Yummy fundraising opportunties!

With spring quickly approaching, the R & R committee is gearing up to begin their exterior projects. The committee would like to again encourage everyone to continue donating to the fund so that the church foundation and exterior window repair can be dealt with. In an effort to raise more money, the committee will be hosting the first of two planned fish fries this Friday, March 11 at Holy Trinity Hall. Dinner will be served from 5-7:30 p.m. Prices will be $8 for adults and $5 for ages 12 and under. There will also be a 50/50 drawing. If you cannot make it this Friday, plan to attend the second Fish Fry on April 15.

There is also another delicious way to help donate to the project if fish isn't your thing. For a one time donation of $100, you will recieve one dozen cookies each month for one year delivered to you through the "Cookies a la month" fundraiser. The cookies are homemade and will be delivered to you (the cookies cannot be shipped--deliveries will be made only to locations within 20 miles of Holy Trinity. For locations farther than 20 miles, the Hall will be your pick up point) on the last Saturday of each month, beginning May 28. If you are interested in this fundraiser, please contact Bev Henn at 454-2967. This fundraiser is limited to 20 recipients so act soon! Monthly cookies include mint dipped chewy chocolate, french cookies, peanut butter blossoms, lemon bars, and buffalo chips.

Here are a few key points that were highlighted during last month's committee meeting on February 9, 2011.

1. The bathroom is being remodeled to meet ADA standards. An oak utility cabinet and baby changing table will be installed in the remodeled bathroom. There are prospective donors to this project through purchase of the commode, vanity and faucet.

2. A 3x5 rug to be placed at the Altar of Sacrifice is to be purchased for approximately $150.

3. Quarter round trim is to be cut to size, painted and then placed on the baseboard on the Sanctuary floor.

4. The Stations of the Cross are still being completed through Travis Norville who will be contacted by Kevin Autenrieb to discuss color scheme for the Stations and the mural that will be painted above the side altar on the north wall.

The next meeting is planned for this Wednesday, March 9 right after Ash Wednesday services at Holy Trinity.

Donors needed

The R & R committee is now seeking donors for financial support of the Sacred Heart Statue, located on the side altar (southside), and the Baptismal Font. The funding for these 2 additions to Holy Trinity Church will allow us to direct future contributions toward the repairs of the exterior windows and foundation during the upcoming Spring project. The cost of the Sacred Heart statue is $945. The cost of restoration of the Baptismal Font is $1,475. Please consider funding these in part or in whole. The R & R committee is greatly appreciative of all the sacrifice and support thus far.

Interior R & R projects near completion

The front pews have been reinstated in the body of the church, as they were relocated for a few weeks while being worked on. 1/3 of the pew and kneeler was removed to allow for wheelchair accessibility and easier manueving around during funeral services at Holy Trinity.

Three different light fixtures, one of which is on tracks, will help to spotlight the santuary and statues.

All of the furniture on the altar, except the reredos, was removed after church today before workers come to install the flooring. Volunteers removed the furniture themselves to help save on labor costs with the floor installation. Throughout the entire R & R project, volunteers have completed as much work as possible to save on repair costs.

The new floors have begun to be laid on the altar. The steps were one of those select places.

The ramp has also been brighted up by the engineered hardwood flooring purchased from Taylorville Home Source.

Here is a closer look at the flooring that will adorn the sanctuary. This option was chosen because not only is it easy to clean, but also will resist damage due to the humidity that comes up from the church basement.

In this open space on the altar, an exact replica of the table pictured below will be secured to the wall and the Sacred Heart statue, also pictured below, will sit atop it after the new floors have been laid.

In this open space on the other side of the altar, a mural will be handpainted by artist Travis Norville, who is also giving a fresh coat of paint to the Stations of the Cross.

The Sacred Heart statue is being stored in the reconciliation room until its final destination on the altar is ready.

Here is a closer look at the ornate detail work by Kevin Autenrieb and his crew. All of the furniture in the Sanctuary was accented with gold leaf.

A table identical to this one will be placed on the other side of the altar and will hold the Sacred Heart statue. These 2 tables were once the altar of sacrifice and instead of placing the table in the basement for storage, it was cut into 2 equal pieces and kept on the altar, connecting the old Holy Trinity with the new.

The orange is officially gone! After mass today, the only old carpet that did remain in the church on the altar was pulled away by volunteers. The 'engineered hardwood floors' that will be laid on the altar is going to be installed the second week of February.

The new carpeting in the body of the church was laid last week. The only R & R project left for the interior of the church is the laying of the flooring on the altar.

The new carpeting in the body and entryway of Holy Trinity is grey with speckles of brown, taup and tan.

The reredoes is not only painted and trimed in gold leaf, but its now been freshly adorned with a new crucifix.

The Altar and Rosary Society purchased the new crucifix. The old crucifix that was afixed to a stand on the altar has been moved to the balcony.

After being constructed by a parishioner, the new altar of sacrifice was then painted by Kevin Autenrieb and his crew. The old altar of sacrifice was cut in 2 equal pieces and those halves have been placed on each side of the altar.

The Pieta statue and its stand in the back corner of the church behind the pews have also been freshly painted and are now on display.

The St. Joseph statue is spotlighted with track lighting in the alcove on the altar.

The St. Mary statue is also brightened up by track lighting in the opposite alcove.

The heat registers weren't forgotten either. They recieved a fresh coat to match the interior of the church and the newly painted wainscoting.

New paint in varying shades of brown outline the details of the wainscoting.

Orange Be Gone!

Take a last and final glimpse at the orange color that remains in Holy Trinity for in early February the last remants of the bright, retro colored carpeting in the church will be taken up from the altar and the new flooring will be laid. The R & R committee is going with a hardwood floor surface on the altar. The 'engineered hardwood floor' was chosen because the floor will not move or buckle with the humid air coming up from the basement.

The ornate detailing on the ceiling above the altar has been completed. All the scaffolding in the church is now completely removed and all painting finished.

Here is another look at the ceiling and wall paint job on the altar. Also, the new crucifix donated by the Altar and Rosary Society was afixed to the reredoes and now stands front and center on the altar.

After mass today, everything in the body of the chuch was removed and the old carpeting was pulled up. Taylorville Home Source will lay the new flooring (all except the altar flooring) Tuesday and hope to be done by Friday.

The R & R project is starting to see the finish line! The only major interior work left to be completed is the laying of the new floors. A medium shade of taupe with speckles of neutral colors was chosen as the carpet for the body of the church. A more plush version of that carpeting will be laid in the reconciliation room. Also, an 'engineered hardwood' was chosen for the altar. The carpeting will be laid starting this Tuesday, January 18. The hardwood on the altar will be installed in early February.

Also of major note--the committee has successfully reached its goal of $130,000 in donations this week! A huge THANK YOU is extended to all donors and volunteers who helped make this dream a reality for our beautiful church!!!! However, the committee would still like to do some other much needed work to Holy Trinity. All extra monies coming in from now on will go towards exterior window and foundation repair. These hefty projects will begin in spring.

Calling all volunteers!

Just like the rest of the church, the balcony is near completion. The pillars have been wrapped in wood and reinforced. Also, the ceiling paint job is complete and all the scaffolding in the body of the church has been removed.

The only scaffolding left in the church is on the altar because not all ceiling detailing is finished quite yet. However, the banner and the lettering on the scroll above the altar is completed.

Not only is the Altar recieving a face lift by means of new paint and new furniture, but the altar has also been rearranged. The pulpit now sits on the right side of the altar and musicians are seated on the left side, next to the presider's chair. The only major interior work left to be done is new flooring.

Looking for an opportunity to help the R &R but don't have the extra money? Well, here's your chance! The R & R needs every extra hand they can get next Sunday, January 9 after 9 a.m. mass. Anyone willing to lend some time towards beautifying Holy Trinity is being asked to help clean the church pews. In an effort to save money, volunteers are being asked to bring working cloths, buckets, sponges, rubber gloves and rags to help scrub down the pews. A product called Dirtex, which is a little milder than TSP, will be provided as the cleaning agent. This is a great opportunity to get involved in the project if you haven't yet. Also, this is a fairly large undertaking and any extra help would make it alot easier and faster for everyone involved. The pews must be cleaned befor the new flooring can be installed. For more information, call Steve Curtin at 825-7787.

Happy New Year!