It’s nearly 10:00 a.m. on Sunday morning as Reverend Janet Parsons looks out across the 1806 meetinghouse where she is minister. The Paul Revere bell high in the tower above has just called out its final reminder that the service is about to begin. A clock by Simon Willard, one of the country’s earliest makers, that has kept nearly perfect time for over 200 years, is about to strike. The 19th century chandelier that originally burned whale oil is now powered by energy efficient LED bulbs. Ancient floor boards gently creak as last minute arrivals take their seats. And the 1893 Hutchings-Fisk organ, that easily fills one whole end of the 600-seat sanctuary, introduces the first hymn of the service. Amidst the history and beauty of this magnificent old building, Parsons continually wrestles with the question: How do we continue to adapt and change both the practice of our faith and the preservation of this historic building to remain relevant to those who attend? In other words, how do we create a “living tradition” for faith and building?

Parsons looks for the answer to this question wherever she can find it. And so, when she was approached by a member of the congregation to consider an alternative to the voluminous and outdated robes worn by the choir, she quickly signed on. The proposal, brilliant in its simplicity, was to have the choir wear a modern version of the traditional stoles worn by clergy. Stoles would be worn over plain black attire of the choir member’s choosing. Parsons and the proposal’s originator, Linda Wilkes, ran the idea past the Music and Liturgy Team and, without any objections, Wilkes forged ahead with the project.

In conceptualizing the project, Wilkes was determined in some way to connect the Church’s past with the design of the new stoles. She managed to find fabric that featured similar colors and geometric patterns found in the Church’s stained glass windows. While the windows date back to 1917, the look of the stoles was decidedly contemporary. Wilkes quickly convened a dedicated group of seamstresses, and together, turned out 20 stoles for the choir and one tie for the music director in time for the annual Music Sunday service in May. In another example of history meets innovation, the choir sang selections from Mendelssohn’s oratorio Elijah, while introducing the new stoles to the congregation for the first time.
The stained glass windows are also the focus of another project designed to bring the early 19th century building into alignment with 21st century practice. Last year, the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation, a separate non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the historic 1806 building, completed an extensive project to install the building’s twelve-inch wall cavities with R-48 thermal and fireproof insulation. With that completed, the Foundation looks to sealing the remainder of the building from thermal loss and water infiltration. That will mean laminated glass storm windows for each of the building’s 28 stained glass windows.

And while the building retains its appealing historic character, and the Revere bell tolls each Sunday at 10:00, Reverend Parsons can look out at the congregation knowing that tradition and innovation continue to work together to ensure the persistence of both.