Christ Episcopal Church
	Riverton, New Jersey
	AN EDIFICE COMPLEX? NO, A COMPLEX EDIFICE December 2007 It seems like every few months, Christ Church finds itself in some sort of list or article on landmark locations along the historic littoral of the Jersey side of the Delaware shoreline. The latest was in the November 21st Hometown Section of the Burlington County Times. Right underneath the full page banner headline “The River Communities: from Palmyra to Delanco” just to the left of the page fold, there was a 100 year old photo of our beloved church. Without a doubt, it is a standout, even in glorious black and white, and a testament to the faith and commitment of thousands of people over the years, but most especially the Revd Dr. H.H. Weld, the celebrant of our first worship service and later Rector, and John Fraser, parishioner and architect. It is a prominent local landmark, and our beautiful grounds a popular place for strolling, biking, and even sometimes, prayer. It has been fun to watch parents teaching their kids to ride their ‘two-wheelers’ along the plaza, to meet high school photography classes snapping shots of every neo-gothic nook and cranny, and to encounter couples pushing a grandchild in a stroller (even when they are in front of us as we are trying to drive off the property). The fact that we are such a part of the environment in Riverton is something most of us take for granted, and rarely consider. And the buildings’ very solidity encourages a sense of timelessness and changelessness. Yet, of course that sense is contrary to fact. The very dynamic that developed our campus to this point has been one of evolution and change. The original 1860 building was moved in 1870 from the corner of Broad and Main after the noise from the recently double-tracked Camden and Amboy Railroad got to be too much. A parish house was built. A new church, the present one, was erected, the old one moved to Palmyra. A new parish house was built, the old one moved to the other side of Main Street. There was never a dull moment during that first 40 years. The church building itself was constantly being fine tuned. In fact, changes occurred even as it was being erected. The design and framework of the west window was modified to accommodate our greatest physical treasure, the Tiffany rose window. The tower was raised 10 feet. These two changes upped the estimated cost from $7,500 to $10,000 – quite an overrun for 1884! In 1906, the tile floors were installed in memory of the William Ellison, one of the original Wardens. The year 1910 was a particularly big year. After 25 years, the parishioners got fed up with how dark, gloomy and hot the place was. So the six sets of dormer windows (called in ecclesiastical terms clerestories) that now flood the nave with light were added to increase illumination and ventilation, and the time of Evensong was changed to 6PM to take advantage of it. The Jesus with the children window (which is now in the chapel) and the two angel windows in the sanctuary side walls were moved from their original position over the altar and the glorious resurrection window replaced them. A new organ was also purchased at this time. Over the years, new stained glass windows appeared. Electricity replaced gas lighting, indoor plumbing was installed. In the 1930’s the third organ was built. It was electrified, and the console (the keyboards) was moved to the epistle / south / right hand side of the choir opposite the pipes. During that decade as well, perhaps the most beloved corner of the church, the chapel, replaced the priest’s vesting room. In 1955, for the parish’s centenary, every last stick of furniture (including the altar) in the choir and sanctuary was replaced, and the pulpit and the lectern (the eagle stand the lessons are read from) were moved to their present locations. The organ was rebuilt and then replaced, the extra, exposed pipes over the console first covering the window in the choir, and then in the 1990s divided to restore the window. In 1985, the present retable (the stone shelving behind the altar) was added, completing the plans first set in motion 30 years before. The Memorial Garden was planned and planted in the late 1970s. And then in 2003 the most radical change to the church’s external appearance occurred with the installation of the handicap ramp and plaza in front of the church and the restoration and extension of the wall and fence. Similar accommodations to changing needs occurred in the parish house, first built as a community center with a basketball court on the top floor, a bowling alley in the basement and the Riverton Public Library in the middle. Now we have a wonderful parish hall and church school classrooms. Even the Rectory has seen external changes: the front door was moved 180° -- it used to face the river, not the church and the bay windows added. And at some point, mercifully, the massive coal furnaces in all three buildings were converted to gas (the church had two of those monsters -- that is why there are two chimneys!). These accommodations were made over the last 152 years in order to enable our facilities to minister to the people of Christ Church and of our wider community. They were by and large practical and well thought out and executed. And they have continued at a steady pace over time. Perhaps the sense that we are a time capsule or a bee in amber, unchanged and unchanging since 1860 or 1865 or 1884 or 1895 or 1910 or 1935 or 1955 or 2003 is simply because the work has been so well and sensitively done. Several months back, one of the architects in our congregation remarked that nearly all the issues we confront in considering the use of our facilities goes back to the need to accomodate19^th century buildings to 21^st century ministry. A small recent part of this was the installation of air conditioning two years ago – we finally found the means to cool the worship space without damaging its appearance. Several years ago, then Senior Warden Gus Hollingsworth suggested putting together a committee that would look at the issues of long-term building maintenance so that we could budget in advance for big ticket expenses such as painting, roofing and our heating plants. A committee has been formed under the guidance of Warden Keith Betten with an expanded docket. They will be considering our present use and how we can better accommodate our beautiful facilities in a way that can enhance and increase our ministry both to our parishioners and our community. The hope as well is to seek some outside funding sources to help accomplish these goals. One example is handicap access. The parish house is totally inaccessible. You don’t have to be in a wheelchair or use a walker to know what a challenge all those steps are. The church building has the wonderful ramp, but there is no place to park near it, no convenient spot for people to sit in a wheelchair once they’re in the building, and no bathroom for them to use (an advocate for the handicapped once told me this benchmark axiom, ‘If you want us to come, you have to give us a place to go’). The lack of convenient after-church fellowship space is another. The church school has needs that can no longer be met by the present basement classrooms. And with most people now driving to church, is the on the street parking sufficient? There is certainly plenty to think about and pray about for the future. And while these all present themselves as building issues, they are actually people-centered. Perhaps the question should be framed, ‘How can we use these buildings, these wonderful gifts, for the care and service of God’s people, and the expansion of God’s Kingdom?’ Your input is appreciated; your thoughts will likely be solicited. Consider your own needs and those of others. And pray. Pray for the growth of our congregation, and for wisdom to make the right decisions concerning the stewardship of our parish structures. That would be a fitting birthday present as we hit our 152^nd this December 19^th! See you in church?! Richard+