Rolling Up Our Sleeves For God

Anyone attending worship services at Trinity lately as seen the progress being made to our crumbling plaster and peeling paint. Our own Pastor Emeritus Phil Schmidt has spent countless man hours fighting the good fight with limited success. When applying a top coat of plaster to a freshly repaired area of the transept, he joked, "I don't need to worry too much about trying to match the texture of the walls in this area...all of it is my work."

The problem has been one of moisture. Moisture continued to slowly seep through the walls, leaching the minerals out of the plaster and causing the paint to crack and peel. Where the moisture was coming from and how it continued to get through was anybody's guess. In spite of replacing the roof on the church and on the education building along with countless patches, flushing the gutters, new metal flashing, tarring and caulking, the moisture continued to make fun of all efforts to stop it.

The solution came when Rev. Schmidt met the acquaintance of Mike Watermeier. Mr. Watermeier is a waterproofing consultant who has done a great deal of work for the Catholic Diocese, helping them solve their water problems.

Mr. Watermeier was willing to help Lutherans as well, and Trinity hired he as a consultant. As a result, Trinity underwent a major waterproofing of the Permastone facade that covers its brick walls. The result--no more leaks!

Now it's time for what we hope is the last round of plaster repairs for a long, long time. Phil Schmidt and Jim Hoefer are leading a crew that includes Bill Otte, Mike Grant, Carl Schaffer, Doug Morrison, Tom Sander, David Brugge and others. Tim Stamey and his wife are putting in double duty trying to clean up after them.

The goal is to have the repairs completed by the middle of May.