Earlier in the year Colonel Ward had written General Jackson at some length about the new church, particularly about the best method of raising the money for the minister’s salary. It had been proposed that they follow the plan of renting pews, but Colonel Ward expressed doubt as to the practicability of this plan. “I can not think of more than 12 or 15 persons that would purchase seats,” he wrote, “and from the very good neighborhood feelings that prevail with us there would be no competition excited in the sale of them. The consequence would be that the seats would sell for just as little as each person would think proper to bid for them. I am fearful that a plan of this sort is not well calculated for the country, particularly in a thinly populated neighborhood like ours; furthermore, I should fear that it would not be generally pleasing and might frequently operate against the attendance of persons not immediately interested in or connected with the church.” The Colonel closed by saying that he would “with promptitude” subscribe to whatever plan was decided on for the church’s support. General Jackson also evidently did not take to the idea of selling pews—it is easy to believe that he wouldn’t—and the record shows that this idea was dropped. As originally built, the entrance to the church was on the eastern side of the building, facing the old Sanders Ferry Road, traces of which may still be seen today; but in 1838 when that road was abandoned and the Lebanon Turnpike was built, it was considered necessary to move the doors to their present location in the south end so as to avoid having the church present its back to the new road. To defray the expense of this remodeling work another subscription list was passed among the congregation; and, as usual, General Jackson’s name headed the list. Jackson also instilled some of his characteristic energy into the remodeling work; and when it was suggested that a committee be appointed to look after it he promptly and vigorously dissented, emphatically voicing the view that responsibility for getting the work done should be vested in one man rather than in a committee. “When the Lord wanted the Ark built,” he told the astonished elders, “He gave the job to one man. If He had appointed a committee to attend to it, the Ark wouldn’t have been built yet.” Jackson at this time, it will be recalled, was just back from eight years in Washington with all its red tape and circumlocutionary delays.