A number of parishioners have been wondering what happened to our pew cushions.  While all of us at Christ Church were very much involved in the reflections of our need for a new floor and the ensuing renovations that produced our beautiful new granite tiles, we had not spent much time reflecting about our pew cushions.  We had been informed by the two acoustical engineers whom we engaged in the past three years that the cushions would have a relatively minor role in the acoustics of Christ Church, but we did no further explorations into the issue of whether to keep the cushions or not.  The issue did not make itself obvious until the pews were returned and a debate arose about whether it was wise to return the 30 (plus) year old cushions.  As some of you remember these cushions were a generous gift from Doris Westwood-Fisher, a devoted parishioner of many years.  When it came time to return the cushions after this summer's renovation it became painfully obvious that the cushions had not been cleaned since their original installation.  Many of them are covered with wax and show years of wear and soiling.  The stuffing is revealing the age and constant use over such a long period.  A number of you suggested to Mother Gini that we should assess the condition of the cushions before returning them to the church.
   Since this summer we have heard the following comments:
   Some of you have said you like the look and feel of the plain, polished oak wood of the bare pews.
Others have said that your backs appreciate the bare wood without the cushions.
   Others have said that you like our enhanced acoustics that the new floor and bare pews offer, especially as we appreciate the music ministry of our worship services.
Others have said that you find the bare pews very uncomfortable and the discomfort distracts from your worship.  You really need the support of a cushion.
 The majority of you have said that you do not have strong feelings about the pew cushions and would be happy with or without them.
   To collate all this information a small group of six people were invited to offer a solution to the pew cushion question.  These people seemed to represent the variety of opinions expressed above.  They were: Mickey Sayles, Sue Mitchell, Carl Day, Helen Urquhart, Suzanne Shaw, Anne Meyers and the rector.  After polling approximately fifty parishioners, we met to discuss the matter on Nov. 11th.  We agreed that this was an issue that involved extreme opinions, especially between those who really miss the cushions and find the bare pews extremely uncomfortable and those who prefer the bare pews for a number of reasons, including the comfort of bare pews for their backs and posture.  We reviewed a proposal that in light of the age and condition of our present cushions, simply cleaning them and returning them to the pews would not satisfy a large segment of our parish family.  (The cost of cleaning is estimated at $1,000.00.)  We also reviewed the suggestion that we buy individual cushions (at a cost of $500.00) and have them available at the back of the church for anyone who wanted one.  The people who felt strongly about having the old cushions returned did not like the individual cushion idea for a variety of reasons.
   After a great deal of deliberation our group felt that it was important to come up with a solution that would embrace the spirit of our Anglican heritage reflected in our mission statement proclaiming that we at Christ Church welcome doubters, seekers and believers.  In other words there is room here to hold people of diverging opinions while worshipping together and respecting our differences.  We would like to try the following and see how the parish reacts:
   To return half the number of cleaned pew cushions (cleaning to be paid for by a generous donation from a parishioner) to every other pew.  In this way all of us could have a choice as to whether we wish to sit on cushions or on plain wood.  While none of us liked this solution aesthetically (we felt this would look odd) we felt that this solution offered the spirit of choice that embodies our Anglican heritage of welcoming people of diverging opinions while worshipping one God through the creeds of the doctrines of our tradition.
   Thank you for trying this compromise, and please continue to let us hear your thoughts when the cushions are returned to every other pew after having been cleaned and sanitized.