By Cyrus Guccione
Mail

After two years of planning, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church can rest easy after completing its major project of reupholstering its sanctuary pews.

The pews, which are original to the church, began to show signs of age. Fraying and tearing at the seams, Shepherd of the Hills Church Administrator, Debbie Vinopal, said it was time for a change.

“It was well-loved,” Vinopal said of the previous upholstery, a royal purple hue that provided comfort for worshipers for nearly 25 years.

Shepherd of the Hills contracted Albert Pacheco Inc., an upholstery company based out of Costa Mesa, Calif., who came highly recommended. Built on-site, Pacheco and his team took five days to completely reupholster 32 pews of varied length with additional padding for back and seat support.

The Pacheco team travels throughout the year, providing these services to churches, mortuaries, theaters, courthouses and other public buildings around the country.

Pacheco owns the business and has employed all four of his sons at his business. Currently, Pacheco’s son Trevor has been working with him for the better part of a year.

Despite spending only a short time in town, Pacheco said Fountain Hills is a beautiful part of Arizona.

“The people are so nice and it was a great job,” Pacheco said, who was raised by his uncle who was a pastor of a church.

New threads

Vinopal said the scope of the project was to complete only the sanctuary pews as there were not sufficient funds to complete the 150 chairs throughout the church building. The new color was chosen to mix well with the existing chairs.

A “sherpa grey mix” was chosen for the pews, made of 100% Marquesa Lana polyolefin, a commonly used fabric for high-traffic environments with high abrasion and fading resistance.

Along with other ongoing projects, in June, the church also completed a recarpeting of the sanctuary, a much-needed project given the age and condition of the carpet.

The cost of the projects were not provided, however, Vinopal said Shepherd of the Hills congregants were very supportive of the church’s efforts to provide a safe and welcoming environment to worship.

“The church is like a second home,” Vinopal said. “To [worship] in something that is not falling apart, not fraying and not leaving trip hazards, it became necessary. But the first focus of the congregation is really to be here as a spiritual family and to worship together.”

Vinopal said she has received positive feedback from congregants about the new upholstery.

“The view of Fountain Hills just feels more vibrant,” she said of the sanctuary’s unobstructed view of the town and Four Peaks.

After completing the job in Fountain Hills, Pacheco headed east to Houston, Texas, where he and his team are completing an installation of theater seats.

With new colors greeting worshipers every week at Shepherd of the Hills, Vinopal hopes for another 25 years out of the new upholstery.

“Our goal is to create a safe and welcoming place where people can worship,” she said.

Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church is located at 16150 E. El Lago Blvd. For more information, visit sothaz.com or call 480-837-9532.