Steeple Restoration

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Our church is so beautiful. Whenever I turn the corner from Chester Avenue onto Bridgeboro Road, I find that my spirits are lifted just by looking up at our inspiring steeple. It is a real beacon of hope for our entire Moorestown community.” — Peggy and Bob Morris
 
Follow the story of the steeple restoration which occurred over the month of November and into December of 2020. Ken Wehn, Property Supervisor at the time of the restoration, describes the progress of the Robert Morgan Steeple & Building Restoration of New Hampshire crew and shares details that bring the project alive. Ken took the majority of the photos but we do offer special thanks to Manny Delgado for the ‘birds eye view’ photos taken with his drone. Just click on any of the photos to open a larger, more detailed view.
 

Steeple Restoration Has Begun! 

November 7, 2020

Long a landmark in the Moorestown community, our Steeple is now under-going a restoration! Mike Duke and his crew from New Hampshire have arrived to start a month-long project including repairing the wood rot, sealing the cracks, improving the ventilation, scraping and painting.

“This has been on my to-do list since I started here 21 months ago,” Ken Wehn, our Property Manager, tells us, “The steeple will look as good as new when finished. I also plan on repairing and repainting the columns at our front entrance. My goal is to make this beautiful church look it’s best for years to come. I love my job!”

We are thankful for Ken and the rest of the crew. Keep an eye out for updates during the coming weeks. This is a very exciting time as our church opens our doors for service on Sundays.

Steeple Restoration Continues!

November 11, 2020

So often one well planned project rolls into another as unexpected problems are found. This certainly has been the case with our restoration. Our steeple contractor found extensive wood rot under the peeling paint and interior framing. There are several reasons why this occurred:
 
  1. Lack of maintenance.
  2. Paint and caulking aged out and failed.
  3. At one point plywood was installed to cover the vents with hopes of keeping the water out. But covering the vents just stopped the moisture that got in from drying out thus causing the wood to stay wet and rot away. Did you know rot is the result of fungus eating the wood?
 
Now that we are aware of the problem, we will be making the correct repairs. The steeple will have new wood where needed along with caulking, primer and paint to seal out the moisture. Much better ventilation throughout the several levels in the steeple to keep it dry. Dry wood will last forever!

Steeple Restoration Continues!

November 18, 2020

Mike and his crew from the Robert Morgan Company are making great progress this week. The team is installing pressure treated lumber to replace the area of framing that is damaged by wood rot. New cedar boards are going to enclose the upper vent area.
 
Cedar is a popular wood that’s long been used within the construction industry. Due to the aromatic, beautiful, and strong features of the wood, it’s a natural choice when it comes to building structures that can last for generations to come.

Steeple Restoration Continues!

November 24, 2020

Today we are pleased to bring you a ‘bird’s eye view’ of the cedar replacement work with these great photos of the steeple. Thank you to Manny Delgado for piloting his drone and capturing a view we would not otherwise see.

Can you imagine working with this crew so high in the sky? This is very dangerous work! Please join us in prayer for the crew’s continued safety.

Steeple Restoration Comes to an End!

December 4, 2020

Our steeple restoration project has come to an end, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results! We hope you are too. Late last week we heard from Peggy and Bob Morris who shared with us the following, “Bob and I are fascinated with the work that is being done to our Church steeple. Sometimes we sit at the intersection of Broadacres Court and Bridgeboro Road and just watch. What a huge undertaking this is.”

They also had a few questions that we thought we would share with you.

Q 1 — Would you be able to send out information on the company that is doing this work?
A — The company that has done the work is from New Hampshire. Robert Morgan Steeple & Building Restoration.

Q 2 — Are they going to re-do the entire steeple or just parts of it?
A — We have repaired the whole steeple — top to bottom — which had been leaking for several years causing extensive wood rot. This restoration was a two-step process. First the Morgan team replaced the damaged framing with pressure treated lumber and the siding with 1″ cedar. They then sealed all the cracks, primed and painted with two coats each. The spire is metal roofing that was primed and painted with oil-based paint. The rooster has a new coating of gold leaf to make it pop. And in the end… the steeple really looks great!

Q 3 — What are the plans for the rest of the Sanctuary?
A — Next spring we are going to repair the water damaged columns and paint. We are repairing the rotted sections of the sanctuary windows and painting those too.

We are always moving forward one brush stroke at a time. Our beautiful church really needed a major overhaul!

Steeple Restoration – the Rooster

December 7, 2020

Just a few more great pictures of the steeple restoration project. In the first two photos you can see Mike, of Robert Morgan Steeple & Building Restoration, at the tip of the steeple taking the rooster down for a new coat of gold leaf. 
 
“Used as a symbol, the rooster represents the weakness of man and the grace of Christ in forgiving sinners. The rooster reminds us that Christ extends hope to sinners everywhere.” — Becky Castellanos

And finally, our beautiful steeple.

Our beacon calling all to worship at FPC Moorestown!