This Old Church

By Andrew Apter

Has anyone ever explored the Atkinson building in its entirety? The square footage is an item of hot debate--perhaps because the unique architectural design doesn't really provide for corners! The main floor features the sanctuary and the directly adjacent Dome Room, where coffee hour occurs. Also on this floor is a warm and welcoming library, the church office, and the minister's office. The sanctuary features a choir loft and an organ, and rumor has it that the nether regions behind it may never have been fully explored. Close at hand is the office of the RE Director, a quaint rest room, storage for choir supplies, and much much more. Many a junior youth has spent long hours there waiting to be discovered during a game of sardines. And some adult pranksters enjoy bringing the uninitiated up the sinuous stair case to a door which when opened leads directly out of doors--60' up! oops

Downstairs boasts an well-equipped ancient kitchen, the furnace room, numerous RE class rooms, the fabled Martha White room (fabled because no one knows who Martha White was, and also because various design elements have radically changed with the institution of a church aesthetics committee.) The Martha White room is where the board and other small groups meet. But wait, there's more. The large Bachelder room downstairs doubles as RE space and a social center, where Committee Night, Second Sunday Subs, etc. are enjoyed. The nursery, the new women’s rest room, and an array of storage space welcomes the curious. One of our committee members reports hunting for a broom closet in the outer reaches of the lower level, and opening the door to what proved to be a coal shoot.

There is also an upper level to the church, consisting of a balcony overlooking the Dome Room and sanctuary, flanked by two additional seating areas which over the last five years have become increasingly utilized. Suffice it to say, our historic building is filled with mystery and friendly funk. It is a source of great pride to the Atkinson community.

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