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Years ago it was decided that St. Paul's could no longer afford to maintain the organ and that the area taken up by the piping should be turned into useable space.

Armed with that the then property committee were considering the next steps to take. The Wardens at that time hired outside local contractors. The ACW members agreed to fund a portion of the project which included removing the organ “guts” housed in a small room next to the chancel. Prior to COVID-19 the contractors completed the construction of two partial stud walls along with the electrical wiring for four outlets and four light fixtures.

Fast forward to 2023 and services were getting back to normal at St. Paul’s. There was some discussion around the organ room situation and what was to be done since there were little funds available. Peter Galvin took on the project with enthusiasm. He had a vision of what the finished project should be which required the removal of one of the stud walls. With the help of Don Bridges, Rod Slack, Marty McCaw, Father Haynes, and the Wardens Julie Daxon and Ian Coombe, Peter was able to complete the room for considerably less than estimated earlier.

Some additional wiring had to be done and a timer had to be removed. Peggy Bell lent her decorative skills to finish the inside of the door with red ribbon and repaired a portion of molding. Rod Slack cleaned and stained the woodwork. The most exhilarating part of the project was scrubbing down the ceiling, the dirtiest and most delicate was washing the stained glass window three times. Roy Clarke's lighting fixtures set off the room perfectly. Marty and Peter had donated the carpet earlier and Brockville Floor and Wall installed it.

Julie Daxon undertook the job of furnishing the room with the congregation donating the furniture. We now have a warm inviting beautiful space for anything we want it to be, of course for prayer and quiet time. A big thank-you goes out to Peter for completing the project. Finally, the room was blessed by Father Haynes Hubbard and opened officially for use on May 7, 2023.

Submitted by Peter Galvin, edited by Julie Daxon 

Leeds & Grenville
St. Pauls, Brockville