Glorious Vision is a plan for the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation to expand its sanctuary and renovate the entrance on Main Street in Highlands. The plans were announced to the public on Sunday at a capital campaign kickoff party at Incarnation located at 520 Main and 5th streets. Rector Bentley Manning said the expansion is necessary to accommodate a growing congregation.
“We’re expanding the main sanctuary due to increased attendance,” said Rev. Manning. “Each week we have people sitting in the overflow watching the service on a screen. We’re going to expand the seating and enhance the sanctuary to be more reflective of the sacrament and God’s glory through beauty.”
The Main Sanctuary of the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation currently seats 200.
The Main Sanctuary currently seats 200, and after the project’s completion will seat 260. The old chapel (facing 5th Street) seats 100 and will remain the only part of the building untouched by construction. In fact, Manning said the aim is to spread the look of the chapel throughout the church.
Incarnation has hired Cram and Ferguson Architects out of Concord, Mass. who Manning said have extensive experience with these types of projects.
“We feel good because we’re working with some of the best liturgical architects in the country,” he said. “We can’t change the footprint of the church so we’re using our space to the fullest.”
The project costs $6M in total and Incarnation has already raised $3M. Along with the expanded sanctuary, Incarnation plans to add a spire on the Main Street side of the building.
The plan calls for a spire expansion at the main entrance. Pictured above is an artist’s rendering of the view from Main Street in Highlands.
“The spire will balance out the bell tower and will be a beacon of God’s sanctuary of welcome,” said Manning. “After presenting the plans to parishioners there was an overwhelmingly positive response. To have that kind of unity is incredible.”
The expansion will continue the theme (aesthetics, decor, etc.) used in the chapel (seats 100) in the plans for the expansion.
The theme of the project is to illuminate, invite, and inspire. Manning said the interior of the main sanctuary will incorporate beauty, color, warmth, and energy.
Assistant Rector Kellan Day with Rector Bentley Manning in the Chapel at the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation.
Assistant Rector Kellan Day gave her first sermon at Incarnation on Sunday and is excited to be a part of this project.
“I think the energy this place has and the plan’s emphasis on beauty, not just making the building bigger, was really compelling,” said Rev. Day.
Manning said Cram and Ferguson are in the process of coming up with detailed architectural drawings and Incarnation will be going through the permit process during the campaign efforts to raise the additional $3M.
Pictured at the top of the article is an artist’s rendering of the proposed expansion from 5th Street in Highlands.
Article and Photos by Brian O’Shea
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