Pastor Kozak

Boilers being Installed

2010-08-24T12:39:00.003-04:00

New Boilers have Arrived

2010-06-30T21:06:00.003-04:00

Here they are.

The New Boilers - inside view

2010-06-30T21:03:00.001-04:00

Old Boiler Demolition

2010-06-09T14:38:00.003-04:00

New Project - Boiler

2010-05-25T10:05:00.003-04:00

Our church's original boiler is going to be replaced in just a few weeks. These pictures show the condition of the boiler, valves, and pipes. It's not a pretty sight. Several years ago we went from rusty well water going through a softener (using salt) to Akron city water. The rust is a legacy of that bad water.

Win With Wilkie

2009-08-16T18:07:00.004-04:00

Last summer I started scanning old and not so old family pictures. I never knew my Uncle Edward, as he died in 1941, 17 years before I was born. He was deaf, and died at age 27 in a TB sanitarium, so I was told. My father only told me little bits and pieces of his family history, doubtless because I didn't much ask about it. Dad died in 1990, and all his siblings are gone, too. So any family history will have to be learned through detective work.

I was struck by this photo of Uncle Ed. Nobody in my family owned a decent camera back in the day, and I suspect this picture was taken with a cheap Brownie. It looks like it is probably the last photo ever taken of him as he's in what looks like a hospital robe. That would be consistent with being in a sanitarium. I wondered about the "W" on the robe and his 'thumb's up' pose. Was that "W" the initial of the Sanitarium, by chance? Maybe I could locate a sanitarium in Brooklyn, NY with a "W" in it's name if I did an internet search.

With the mystery of the "W" in my mind, I decided to scan the picture at very high resolution. Once I got the picture on the computer, and I could enlarge it, it looked to me like Uncle Ed was wearing political buttons in the shape of a "W". That could only mean one thing. This picture was taken before the 1940 Presidential Election in November, and Uncle Ed was supporting Wendell Wilkie, not a third term for FDR.

The things one discovers when going through old photo albums.

My Legacy Remains

2009-08-16T17:58:00.003-04:00

My wife and daughters took a little vacation in Indiana at the request of daughter Jennifer. She wanted to see the hometown of the actor James Dean. On the way home, Brooke and I decided we'd like to drive through our former home in Decatur. Amazingly, our name is still on the mailbox, reminding everyone who drives past who once occupied the Immanuel Lutheran Church teacherage. This fall marks 20 years since we moved away from Decatur for me to begin my pastoral ministry, so it was nice to make a quick drive through.

Proper Lutheran Vacation Accomodations

2009-08-16T17:53:00.005-04:00

On a brief vacation trip in Indiana, we stayed in a dorm at the Seminary. We just spent the night, but before turning in, we took a little walk around the campus. Brought back a lot of wonderful memories. I never had to live in the dorms, but now I can say I at least stayed in one.

The Lutheran Study Bible

2009-03-03T20:33:00.001-05:00

New Project - Basement Waterproofing

2008-06-05T09:31:00.008-04:00

These pictures serve as a record of our recent waterproofing project from June 2-5, 2008. All American Basement Waterproofing of Wadsworth, Ohio did the work, and I was impressed by their diligence. They stayed on the job until finished.

This basement serves as our preschool, and is in the original 1953 building. Good drainage was not designed into the plan, so we have had frequent flooding problems over the years. Not good in a carpeted preschool area. These pictures show how the job was done.

The jackhammers drilled about a foot around the outside walls, source of the leaking. Hand digging would be done to provide space to lay a gravel bed and perforated PVC pipe.

Next, holes were drilled at the base of the digging. This will permit the water that normally builds up outside to come into this new drainage area and into the perforated pipe.

These two pictures above show the plastic sheeting that covered the drainage holes and the course of the pipe which will take the water into a sump in the stairwell.

The picture to the left shows the sump in the stairwell next to the preschool room. Water from all the pipes drain into this plastic tub. The pump is placed into the tub to send the water up a few feet into the outside rain gutter system.

In the event that a heavy storm knocks out electrical power, the pump has a battery backup as you can see to the left.

Finally, the water is pumped up and outside. The thinner pipes come from the sump, and are joined to the larger rainwater downspout system.

Complaint Department is Open Again

2008-04-01T09:51:00.004-04:00

This is where synod's mission money is going? These billboards mock things sacred. "Jefferson Hills Church" (in the St.Louis area) is being subsidized by the synod. Most recently it received $25,000, even though it only meets in a school gym. Four billboards are expensive.

New Altar Book Stand

2007-12-04T13:32:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the generousity of a family, we have a "new" altar book stand. Actually it is not new. It is our old bookstand that was in use until 1974 when this church was heavily damaged by a major fire. This bookstand was ruined in that fire over 33 years ago. Nothing was done with it beyond giving it a superficial cleaning and placing it in the church basement for use on the Sunday School altar. An inexpensive clear plastic stand was purchased and used until about 5 years ago.

When my former congregation in Detroit closed, the officers were kind enough to send me some items to put to use here at Hope. One of those items was a venerable, sturdy brass bookstand, which is pictured here. It is the one with the pivot. That bookstand has, for many decades, held "The Lutheran Hymnal Altar Book" with no problems whatsoever.

However, it met it's match with the new "Lutheran Service Book Altar Book." It is so large that it kept turning the pivot over. I pictured it in a November 2006 blog which is archived here. This meant that the new altar book could not be used at Hope.

Now it can. Our old bookstand that was serving in the basement has been restored to better than new condition by the CM Almy company in Maine. You can see just how beautiful a job they did in the pictures. I have photographed both bookstands side by side for a comparison. As you can see from the design of the newly restored stand, it will have no problem with any sized book. Almy did a wonderful job. The stand is absolutely radiant! You can see my image reflected in the highly polished surface, which will be covered by the book. I am afraid to touch it without gloves!

The new stand will be placed on display in the narthex for Sunday December 9 so that everyone can get a good look at it. It will then be re-dedicated on December 16. Then I can finally start using the new LSB Altar Book.

Serious Music - Handel

2007-08-31T09:30:00.000-04:00

The Lutheran church is the 'singing church'. Two of classical music's greatest masters were Lutheran: JS Bach and GF Handel. For myself, I am more of a fan of Handel. I've been avidly listening to his oratorios since I was in high school, over 30 years ago. Back then I relied on borrowing LP records from Dearborn, Michigan's Henry Ford Centennial Library. It was much closer to home than the downtown Detroit main library.

While I was in the service, and well supplied with money, I would always make sure that when I returned home on leave I would visit "Dearborn Music" on Michigan Ave. I would purchase one or two albums of Handel's music. Even in the late 1970s, they were expensive. My copies of Saul and Belshazzar were close to $50 each in 1970s dollars! I still have those vinyl recordings. They stay in my church office for safekeeping.

In recent years, I have returned to borrowing from the library. I hate to put too much wear and tear on my 27 year old Technics turntable - now obsolete and irreplacable. In 1999 I purchased a new stylus and cartridge from Lentine's Music here in Akron just to make sure I have one. So, to save my LPs and turntable, I am relying on the library's collection of CD recordings. Just about all of my LPs have been reissued on CD. One of these days I should probably convert the records to CDs.

One of the benefits of having the LP versions is that the accompanying book is in large format. It is amazing what you can learn from those. I remember the first time I listened to Messiah. The booklet made reference to other works of Handel, and this is how I got acquainted with the entire body of his work. Pictured below is the 3 disk record album as well as the very informative booklet that came with it. This same recording is also available on CD, but the small format booklets are difficult to read and work with as you listen along. They also don't give you as much information or as many graphics and pictures either. While I rejoice at the advances in recording technology, I am sorry to see us losing the quality printed texts.

(pictured above is the album cover. To the left is the large format booklet that came with the records).

I am always happy to discuss my love of Handel's Biblical Oratorios with anyone willing to subject themself to it. Many of these oratorios have arias and chorus' that are straight from the King James text of the Bible (Messiah and Israel in Egypt being two that are totally King James text). It is amazing how much basic Biblical literacy you can develop by listening to Handel's sacred oratorios. They also have a tremendous benefit in that they were originally composed in English! You don't have to rely on a possibly defective translation when listening to them. Even though Handel was German born, he lived most of his adult life in England.

I have pictured Handel's great masterwork "Saul" here. Perhaps as time permits I will take a little bit of time to explain each of the sacred oratorios in my collection. But enough for now.

Two Recent Purchases

2007-08-29T08:59:00.001-04:00

Here is a brief posting that may be of interest to my fellow pastors. It concerns two recent purchases I've made.

The first is the Almy "soft side communion case." It is item 71941 in their catalog. I needed to replace my original hard-shell case which had worn out. It was impossible for me to find the case alone in any of the catalogs, and I didn't need to buy new utensels. The answer was this handy case from Almy - only $15 plus shipping. The bag is sized for their "companion communion kit", but my utensels fit just fine, as you can see in the picture to the left. It comes with a shoulder strap, which I don't care to use. Unlike my old case, which had no room for a Bible or an Agenda, this one has room to spare. I put that extra room to good use with my second recent purchase.

One of the companion volumes for the Lutheran Service Book is the Pastoral Care Companion. As you can see from the first picture, it fits perfectly in my new case. I don't have to carry it in my pocket. I can not overpraise the PCC. I wish it had been published 20 years ago. Since it fits so perfectly in the Almy soft side case, I thought it would be worthwhile to bring this to the attention of my fellow pastors.

A Vast Improvement

2007-08-28T21:32:00.000-04:00

Now that we are have been using the new "Lutheran Service Book" since July 15, it's time for a brief progress report. It is a vast improvement over the 1982 "Lutheran Worship" book.

So far, we have used Divine Services 1, 3, and Matins.

Divine Service 1 is straight out of the 1982 book. No need for further elaboration.

I've been most happy with Divine Service 3, which is the old "Common Service" found in the venerable 1941 Lutheran Hymnalon page 15. It has options for non communion services that make it like TLH page 5. On the plus side, they have retained the Jacobean (Old English) language in the chants. Excellent! But LSB has made some noticable changes to that service. The congregation no longer chants the pre-confession versicles. They are now spoken. The creeds and other spoken parts have been put into modern English to bring it into conformity with the rest of the hymnal. While these changes are minimal to be sure, they are a vast improvement over what passed for the "common service" in the previous hymnal.

The Te-Deum Laudamus in Matins has had the full text restored. That's good. I know, I know.... liturgical scholars rightly point out that the shorter form is more ancient. But in western civilization, the longer text of the Te Deum has been the one that the great composers have set to magnificent music. Joseph Haydn's is the best. I also like Arthur Sullivan's Te Deum, composed in 1900, just months before his untimely death. Because it was commissioned in advance of England's expected victory in the Boer War, Sullivan made frequent use of his popular hymn tune "Onward Christian Soldiers" in the piece But I degress.

I am most pleased with the restoration of familiar and beloved hymn tunes in LSB. I hated the harmonizations in the 1982 hymnal. Personally, I believe the now deceased music professor who re-harmonized such a large number of popular hymns did the church a major disservice.

I really like this picture of an audience's negative reaction to a piece of music by Igor Stravinsky. (That's Stravinsky on the piano). The picture immediately reminded me of my initial shock at first hearing re-harmonized hymns in Lutheran Worship. They were terrible! All I can say about those poor tunes is "good riddance!"

So far, after only a few weeks, I've been choosing mostly familiar hymns. LSB has a lot of newly written material. I haven't had time to look that new stuff over yet.

Overall, we are off to a good start with the Lutheran Service Book, and I am very thankful Hope Lutheran has made the switch. My thanks again to the generous members who made it possible to get them.

Speaks For Itself

2007-08-28T21:16:00.000-04:00

I've often wondered what happened with the, er, "church" that used these two horrible ads. I posted that pizza ad last winter. When I first showed these ads to my Bible Class, they were all appalled by them. Serious Christians must deplore this sort of irreverence, particularly in the ad that trivializes the Sacrament.

Closeups 3 - Tanks

2007-08-28T11:27:00.000-04:00

George is in the Red shirt.

Closeups 2 - The Wellhead

2007-08-28T11:19:00.001-04:00

This is the first time I have ventured back to get closeups of the wellhead. I respected the safety barriers, and also didn't want to wallow in the mud. It's quite dry now, so forth I went.

George tells me that the wellhead is holding back 1,200 lbs of gas pressure. When I asked him how long he expected this well to produce, he replied "longer than you or I will be around."

There are still more regulators and other items to be installed on the wellhead before it is fenced in and secured. The church (in the background) will be hooked up in the coming weeks well in advance of winter.

Closeups 1 - the Driveway

2007-08-28T11:13:00.001-04:00

The large sized concrete chunks are being crushed into usable pavement by the dumptruck and bulldozer. This obviously came from road work, as I could see pieces of thin rebar. George tells me that a pickup truck will stop over here daily to check things out after they are finished. Larger trucks as needed. It's not taking long to put this driveway in.

Comments Welcome

2007-08-28T09:35:00.000-04:00

I was told on Monday that someone tried to view this blog, but was only able to get a few pictures to load, then nothing! Since I am able to view everything I am posting, I would welcome viewer feedback. Can you view all the pictures going back several months? I hate to be spending time and energy for naught.

Thank you for your help.

View of the Tanks

2007-08-28T09:25:00.001-04:00

28Aug2007. Here's a zoom picture of the tanks. This is not originally where they were to be located, but a change in plans regarding the location of the access driveway necessated moving the tanks to this location on the back corner of our property line. The driveway was originally planned to be on the property next door to the church.

Here's what you are seeing, from Left to Right. That green tank is the *separator.* The gas and fluid coming up from underground first enters that unit. The gas is fed to the supply lines. The fluid goes into the brown tank. Once in the brown tank, the water goes to the bottom and the oil to the top. The water will then go into the clear plastic tank, and the oil will remain in the brown one. The tanks will be regularly checked and drained. The oil will be used for energy needs. The water will removed for disposal.

Driveway Construction

2007-08-28T09:18:00.001-04:00

The access driveway is going in this Tuesday morning 28Aug07, which is the *First Day of School!* The original plans were to locate the driveway on the property next door to the church. That would have given easier access to the well from Portage Lakes Drive. This will not be happening now. This necessated a change in location for the well tanks. In a previous post, I said the tanks will go behind the garage. Due to the change in driveway location, the tanks and everything associated with the well will now be on church property. Only the construction process is using the property next door. I trust the groundhogs will be pleased with this change.

The driveway will be paved with crushed concrete. So the trucks will have to access the well via the church parking lot and parsonage back driveway.

Church is Now Connected

2007-08-28T09:13:00.001-04:00

That black 60 lb plastic line was hooked up to the church gas meter on Monday August 27, 2007. I got these pictures when they were on lunch, but missed recording the actual installation.

Gas Line Digging

2007-08-24T14:03:00.001-04:00

At 8am this morning I was startled to hear a loud hissing of air. The wellhead is now looking like something I would have made with my 'tinker toys' back in 1963. They are also digging to install the gas line to East Ohio Gas. The yellow line is to East Ohio's specs of 60 lbs. The pipe at the wellhead will have a pressure test to 250 lbs.

Busy Day 2

2007-08-23T14:32:00.000-04:00

I want to get the location of the underground pipe on record.

Tanks Going In

2007-08-23T13:13:00.000-04:00

This is a very productive past two days. This is the new location of the tanks, right at the edge of our property. The tanks will be in a dry moat in order to contain any possible spillage.

Busy Day

2007-08-23T10:59:00.000-04:00

Picture one shows the plastic pile laid out on the large lawn in what's obviously the direction the digging will take. Picture 2 shows the digging taking place where the tanks will be installed. It appears they changed their plans to put them in the opposite corner. The groundhogs will be very happy.

Underground Digging

2007-08-23T10:40:00.000-04:00

Here is the directional boring machine that made quick work of digging under the parking lot. You can see that they had to dig up the roof drainage. It looks like rain today, so I hope they get that drainage restored. They will dig up the large lawn, however. The extra pipe you see in the last picture will also get bored under the pavement and go to the gas meter.

Underground Gas Line Has Arrived

2007-08-23T09:12:00.000-04:00

Here is the cart with the plastic gas line. 2 inch. I am told that there will be no need to dig up our parking lot to access the church. A machine will be arriving that can bore under the pavement.
Today is extremely hot and humid, so I feel for the workers outside. It's miserable.

Burying the Stumps

2007-08-23T09:08:00.000-04:00

I just missed getting a picture of the large lower tree stumps being buried. They are just beyond that second pillar on the pavillion. In decades to come, somebody will probably be interested in knowing this information.

More Ground Leveling

2007-08-22T21:03:00.000-04:00

More pictures of Wednesday, August 22, 2007. Workers are leveling the ground behind the pavillion. The old shed has been removed and buried (with the 60+ year old tires). The next step will be laying the gas line to the church and to the East Ohio Gas line.

Leveling the Ground

2007-08-22T20:53:00.000-04:00

Two diseased pine trees have been taken down. The trees were filled with carpenter ants! We will have to get some ant killer to make sure they don't migrate from the trees to the shed, pavillion or parsonage. The will be cut up and taken away. The eyesore dirt piles and the remains of the shed are beign taken care of today. The old shed has been buried in the large holes, including the cement slab.

Filling in the Holes

2007-08-06T11:55:00.000-04:00

The cleanest and newest looking piece of machinery I've seen in a long time is now filling in the drainage holes. Looks like it's just going to fold the plastic liners into the holes and bury them with the dirt. He is currently putting all that liquid ooze into one hole, which I presume will be pumped out by another truck.

Take a look at all those old tires! I am going to assume they were buried long before 1951 when our church bought the property. After 56 years they have not degraded.

More Work on the Well

2007-07-23T21:19:00.000-04:00

Monday, July 23, 2007. The noisy equipment is gone, the underground rock has been broken up with high pressure water. Workers today were so quiet I didn't know they were even here. Here is what the well looks like now. I was wondering what would happen if they didn't find any gas. But I was told "We *WILL* hit gas. Looks like the well is capped off waiting the next day's work.

Breaking Up the Underground Rock

2007-07-20T10:18:00.000-04:00

I can no longer say this well project has been remarkably quiet. Today the noise level is significant, and can be heard in the parsonage.

You can see what looks like high pressure water spraying out of the well head.

Several truck mounted compressors are providing the power. The last picture is taken from a different vantage point outside the pavillion. You can see one of the receiving pools.

Preparing to Flush Well

2007-07-20T10:11:00.000-04:00

Thursday, July 19. These men are preparing the well for what they call "Fireworks." The acid wash guys did their work the other day. Friday the 20th is the day those water tanks in the background will be put to work breaking up the rock and releasing the gas. They promise the noise level will pick up, and that there will be a lot of trucks tomorrow.

16 July 2007 Acid Wash

2007-07-20T10:01:00.000-04:00

Today the well is getting an acid wash. The acid will clean out and open the holes in the pipes underground. This will prepare the well to be flushed with high pressure water, which will crack the rock and release the gas.

Well Progress Report

2007-07-14T15:46:00.000-04:00

The jobsite has been significantly cleaned up since my last report. Six trailers have been neatly lined up. These contain the water needed to pump into the well to break up the rock and release the gas.

Here are two closeups of the main pipe. It's capped off and waits the next step. The large holding pools are still there awaiting draining and refill. All of the photos I've taken over the last few weeks have been from the safe vantage point of the picnic pavillion.

New Hymnals Have Arrived

2007-07-13T11:31:00.000-04:00

July 13, 2007. 24 cases of hymnals have arrived. Our Altar Guild will process them in the next few days and perhaps they can be ready to put into place on July 22.

Lutheran Service Book

2007-07-08T20:49:00.000-04:00

Later this summer we will transition from Lutheran Worship, the 1982 hymnal, to the new Lutheran Service Book. In recent months many members have been making offerings to our hymnal fund. Just a few weeks ago, a family from our congregation generously offered to donate the remainder of what is needed to place the hymnal in our pews.

At a congregational meeting on July 1, and a Voter's Meeting on July 8, those members present voiced unanimous approval and thanksgiving to use these gifts to get the Lutheran Service Book.

I will place our order with Concordia Publishing House on July 9, and they will be put into service as soon as possible.

As for the oversized Altar Book - another family has graciously offered to donate a new stand. Nun danket alle Gott!

Progress Report

2007-07-07T09:24:00.000-04:00

Drilling was completed on the night of July 3, 2007. The crews were off on the 4th and on the 5th, when these pictures were taken. Now they were taking down the drilling rig and preparing the site for the next phase. The old shed has been removed by one of the members, and that pile of rubble is all that's left. This whole procedure has, so far, been remarkably free of excessive noise. We can't hear a thing in the church or parsonage when the windows are closed.

Now that the drilling is finished, water will be pumped into the well to break up the rock. This will release the gas and oil.

Future Home of Tanks

2007-07-01T17:04:00.000-04:00

This area to the left of the new garage is going to be cleared out and the well's tanks will go here. This area is all overgrown now. This is where we have been dumping compost, old tree branches, etc. It has become a habitat for ground hogs and racoons. Clearing it should help control that problem. We have been calling a nuiscance trapper out every summer for the last few years to help control the population. We don't want people getting hurt stepping to their holes. That large water pit you see in pictures below has served to clear out the so-called "Hotel." That's the area where large ground hog holes keep cropping up.

Sunday Drilling

2007-07-01T16:53:00.000-04:00

Drilling is expected to go on until July 3. We received an interesting bit of news. On the first day of drilling, the crew was going through trash and tires. The pit diggers didn't hit any of it, so it was very well buried under all that sand. Looks like this part of the land may have been a dump prior to our purchase of it in 1951.

Parsonage Duct Cleaning

2007-06-30T21:18:00.000-04:00

A half-century of dirt was removed from the furnace and ducts on Friday June 29, 2007. That little bushel basket under the large gray bag was filled with some very nasty looking dust. That orange flex tubing is the vacuum connection. The crew uses compressed air to clean out the ducts.

2007-06-29T12:51:00.000-04:00

Friday June 29 update: Drilling continues. Here is all that goop being discharged from the drilling process. It's coming out with a lot of force.

Drilling Has Started

2007-06-28T15:52:00.000-04:00

There isn't much different to photograph today. You can see how the pits are capturing the water and gray stuff coming out of the well. This is after 24 hours of drilling.

Oil and Gas Well

2007-06-28T10:11:00.000-04:00

After two years of discussions and waiting, the wait is over. Everflow has arrived to start drilling on June 25, 2007. That shed is being taken apart by one of our members. Before the drillers arrived, diggers had to prepare two large pits which will be lined in plastic. Those pits will hold water that is pumped out of the well.

I am surprised that the noise level is not what I expected at all. Drilling is a 24/7 enterprise, and my bedroom window faces the rig. As long as I have the fan turned to "medium" I can't hear a thing and sleep well. So much for that fear. I hope the other neighbors are not bothered.

Our back property looks every bit the construction site, and the drilling is expected to take one week. The workers sure appreciate our picnic pavillion, as it gives them a nice place to take a break and have lunch. It also gives me a nice vantage point to observe and photograph.

Parsonage Floor Project

2007-06-28T10:03:00.000-04:00

In May, the parsonage got some attention. New tile was installed in the kitchen, dining room, and bathroom. It turned out to be much cheaper to have high quality vinyl in a wood pattern laid in the dining room, than to refinish the natural hardwood floor. The main entrance is through the kitchen. The parsonage traffic pattern takes everyone through the dining room. Thus floors were in great need of work.

The bathroom floor needed to be rebuilt along the commode. The same great guys who did last summer's church tile project did the parsonage as well. If you need floor work, I would be happy to recommend Village Carpet of Norton. Terry Hamilton is the owner.

Landscape Project

2007-06-28T09:56:00.000-04:00

I am behind in my blogging. Sorry. This past spring our landscaping company, "The Brothers Grimm" were contracted to remove all the poles that had served as fencing. Poles were all along Portage Lakes Drive and Longacre. Now that Portage Lakes Drive has had curbs and sidewalks installed, our trustees felt that the poles were no longer necessary. In fact, they added significantly to our costs for grass cutting, as half the time spent was in trimming around them. In addition, the bushes were removed along the parsonage back driveway.

2006-12-01T20:26:00.000-05:00

Imagine going to a doctor who lost interest in studying medicine, or a lawyer who hadn�t touched a legal text since graduating from law school. Imagine then a pastor who stopped studying theology when he graduated from the seminary. Every month a group of pastors gathers in Cleveland at Christ Lutheran Church for just this purpose. Theological growth and discussion is part and parcel with your pastor�s vocation. Our topic is the Lutheran Confessions. We are currently making our way through the Smalkald Articles. Bottom from left: Rev. Rob Taylor, Rev. James Haugen, Rev. Dean Kavouras, Rev. Peter Mills. Top from left: Vicar Jerry Storrs, Rev. Lon Landsmann, Rev. Lloyd Gross, Rev. Jack Kozak, Rev. Stefan Huppert, and Rev. Bruce Breudigam.

2006-12-01T20:09:00.000-05:00

Christ Lutheran Church, Cleveland. The white house next the church is the offfice where our study is held each month.

2006-11-23T14:12:00.000-05:00

Introducing the Lutheran Service Book Altar Book! Thicker than the Akron Phone Book! Thicker than the Concordia Triglotta! Here is what happened when I opened it to Divine Service 1. As soon as I took my hand off the book, it promptly closed. Then as the next picture shows, it tilted the book stand over, and dropped the book onto the altar. I know, i know - - - the book is new and needs to be broken in. But really, Concordia Publishing House should have published it like the lectionary: in three volumes.

2006-11-23T14:09:00.000-05:00

There is nothing wrong with my altar book stand. It has held the 1941 Altar Book for all of it's many decades of service. Well, at least it tilts to the right!

2006-11-23T14:05:00.000-05:00

At least the 1941 Altar Book, which I've been using all along, doesn't cause any stability problems

2006-10-31T10:19:00.000-05:00

I have decided to enable the comments section on the blog. So comment away!

2006-10-26T15:39:00.000-04:00

Complaint Department: This is an advertisement for a new "church" being started by an LCMS congregation near Cleveland. The ad speaks for itself, and what it speaks is terrible.

2006-10-26T15:34:00.000-04:00

Oktoberfest. Church construction is over, and we are returning to normal fellowship activities in the basement. The weather didn't let us use the outdoor pavillion this year.

2006-10-26T15:32:00.000-04:00

Oktoberfest Pumpkins: Thanks to Mike Benoit for his creative carving job. Martin Luther and Phillip Melanchthon

2006-10-26T15:31:00.000-04:00

Oktoberfest Pumpkins: Here is Martin Chemnitz, CFW Walther and your's truly.

2006-09-29T11:36:00.000-04:00

Waxing is finished, and the altar has been put back where it belongs. The dossal curtain has been cleaned and rehung. Trustees will install carpet or felt pads on the bottoms of the pews to keep them from scratching up the floor. I set the camera on the floor to take this picture.

2006-09-29T11:34:00.000-04:00

The elevator project left us with some extra green folding doors which other pictures show. Notice how the track ends abruptly? It used to go all the way to the end of the wall, and curve around the corner. We now no longer may need that green curtain you see pictured here.

2006-09-27T18:41:00.000-04:00

The floor is being cleaned, sealed, and waxed today. These are the heavy duty, modern buffers. These things would have made life much easier for sailors in the 1970s. Well, come to think of it, what would we have done with all that extra liberty?

2006-09-27T11:27:00.000-04:00

The Heavy Artillery has arrived. Floors will be stripped, sealed, waxed and buffed. This is not your grandfather's buffer. The blue buffer is powered by propane.

2006-09-26T09:58:00.000-04:00

With the installation of the baseboard completed on Monday September 25, we now need to get the floor stripped, sealed, waxed, and buffed. This work will be done this week. Then we can put the basement back together. Those green folding doors will have to be addressed next year due to budget constraints. We are looking at options to present to the congregation.

2006-09-26T09:56:00.000-04:00

Baseboard has been installed throughout the basement. They also fixed loose corners of baseboard installed on the ground and first floor elevator rooms. There is a special adhesive you have to use for bending corners, and it wasn't used by those working on the elevator. So that's been fixed as well.

2006-09-24T22:02:00.000-04:00

The new doors are being painted.

2006-09-24T22:01:00.000-04:00

Spray-painted doors. There was a lot of overspray that will need touchup.

2006-09-18T13:54:00.000-04:00

A closeup of the new tile and treads

2006-09-18T13:53:00.000-04:00

The new treads are being installed today. Just finished the upper steps, and now starting work on the lower. That black strip is the "sandpaper" sort of grip, much like that 3M stuff the trustees taped to the steps a few years ago.

2006-09-17T17:21:00.000-04:00

All tile work was finished on Saturday September 16. The stair treads will be installed starting Monday the 18th. Painters will then come and do their thing, then the baseboard will added. The project is going very well.

2006-09-15T10:47:00.000-04:00

Here is the basement narthex getting ready for tile. Work was just finished on that silver door behind the fan. Obviously the USN pea green will be painted over with the rest of the doors. There were some problems discovered in the paint job in this basement that will have to be addressed by the painter when he returns to do the doors. When the tile laying is finished, the same crew will install the stair treads.

2006-09-15T10:41:00.000-04:00

September 15, 2006. Tiling the main basement is finished except for the utility room to the right, and areas needing special cutting. Next area to get it is beyond those double doors.

2006-09-13T18:27:00.000-04:00

Tile laying as of September 13, 2006. Progress should be pretty rapid on Thursday. Things are really starting to shape up.

2006-09-13T18:25:00.000-04:00

This is where the crew ended for Wednesday September 13. The floor is going to look great. But those folding dividers.....

2006-09-13T18:24:00.000-04:00

Starting to lay the tile.

2006-09-12T09:42:00.000-04:00

We added a handicap drinking fountain. This picture shows it in the process of being installed. The lower fountain is the "Master" with all the cooling equipment, while the upper one is the "Slave". It just draws cold water off the master.

2006-09-11T11:05:00.000-04:00

The basement floor will receive two coats of this sealer. The crew will have both coats done today, September 11, and be ready for tile tomorrow. Yes, today is the fifth anniversary of the Islamic Terror Attacks on our country.

2006-09-11T11:04:00.000-04:00

The elevator is coming in very handy for the work crew, and they have decided wisely to protect it.

2006-09-11T11:02:00.000-04:00

Goodbye to the old floor tiles. These tiles were actually designed for residential use and were only half as thick as the commercial use tiles we are getting.

2006-09-08T11:18:00.000-04:00

The Tile Remover.

2006-09-08T11:17:00.000-04:00

The basement did fail the moisture test, so it will need two coats of sealer applied. Here is the loud machine that rips up the old tiles. It really does the job! They are peeling up with ease.

2006-09-08T11:16:00.000-04:00

We are getting new drinking fountains, one of which will be wheelchair accessable.

2006-09-06T19:12:00.000-04:00

Before we can have new tiles installed, we have to go through this floor moisture text. This is because the basement is "below grade". We haven't had any trouble with these old tiles popping up, so I am sure we'll have no problem with the new.

2006-09-06T19:10:00.000-04:00

The new, as yet unpainted, set of fire-rated double doors leading into the main basement.

2006-09-06T19:08:00.000-04:00

It's too bad the Coventry Fire Department won't let us go without a door here. The Fred Crisp Door Company is taking care of the new basement doors.

2006-08-31T16:34:00.000-04:00

Today S&K Asphalt is here cleaning and recoating the parking lot. They will also restripe it to provide handicap parking right about where the truck is. Yes, it smells bad around here today.

2006-08-29T10:37:00.000-04:00

Basement walls are getting painted white. Those doors are going to be replaced. That standard USN pea green will be a thing of the past.

2006-08-29T10:35:00.001-04:00

The painters are here, August 29, 2006

2006-08-29T10:35:00.000-04:00

Now that the landscaping Phase 1 is finished, we turn our attention back inside the church. The badly worn stair treads have been removed. That 'mauve' color you see on the edges will get fresh paint, then new treads installed.

2006-08-25T09:38:00.000-04:00

The flagpole area has also been improved.

2006-08-25T09:36:00.000-04:00

Island removal is almost complete. We will need to make some repairs to the pole, and put something around it so nobody hits it. The electrical wires were damaged, so they will need repair

2006-08-24T13:58:00.000-04:00

The semi circle will be planted with grass seed. I've been cautioned again to make sure the plants get plenty of water. It had just started to rain when I snapped this picture.

2006-08-24T13:56:00.000-04:00

All that remains to be done here is to seed the area in front of the mulched-in plants, and cover the ground with straw. Before adding the mulch, the grounds crew deposited an anti-weed powder all over the areas they are improving

2006-08-24T13:55:00.000-04:00

August 24, 2006. It's nice to have a Bobcat at your disposal.

2006-08-23T16:40:00.000-04:00

LANDSCAPING PROJECT BEGINS. August 23, 2006. Here is a before picture. We didn't do anything to the lawn area disturbed by the elevator construction. Weeds and grass naturally filled in all the truck tire ruts. Now it will get some TLC, and look very inviting by this Sunday's Divine Service.

2006-08-23T16:35:00.000-04:00

The Portage Lakes Drive side of the church which will get the attention this year. It's good to have a Bobcat to do all this work. You can see some of the front ends the Bobcat uses in the foreground. This area will get grass and bushes, along with a fruit tree on each side of the sidewalk.

2006-08-23T16:33:00.000-04:00

Ready for plants and grass. When I asked the foreman what types of plants are going in, the reply was: "The kind that need watering".

2006-08-23T16:32:00.000-04:00

Demolishing the parking lot "Island" - full of yellow jackets.

2006-08-23T16:31:00.000-04:00

Our landscaping has become overgrown in recentyears and the voters chose to remove much of the shrubberies in phases. This year we are doing the side of the church facing Portage Lakes Drive. These bushes pictured will be left alone for the time being.