Newport, N.H.
“There is a sense of really worshipping as a community,” the Rev. Kelly Sundberg Seaman said in a telephone interview.
Sundberg Seaman, who serves at Epiphany Episcopal as well as at Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church in New London, said the Epiphany Episcopal church building had a very classical feel. “People would go into space and feel like they were in England,” she said.
But because of the way the interior was arranged, the congregation and the altar were far apart, which parishioners and church leadership felt did not reflect the atmosphere of the community.
“Sitting in ordered pews and looking up at altar far away, the architecture of the church was at odds with the sense with warmth, connection and energy that was brought in by the people,” Sundberg Seaman said.
One parishioner summed it up by saying, “We were tired of praying into the back of each other’s heads.”
Working with the congregation, Sundberg Seaman and other church officials planned a redesign of the interior, opening up the space in order to create more a interactive and communal feel.
“We realized that there was a way to bring some new life, energy, openness into the church,” Sundberg Seaman said. “We wanted to be able to invite people in to share the connection, faith and love that we knew we had as a congregation.”
In addition to renovating the interior of the church, the service itself got a redesign.
“The shape of Holy Communion will be faithful to the church’s ancient tradition, but the service will be more brief, with lots of vibrant singing,” Sundberg Seaman said in a church news release.
The church also is launching a new year-round after-school youth choir program.
Last week, the Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld, Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire, led Saturday evening service at Epiphany Episcopal, blessing the new altar and opening services in the renovated space.
Now, services begin with parishioners seated in chairs in a circle at one end of the church. After scripture, prayers and a sermon, the congregation moves toward the other end of the church to gather around the new altar for the Eucharist.
“We circle around the table to have communion side by side with no sense of hierarchy,” Sundberg Seaman said.
By building connection and community, Sundberg Seaman said, she hopes Epiphany Episcopal Church will appeal to people who have not made church service a regular part of their lives. In the meantime, there is a sense of excitement among parishioners about the changes. “The spirit of adventure and trusting where God is leading us is the exciting thing at Epiphany,” she said.
And, should they be needed, the church’s pews are stored safely in a nearby barn.