With the renovations at St. Giles Anglican Church in Estevan mostly complete, the church's pastor said it's the perfect metaphor for modernizing the church with local parishioners.
Along with a new face on the southwest corner of the church, the building received all new offices, washrooms and a highly upgraded kitchen. The roof of the new foyer was completed in the style of the original building.
Pastor Mark Osborne arrived at St. Giles after the renovation had already begun, so while all he knows is for his church to be under construction, he's happy the work is mostly done and the intrusions mostly over. The new front entrance on 12th Avenue began to be used in early July.
"We're quite pleased. We're hoping we'll be able to grow into our new building. It's like moving into a new house and you're figuring out how to be in that new house and what to do with it - how to best serve your needs," Osborne said.
The pastor is now settled into his new office, which seems large and airy, compared to the musty office he used to occupy in the basement without a single beam of natural light.
"You can smell the must, and the furnace room was right next door," Osborne said of his original office. When asked about the new office, he added, "It's delightful. It's nice to have a space that I can feel comfortable being in."
He put in some time at the church, but before he moved into his new office, he spent more time working from home.
Osborne said the complete renovation cost a little under $1 million, and the majority of the tab has already been paid. Osborne is particularly happy with the way the new parts of the building blend with the older parts.
"The cool thing about this is that you have the old church, it's almost 100-years-old, and you've got this new part added to it and it blends in," said Osborne. "You've got the new with the old. It's more than just the building. It's sort of like a symbol for what we're trying to do with the church, trying to bring the church into the 21st century."
The church is now even more accessible for those in wheelchairs or those who have trouble walking up stairs, with a new lift that will take people up or down to different floors. The new bathrooms also have access for people with disabilities, as well as infant changing tables.
The first difference to be noted is in the front foyer, which used to be much more closed off. Osborne said it's now a place where a large group can mingle and socialize.
The space is also important for funerals, added Osborne, who said in a typical Anglican funeral the casket is brought in and out of the church. Where before turning a corner was tricky, there is a lot of space for one now.
"Turning at the top of the stairs was sometimes kind of tricky, but now there's a lot of room," he said.
With a new spacious kitchen in the basement the fall fowl supper coming later in September will be a good way to break in the new facility.
The stained glass windows have been sealed up on the south wall of the church, as it's no longer an exterior wall as the new offices are set up on the outside now. Two stained glass windows at the front of the church, and a pair of lights can be turned on to make sure the windows pop with faux sunlight.
The church also has a couple of windows adopted from the former Anglican Church in Bienfait, which closed a few years ago. They have taken up residence in the new office space at St. Giles. A stained glass window from the Bienfait church has also been placed in the new front foyer.
After enjoying the new renovations for the last half of the summer, Osborne said the church's regulars are very happy with the changes.
"They love the building. They love being able to come in through the big doors," said Osborne, about his parishioners thoughts on the new construction.
There are still some finishing touches to complete the finer points. Some exterior lights still need to be installed, but the doors are open, the kitchen is ready to prepare meals, or even just coffee, something Osborne said was a problem at times when the water was shut off.
