This week we welcome two new Furnishings team members:  1) Debi Cheek, discount/thrift shopper (loves a bargain!) and 2) Sandy Allbright, ready to volunteer for any task.  We also are losing Kimberly Shepley, who has volunteered to lead the Gifts-In-Kind team for Joe Schmidt.  These are all good changes!

Lately we have been working on the exterior building and construction details, so Furnishings has been supporting the Pastoral/Design team with collecting colors, samples, and getting renderings done to help them make decisions on cultured stone, stucco, and metal wall/roof colors and textures.  This phase is almost complete, we have samples of the products/colors we will be using on the project.

 Next, our attention will turn to floor coverings INSIDE the building and this is where the Furnishings members come in.  We need to get crackin' on PAINT colors (palette of about 20 colors to use consistently throughout the building) and CARPET choices and TILE for the bathrooms.   We will need some help collecting samples and reviewing options with each pastoral lead to choose for their area.

 We are still looking for a central chandelier in the entry/lobby area...I'll write a separate entry for y'all and show pictures.  Stay tuned.

The past couple of weeks we have been discussing the granite that was donated to newhope church by the Gimghoul building we moved out of last year.  Come to find out, there are two kinds of granite, and most of the granite is not gray with a little speck of burgundy/pink, it is almost completely pink quartz in a little gray granite (think flamingos on the lawn..).  When we went out to look at the piles of stone on the land, they were mostly shining bright pink in the sun.  Yeah, not quite what we thought! 

 We have been looking at "cultured stone" options and deciding what to use on/in the building instead (there isn't enough of the gray kind to use throughout), and have settled on the "Citadel" stone by Arriscraft.  (http://www.capbrick.com/arriston.htm).

Now to finalize the color--we are thinking a blend of colors with tans and grays to blend with the gray granite that we will use for the baptistry out front.  Kindof fitting that the granite still has a purpose like holding water for spiritual rebirth!  Love that... 

OK, have you hear Benji Kelly's story?  While talking about his office at the new church building, we talked about putting "pin lights" on a special piece of artwork for his office.  If you have NOT heard his personal story, you need to.  Below is a picture of Rembrandts "Prodigal Son" and I can tell you that Benji identifies with this young man with every fibre of his being.  I can't wait to see this hanging on his office wall...

These are the sanctuary sconces.... beautiful!  Imagine them along the walls....they are 18inches long, and I recently was watching the show "Private Practice" and lo and behold they are on the set for the show!  And they look great...

Hey, remember this?   This is the original 3D image done by Gone Virtual Studios (love those guys...).  We started to dream about this project a whole year and a half ago.  Kudos to those on this team who were part of the vision, travelled to Atlanta to walk many miles of church hallways on the "grand tour" and are STILL on this Furnishings Team!  And for those of you who are new to the team... OK, catch up.  There are many photos for you to view of this tour, check it out at
http://picasaweb.google.com/julieporter.mindsongnc/

Visionaries Admitted At No Charge.