Bloom Hamner

New Outdoor Chapel, Football Bleachers Ready for Use



New Outdoor Chapel, Football Bleachers Ready for Use

Capital improvements made possible by April's Auction & Gala

Father Kirk Brown remembers there not being much more than a clearing in the woods when he first got to Christ School in 1995.

The Outdoor Chapel has come a long way since then.

A newly-enhanced, serene worship area for the Greenies, overlooking Christ School's lake, is one of two major capital improvements to campus that are now ready for use. The Outdoor Chapel was made possible by last April's "Let the Greenie Times Roll" Auction & Gala, as were new visitors bleachers for Fayssoux Field.

"Everyone who sees it is just blown away," Father Brown said of the Outdoor Chapel. "They just can't believe it."

The Outdoor Chapel predates Father Brown's time here at Christ School. But it was little more than an informal place for worship 23 years ago. There was no altar, nowhere much to sit, and the Outdoor Chapel didn't even have a cross until 1998. Father Brown's son-in-law, Jeremy Walters '97, and Father Brown's daughter, Kate, surprised him with a carved cross one day.

The new Outdoor Chapel will have a seating capacity of about 350 once an Eagle Scout project by senior Coles Manning '19 is complete. The senior is adding benches to the existing seating which is made of stone.

Father Brown and the Class of 2021 broke in the new Outdoor Chapel on Saturday with a special Form Chapel service.

"Even though they are only sophomores, you could tell it meant a lot to them, to have this be part of their legacy at Christ School," Father Brown said. "My plan is to have the whole school down there once we all return from Fall Break."


Fayssoux's new steel bleachers can hold about 225 football fans. They sit directly in front of the Close-Krieger Athletic Center. Christ School's next home game is September 28 against Charlotte's Victory Christian.

"I'm glad that the auction was as successful as it was and we were able to fully-fund two much-needed enhancements in both arenas," Director of Facilities Danny Elmer said. "Nothing had been done in quite a few years to the Outdoor Chapel other than some Eagle Scout projects. And for our bigger football games the past four to five years, we've had to rent bleachers. It's a nice addition to not have to deal with the logistics of that any more. And the timing is good. They're in, and we can use them for the next couple of games and hopefully the (state) playoffs."