St. George Orthodox Christian Churchs iconography is in good hands.

Those hands belong to George Kordis, who has been an iconographer for 45 years.

Most of my life is dedicated to this,Kordis said.

The Fishers Greek Orthodox church received a visit from Kordis and his team of iconographers from Greece March 11 to finish the final phase of painting icons, paintings of Jesus and other holy figures, at the church. Unfortunately, before the final phase could be completed, the team was forced to return to Greece March 25 to avoid becoming stranded in the U.S. due to the coronavirus pandemic. They will return when the travel situation returns to normal.

A Greek team of iconographers visited St. George Orthodox Christian Church to complete the fourth phase of the churchs iconography.

The iconography is a very important part of our worship; its not just decoration, St. George Pastor Nabil Hanna said. Iconography has been an essential part of the Christian faith from the very, very beginning, so I always point to the evidence we have in the catacombs in Rome when Christians were worshipping underground when it was illegal to be Christian back in the first century. Those catacombs, they painted with iconography all the walls and ceilings.

Its the sense we have when we come into worship, we are joining in what is happening in heaven and as a witness of that fact, its surrounding us. Its a theology in color.

Hanna, known as Father Nabil by his congregation, said some of the first icons were painted by St. Luke, who was an artist and author of the Gospel and Acts of the Apostles.

From the very beginning, the iconography has been a staple throughout the Orthodox world.

Whenever its feasible to the greatest extent possible, we have icons, because its a witness we are in the midst of the angels, the saints with Christ in the heavenly worship, Hanna said. We Christians understand thats where we belong.

Hanna said icons are referred to as windows into heaven.

When I look out this window, I dont think about the glass Im looking beyond the surface, Hanna said. Im not looking at the wall and the paint. My focus is on the subject behind it.

Construction of St. George, previously located in Indianapolis, started at 10748 E. 116th St. in 2012 and moved in late 2013.

Most churches in America use local iconographers, Hanna said. This group we became acquainted with and we became the first handful of churches that they did in America.

Kordis painted the icons at Holy Trinity in Carmel before St. George.

The reason we picked them is we saw their work. As we were deciding on which iconographers, we took field trips to see the work of the finalists, Hanna said. When we saw their work in Valley Forge,we were convinced. What makes them different from the vast number of iconographers, not only in America but around the world, is they paint directly on the wall the old-fashioned way. I would say 99 percent want to paint in their studio on canvas and then come affix to the wall and just do background. Its easier for them and they dont have to stretch their arm or stand on scaffolding. It might even be easier to do more detailed work, but it ends up looking more disjoined as separate scenes rather the flow of being surrounded by heaven.

This was St. Georges fourth phase of iconography. The first phase was completed while the church was under construction, starting in the altar area and continuing to the top of the dome.

Kordis has a master of divinity degree from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology and earned his Ph.D. in theology and Byzantine Aesthetics from the University of Athens.

We keep the tradition and preserve as much as possible, Kordis said. Everything depends on the architecture of the church. There are standard themes but each church is different.

George Kordis stands on scaffolding to reach parts of the wall. (Photos by Anna Skinner)

Deacon Joseph Olas, a St. George pastoral assistant, has a special connection to St. George.

Its the parish he grew up in as his father, Rev. Joseph Olas, was the pastor.

His father was pastor for 13 years before retiring due to ill health in 1995. He died two years later. Hanna has been pastor since 1995.

I can tell you right now my dad would be very happy with what is being done here, Olas said.

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Key to worship: St. George nears final phase of iconography - Current in Carmel

More than a year has passed since Parisians watched in horror and sadness as Notre Dame Cathedral, a symbol of national pride since its construction in the 12th Century, was partially destroyed by fire.

First, melted scaffolding needs to be removed from the charred and broken Notre Dame before any architectural restoration begins in earnest. The scaffolding was in place for a $6.8 million restoration that was nearly completed when the fire struck. A team leading the post-fire reconstruction effort intends to remove the scaffolding in March before beginning the painstakingly careful repair work out of fear the buildings vaults could collapse. The French government, which leads the team, wants to ensure every restored artifact aligns with tradition and the expectations of future generations.

Notre Dame Cathedral isnt the first and wont be the last historic building to be restored after falling into disrepair or being destroyed by natural disaster or war. French restorationists will undoubtedly make decisions that are informed by the spirit of the structure, but they also can seek guidance from the rebuilding of other acclaimed historic buildings and new technologies.

Contemporary U.S. presidents dont actually stay in the same White House that George Washington lived in when he was in office. For one, it was then called the Presidents House, and until John Adams presidency it was in Philadelphia. But more exactly, the building that became the White House was lost to a fire set by British troops that stormed Washington, D.C., in 1814, two years into the War of 1812. Although it took 10 years to construct the first White House, its architect, James Hoban, returned to the wreckage to reconstruct a new one in less than three years.

Hoban was able to reuse stone walls, significantly hastening the rebuild, but he also saved time by altering the structural scheme of the building by using timber instead of brick, according to the White House Historical Association. Although resourceful and successfully working off memory, Hobans expediency led to a weaker structure that ultimately led to a demolition and rebuilding of the White House 130 years later.

White House reconstruction efforts pale in comparison with the many rebuilds of St. Pauls Cathedral in London. The cathedral dates to 604 A.D., but it has had several incarnations after burning in several fires over the centuries. Viking raiders also destroyed it.

The Great Fire of London in 1666 claimed St. Pauls yet again, leading a scientist, Christopher Wren, to lead an architectural restoration effort that illustrates the many demands on a project of public significance. After having designs rejected as too modest or too radical, Wren struck the perfect note with a plan to have the larger rebuilt church surrounded by dozens of smaller new churches. The beloved cathedral stood strong during the London Blitz, a German bombardment of the city in World War II, sustaining only minor damage and acting as a symbol of Britains resilience.

Modern technology now helps architects rebuild and preserve historic structures and determine how to create a restored artifact with the care and precision that restorationists and the public often expect.

Infrared thermography measures the radiation emitted by different materials to create a multi-layered look inside the walls of a building. This view can show preservationists where things are buried, whether a support beam has cracked and if anything lies beneath the surface. Ground-penetrating radar also helps detect structural defects in masonry and stone, and if any archeological remains are buried in the surrounding grounds.

Laser scanning could someday help bring Notre Dame Cathedral back to life. This process has emerged as a nearly fail-safe way to record the dimensions of structures should those many details be needed later. The digital photos can be used as point clouds, essentially detailed 3D models that can serve as blueprints for reconstructing buildings hurt by time, fire and natural disaster.

Because of the widespread affection for Notre Dame Cathedral, many recorded its internal workings before the 2019 fire. Vassar College professor Andrew Tallon led a 3D laser scan of the entire cathedral before his death in 2018. His continuous mapping of the church created a 3D image that Tallon said was accurate to within five millimeters and is considered a near-realistic image of the space that can guide the eventual reconstruction.

Of course, the materials used to build and repair Notre Dame over the centuries including the timber that made the roof and the stone that shaped the vaults isnt readily available today. Still, Tallons scanned images will give the eventual saviors of Notre Dame a meticulous view of how the cathedral used to stand and how it can again stretch into the Paris sky.

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Slovakian archeologists have uncovered a trove of 500 silver coins dating as far back as 1702 hidden underneath a church floor. The significant historical find was made after construction workers discovered the ruins of a Renaissance-era church underneath the 19th-century church they were renovating.

The archeological company Triglav came in to investigate after the construction workers stumbled upon the old foundationsat the church of St. Martina in Obiovce, near the eastern Slovakian city of Koice.The experts made the unprecedented discovery of the valuable hoard in February. The coins were hidden in a nondescript ceramic jug that had been concealed underneath a small flagstone in the original church floor. The jug was also sealed with a stone.

Most of the coins were minted by local mining companies, and the earliest one is stamped 1702, when Slovakia was ruled by Hungary as part of the Habsburg Empire. Some had come from Poland.The silver coins were individually wrapped in linen, and were likely collected as donations from pilgrims.

The archeologist Peter imk, who worked on the team, was unable to estimate the value of the hoard to local press, but said that its historical value was immense. The mining stamps were a low-value local currency traded for basic goods, but imk explained that miners also often used them as charity. When they dropped them into the bag, they clinked like normal coins, and no one could tell what they put in it,imk said.

The group of archeologists explain on their Facebook page that they decided to name the treasure the Mono-ocular Treasure after a partially blind priest they believe hid the coins.Historical sources from the time relate that a new Catholic priest,who was Polish and blind in one eye, came to the church in around 1687.It is believed that this priest stashed the treasure to keep it safe amid a slew of uprisings against the Habsburgs during that period.

Reports indicate that the church was indeed raided and left to ruin in 1705 but the hidden trove went unnoticed. It was reconstructed in the mid-19th century and the hoard still wasnt discovered until this year.

The treasure has been handed over to the state as required by Slovakian law when professional archeologists make a find.

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Archeologists Have Discovered a Trove of 300-Year-Old Silver Coins Hidden Beneath the Floor of a Renaissance Church in Slovakia - artnet News

Dominium, one of the nations largest affordable housing development and management companies,recently closed on the property they have named Heritage at Church Ranch. The property is located at thecorner of Church Ranch Road and Wadsworth Boulevard in Westminster. The $62 milliondevelopment will provide 205 units of high quality affordable senior housing and will expand Dominiumsportfolio in Colorado in excess of 1,000 homes.

In addition to the affordable homes created, this developmentwill preserve the historically significant barn, which is over 150 years old and will serve as a community spaceand the gateway to the Dry Creek trail system for their future residents.

Bryan Construction, Inc. (BCI)has been selected as the general contractor and other development partners include theCity of Westminster and PWN Architects. The entire Heritage at Church Ranch construction team is committedto providing affordable housing and a long-lasting partnership with Dominium.

Bryan Construction has a large portfolio of multifamily projects including affordable and tax-credit housing.

We have been in partnership with Dominium overthe past year helping to bring this project to fruition. We are proud to be a part of this project team and thegrowing needs this project will fill in the affordable housing market, said Doug Woody, vice president of Bryan Construction.

Construction is scheduled to begin inMay 2020.

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Affordable Housing Project to Break Ground in Westminster - milehighcre.com

Two Christian men were shot in the head and one was attacked with an axe on 2 February, during a church building construction dispute between the Masih family and some Muslim neighbours, in Sahiwal, Punjab province.

The Muslim attackers shot both Azeem and Sajjadin the head, and injured Razaq with an axe. All three men were admitted to the Civil Hospital Sahiwal, where Azeem was put into intensive care.

Azeem was released from the hospital three weeks later, on 24 February. His younger brother stated, He is unable to communicate and is paralysed from the right shoulder down. One of my cousins is recovering from the wound of a bullet that slightly hit his skull. My uncle was also injured with an axe.

The Masih family wanted to provide a building for the local Christian community, numbering at least 120 in the Muslim-majority area. There is no church in our village. We gather in the house of a local pastor for weekly prayers. We wanted to facilitate the women and elderly who couldnt travel each Sunday to the nearby city, they said.

Christians are often met with opposition when building churches in certain parts of Pakistan, especially rural areas. Local Muslims in Muzaffarabad stole building materials and cut off Christians water supply to halt the construction of a church, despite permission granted by local authorities.

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Two Pakistani Christians shot and one attacked with axe over church construction dispute - Barnabas Fund

ST. PETERSBURG As millions of dollars in downtown development pushed west, Christ United Methodist Church, struggling financially, decided to capitalize on the voracious appetite for land.

The radical move to sell the congregations parking lot once considered for an urban garden has netted a multimillion-dollar fund to put the church on a path to stability. Church leaders hope to use the money for ministries, upgrade their sprawling campus to bring in operating revenue and invest for the future.

Were coming down from the mountain and the real hard work begins in pulling this together, said the Rev. Jacqueline JonesSmith in the wake of the euphoria that came from the sale. We have to keep pushing. ... The sale was not the panacea. We dont want to become victims of sudden wealth syndrome."

The congregation, at 467 First Ave. N, next to City Hall, celebrated the December sale two Sundays ago. The service also marked the culmination of the churchs 128th anniversary. Bishop Ken Carter, head of the Florida United Methodist Conference, accepted an invitation to attend. A bishop had not visited the church in years.

The DeNunzio Group, based in Palm Harbor and Cambridge, Mass., paid $5.3 million for the churchs .65-acre parking lot at First Avenue N and Fifth Street. The firms president, Dustin DeNunzio, said he is pursuing an aggressive permitting timeline for a 24- to 28-story tower that will include ground-level retail, offices, a hotel, residential rental units and parking. The church will get up to 120 free parking spaces on Sundays and a few permanent spaces they can use all of the time.

Beyond that, we are committed to working with the church to ensure that they have the availability of parking for special events, DeNunzio wrote via email. Our goal is to help them become as successful as possible, and a lot of that will come from having adequate parking when they host special events.

Until construction begins, the church will continue to use the lot on Sundays, he said.

JonesSmith arrived at Christ United Methodist in 2016 and quickly appointed a business development group as part of an urgent strategy to revive the church. The former lawyer, who served as chairman and commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission from 1989 to 1994, is the congregations first African-American pastor.

The business development group included Bob Stewart, a former Pinellas County Commissioner and St. Petersburg City Council member, and Jones-Smiths husband, Joshua I. Smith, a businessman who served on boards that included FedEx Corp., Caterpillar, Allstate Insurance and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

She put together the most unique ad hoc group you can imagine, said another member of the group, the Rev. Tom Gregory, a CPA and pastor emeritus of Christ Church.

My original charge was to look for ways that we could leverage our assets, Jones-Smith said. This was a group that could think outside the box.

The group suggested selling the parking lot, and it will work with others in the congregation to tackle challenges like upgrading technology and communications at the sprawling Christ Church campus and finding ways to enhance the building for the broader community. Jones-Smith envisions livestreaming, podcasts and online Bible studies as a way of reaching beyond the 1,200-seat sanctuary, where only about 175 to 180 people worship on Sundays. She also would like to see the sanctuary rented as a small performance venue, for meetings and conferences, and unused rooms on the church property transformed into offices.

The opportunity with the money is that when the present sanctuary was built in the late 50s, the Americans with Disabilities Act had not been thought of," said Gregory, 82, a former chairman of the board of trustees at St. Petersburg College. "There were no such things as handicapped restrooms. Hopefully, it would be used to provide facilities to meet the needs of all folks.

Christ Churchs pastor said the congregation will use some of its windfall to create new ministries and expand and restore old ones such as its laundry ministry, which gives quarters and offers prayers and other assistance at coin laundries. Jones-Smith added that she also plans to restart the churchs afterschool arts program, JAM, or Jesus, the Arts and Me. She would like her downtown congregation to work with the Rev. Jana Hall-Perkins of McCabe United Methodist Church, 2800 26th Ave. S, to take the program to areas where it is needed.

McCabe and Christ Church have a sister church" relationship and have been worshiping together once a year during Black History Month. This year, McCabe traveled downtown to Christ Church.

Christ Church is one of two Methodist congregations within blocks of each other in St. Petersburgs downtown. Gregory, who was baptized at Christ Church and whose parents married there, said he had been retired for five years when the district superintendent asked him to lead the declining congregation. It was an unpaid position. He recalls welcoming Jones-Smith when she and her husband walked through the doors to worship while visiting from Maryland. He felt God sent them to Christ Church.

I feel we are on our way, Jones-Smith said this week. God has really had a hand in this."

Its a new beginning rather than arriving, her husband said.

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From tiny downtown parking lot, St. Pete church blessed with millions - Tampa Bay Times

We will be an active, good neighbor.

Denvers Landmark Preservation Commission has unanimously approved changes a nonprofit that provides housing and other services for people experiencing homelessness needs to turn a historic Cheesman Park church building into housing for the working poor.

The commission hearing on Tuesday focused on the architectural details of the St. Francis Centers proposal for the Warren Church at 1630 E. 14th St. in the Wyman Historic District.

In comments to the board, St. Francis Executive Director Tom Luehrs offered a twist on the idea of preserving the character of the main sanctuary built in 1909 and fellowship hall added in 1952. He said his housing project safeguarded the churchs legacy of serving the community. The church is next door to Warren Village, a nonprofit unconnected to St. Francis that since 1974 has provided transitional housing and help with education and job training to single-parent families that have experienced homelessness. Warren Village was founded by Warren Church members.

We see the key way to help people get out of homelessness is to help them find housing, Luehrs said. Theres such a great need for people in our community who cant afford high rents to have something thats subsidized.

In an interview afterward, a church neighbor who had argued during the hearing against changes to the structure said he also had concerns about density and about who would be living in the 48-unit, dormitory-style housing that Luehrs is planning to build in the sanctuary and hall.

I care about the safety of the neighborhood, my own and my neighbors, Chris Mast told Denverite.

Luehrs said he had heard concerns that the new neighbors might pose a threat. In an interview, Luehrs said he expected Warren residents to be people whom St. Francis has already supported, including with an employment center that has been headquartered at Warren since the structure was closed as a church by the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Methodist Church in 2014. Luehrs said part of the inspiration for the project was watching people St. Francis had helped find employment struggle to keep the jobs because they did not have stable housing.

You might be scared of people, Luehrs said. But give them a chance and I think that they will prove that they will be invested in the neighborhood as well as in their own housing and jobs.

Luehrs said he has been working for months with people who live nearby on a good neighbor agreement that soon will be completed. He said it will ensure communications are open between the St. Francis housing, which will be staffed 24/7, and the neighborhood.

We will be people that are trying to make sure the neighborhood is well looked after, Luehrs said. We will be an active, good neighbor.

Ethan Hemming, president and CEO and Warren Village, said his transitional housing nonprofit was involved in the good neighbor agreement talks. He added that Warren Village was already treating St. Francis as a neighbor he has recommended his security company to Luehrs.

Were already working together positively, Hemming said. Were support of what St. Francis is doing and is trying to do in the neighborhood.

Mast, who spoke against the St. Franciss request to the landmark commission, said he has been following the good neighbor agreement process and hoped it would be constructive.

I hope it works out. I really do, Mast said of the housing project. I very, very much respect the need for affordable housing.

The church site is zoned for the use Luehrs has proposed, and he said he will start renovating and construction in May. Luehrs said he expected the first residents to move in next February.

Residents will have private bedrooms and share kitchens, bathrooms and other common areas. The employment center, which Luehrs said has about 30 visitors a day, will move to another location.

The landmark commission considered only design issues. The main changes approved are to the fellowship hall, where half the roof will be demolished and a new roof with dormers will be added.

Landmark commission member Kathy Corbett said the design team from Shopworks, a Denver architecture firm, had avoided major changes to the sanctuary out of respect for the historic nature of the church itself.

Fellow commission member Kelly Wemple said guidelines for the dormers, which create more living space, had been scrupulously followed.

Excerpt from:
St. Francis gets go-ahead from Landmark for a project to house the poor in Cheesman Park - Denverite

Several school districts and one city in the Des Moines metro are holding special elections on Tuesday in hopes of funding anumber of new construction projects.

The North Polk, Norwalk and Indianola school districts hope to secure funding sources for new construction and renovation projects. The city of Carlisle wants to expand offices for the city hall and police department.

Catch up on what thespecial elections mean, and where and when to vote.

North Polk Community School District: The North Polk school districtwants to issue $15 million in general obligationbonds to build a new elementary school and an addition to the high school.

The construction aims to accommodate a growing number of students, the district'swebsite reads. The district's projections show that enrollment will keep increasing and could top functional capacity in the coming years.

The following polling locationswill be open from7 a.m. to 8 p.m:

Norwalk Community School District: Norwalk voters can weigh in on a proposed physical education and competition center at Norwalk High School. The district wants approvalofa $24 million general obligation bond for the project, which would add about 78,000 square feet to the school including two gymnasiums, a track,wrestling room, fitness center, meeting rooms and offices.

Norwalk's new physical education and competition center will contain a gym that will be able to seat 1,800 visitors.(Photo: FRK Architects and Engineers)

The district would also renovate the existing gym foryouth activities and community events, Superintendent Duane Magee said in December. Citing increasing enrollment, he said some students are "using hallways and vestibule entry areas for physical education class because of lack of space."

The school board's special election will be heldat St.John the Apostle Catholic Church,720 Orchard Hills Drive, from7 a.m. to 8p.m.

More: Norwalk schools seeking $24 million for new gymnasiums, athletic facilities

Indianola Community School District:Indianola voters will consider two measures Tuesday, including funding for playgrounds.

The school district wants voters to approve a new levy of 13.5 cents per$1,000 of taxable valuationto fundpublic playgrounds and other community education and recreation projects, known as thePublic Educational and Recreational Levy.

Residents can also vote on whether to renew the district's "sales tax revenue purpose statement," which if passed would allow it touse that revenue for all purposes allowed by Iowa law.The measure would not increase taxes.

The Indianola special election will be held atthe Warren County Administration Building, 301 NBuxton St.,from7a.m. to 8p.m.

City of Carlisle:Carlisle city officials have a plan to createa new home for city hall and make more space for the police department. They'reare asking voters to approve for the money to pay for the work.

Renovating the former Great Western Bank building at 100 N First St., making it the new city hall, is expected to cost $1.6 million. Remodeling the current city hall building for the expanded police department is expected to cost $2.4 million.The moves would roughly double the space available for city hall and the police department.

Exterior of proposed new Carlisle City Hall.(Photo: Submitted)

The city's special election will be held atthe Family Life Center, 405 School St., from7 a.m. to 8p.m.

More: Carlisle city officials look for voter approval for city hall plan

Michael Rolands contributed to this report.

Shelby Fleig covers Des Moines' western suburbs for the Register. Reach her at shelbyfleig@dmreg.com or 515-214-8933.

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See what's on the ballot for Tuesday's special elections in Warren and Polk counties - Des Moines Register

The first Tuvaluan Christian congregation was established in New Zealand 28 years ago. Many of the founding members of the church arent even alive now. And the first pastor of the church is also no more.

The initiative of their church construction started in 2016, and the fundraising for church began in 2018. Australian-based Tuvaluan architect, Fakalulu Ben Kofe is the architect of the church. The total cost of building the church was $3.3 million. And the capacity of the church is 220 people.

When there was the opening ceremony of the church Nuseta Alefaio-Hope couldnt hold back her tears. Hopes Grandmother was one of the first members of the Tuvaluan Church Congregation in Auckland. Her mother was alps a devout member of the church. She is also no more.

Reverend Tomasi Iopu, who is the pastor of the congregation, now said that the church was also the dream of the first pastor of the congregation. It was a bittersweet moment for all the church members. As they had this church planned many years ago, and it finally came to fruition with the help of church fundraising.

Many fundraising ideas for church were floated while building it, and members took a loan from Christian Savings, and they also sold a property nearby to the church. However, the church paid back the loan soon and is now debt-free.

The congregation started with few families, and now there are 50 families in the congregation. Pastor Tomasi was pleased with the achievement of the church. Now the congregation has a place to gather at and worship. He said he is happy not only about the new building but also about the growing belief of the church members.

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The First Tuvaluan Christian Congregation Church Completed in New Zealand - Business Deccan

Improvements on the North Lake corridor are scheduled to begin in the Town of Lexington. The project, funded by the Hospitality Tax, will be completed in phases beginning this summer. Safety and operations along the corridor are the main focuses of the project as it serves more than 40,000 vehicles daily.

The project will begin with the widening of North Lake Drive from the one-way pair split at Church Street to the existing Dreher Street.

Phase two will include the extension of Harmon Street and relocation of Dreher Street to North Lake Drive and Azalea Drive.

Improvements from the existing Dreher Street to North Lake Drive at Sunset Boulevard will be the final phase of the project.

Changes to entrances and student drop-off locations at Lexington Elementary and Lexington Middle schools will be managed by Lexington County School District One officials.

More information about the project is available at lexsc.com.

Originally posted here:
North Lake corridor in Lexington to undergo construction this summer - ColaDaily.com