our church family raised the money necessary to make our vision a reality. Our contractor turned out to be one of our own, Shepsen Construction, LLC, whose family (the Shepard family) has been instrumental in the church and its various iterations for many years.

At the beginning of this year, we filed with the town for a building permit. We thought we had crossed all our T’s and dotted all our I’s. We wanted to begin construction immediately, because the goal was to complete the renovation in time (a mere three months) for Easter, April 5, this year.

Not so fast. We learned we had to visit with the state Fire Marshal’s Office in Augusta, where we had to fill out more forms, and wait, and wait. Finally, after much pleading and following all the sprinkler regulations (which we were all along), and railing specifications, we received our permits – state and local.

Shepsen then moved very, very quickly! The demolition team quickly dismantled the dais into a big dumpster parked just outside the front door of the church, visible to all passersby. Wow, we discovered a tiny section of old pink paint that had been used generously to adorn the church back in the 1960s. We also discovered very old and historic sheet music and weekly bulletins hidden in and under the choir loft. And we discovered that we had to redesign on the fly the choir loft to accommodate the existing electrical, plumbing, and sprinkler systems, which included an abundance of old wiring, pipes, joists, and original flooring.

In our historic “dig” we also found beams with rose head square nails from the early 1800s! Now that we had found archival remnants of days gone by, we knew we needed to add more railings and more posts to preserve necessary sprinklers and wires.

The gorgeous new floor was installed throughout the dais and the floor to the pews. There is also a movable step that can slide along the front of the dais to be placed where needed. And the handicap ramp is unobtrusive but very functional. The builders even found time to construct a new lectern from where Pastor Todd can preach. The organ was reinstalled and tuned beautifully. The bell choir and the vocal choir were able to rehearse in our new space as Palm Sunday approached. The audio-visual is still a bit in progress, but new discrete microphones and new speakers hang unnoticed from the ceiling, and the AV team promises that by Easter, we will be ready with the visuals on the TV screen and Bluetooth will be available for those who need additional hearing devices.

Meanwhile, church services continued unabated; with the help of many hands, hymnals and chairs were relocated from the sanctuary downstairs to Fellowship Hall where weekly services continued. That created a new logistical problem to be overcome; many groups meet in Fellowship Hall during the week, and the Food Pantry is open every Friday afternoon. So, chairs had to be set up and taken down weekly so all the programs could continue uninterrupted, and services on Sunday mornings could continue. And don’t forget, the sound system had to be moved so we could retain hybrid services. The Logistical team (and the AV team) worked quietly, tirelessly, and behind the scenes.

Now that the new sanctuary was just about complete, a new team was formed – an Aesthetic team (aka a Decorating team) – to figure out where to place/replace furniture (or move as necessary), chairs, and table adornments, flowers, banners, etc. The bell choir now has a home on the dais, Pastor Todd has a new lectern, and the vocal choir has additional space, and our organist has her newly tuned organ. And the whole dais is flexible and accessible to all. We have accomplished our goal thanks to many, many hands and hearts. 

The renovation is complete! Palm Sunday was held this past Sunday in the new sanctuary with coffee hour scheduled before the service, much to Barb Fritz’s surprise. And this coming Sunday, April 5, we have met our deadline, and we are having our Grand Opening Service on Easter morning in the new sanctuary at 10 a.m., with fantastic music to begin! The bell choir, led by our multi-talented Jamie Knobloch, will lead a processional though the sanctuary, and then, along with the organ, Genie O’Connell organist, and a trumpet solo, Russ Hoffman, are opening with an aptly named hymn “The Strife is Over.” The vocal choir has some special music prepared, and Pastor Todd will deliver his usual thought-provoking sermon using his new lectern. We are all very excited for everyone to come enjoy our new sanctuary (with no pink paint!).