This last week St. Philip picked up over one hundred solid maple chairs from Multnomah County Libraries. Rebecca, Thomas (her son), Tony, Aimee, and Rev. Maria loaded the chairs, a lovely meeting table, a whiteboard, and few other office items into one uHaul, a minivan, and a small pickup truck. Meanwhile, Bernadine swung a drill and took apart the plywood desk in the office, and Janet helped sort all our hymn books and BCP into neat piles. Over the course of the week, Rev. Maria, Aaron, and Aimee worked to arrange the chairs.
We need to explore making kneeling pads, adding arms to a few chairs, and hiring a woodworker to create book racks, a new lector stand, and altar table. But these chairs already lighten the space and give us wonderful flexibility in the Sanctuary.
We may have more chairs on offer from the Library as they prepare to get new furniture, and have permission to sell them as a fundraiser. If you like them talk them up!