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Do you have a question you would like answered about St Catherine’s or is there an issue or a comment you would like to see discussed?

The Wardens are starting a Q & A section in the Friday notices to answer questions so that everyone has the same information. We encourage you to call or email:

  • Robb (robertdwatt@hotmail.com) or 604 980 5012
  • Linda (lindakrobertson@shaw.ca) or 604 375 2272
  • Chris (cjwensley@gmail.com) or 778 323 5706

with your questions and if we think that others would benefit from hearing your question answered, we will put it into the Friday notices. We will always respond to your question, of course, even if it does not go into the Friday email notices.

So please – send us any questions, comments or suggestions and we will post them anonymously in our Friday notices.  We will also post this column on our website so that you can refer to it in future as you may miss a Friday notice. We have had several questions around our finances which we will be addressing in future Friday emails. But our first question is:

Q: When are the chairs arriving to replace our pews?

A: The chairs for the church were ordered in early July, manufactured within 2 weeks and shipped from Ireland. They are now on their way to Vancouver and will arrive much earlier than we thought – around the middle of August. They will be delivered to St Catherine’s and we will store them while we prepare the church for the removal of the pews.    

The wardens have contacted moving companies for an estimate to move the pews and advice on where the pews (and chairs) can easily be stored.  

The pews are easy to dismantle as they are just screwed into the floor and the seats are screwed to the pew backs. We think it will only take a few days to dismantle and store the pews but will let you know what we hear from the movers.

Once the pews are taken out for storage, we will need to fill the small holes in the floor where the screws were and have the floor refinished. We are getting estimates for this as well. We will be keeping the red carpet for now. The floor refinishing should take only a day or two.  

Depending on when these services can be booked, we are hoping to have the new chairs set up for Sunday, September 11. If we have unforeseen delays and don’t have use of the church for a Sunday, we will worship in the gym.

Q: What will happen to the beautiful pew wood?

A: All the wood will be repurposed. We will look first to use some of it in the church but do not yet know what we will need or where. Extra wood will be sold to craftsmen who can convert the wood into something beautiful. These decisions will be made over the coming months. We will let you know what our options are.      

If you have any other questions about the pews and chairs, please email or call one of the wardens as others may have the same question and we can answer it in these notices