Coming to Church

[This begins a series of column about the design of our new Church facility. The design is not just "practical," it is also symbolic. Let's look at some of the meaning build into the structure. Joseph+]

Coming up Hazen Street from the Hospital or other places, one will see the new St Mark's Church prominently positioned beyond the signal light. It will stand out as a visual symbol of God's presence in the world.

But what is a Church supposed to look like? We are all used to the semi-Gothic style of a pointed building with a bell tower and a cross on the top. We will not have that, but the face of the new Church will be attractive, and we will have a work of art on the wall along with the name of the Church. Details have yet to be finalized for this. The building will clearly look like a Church.

From the parking lot into the door of the Church, one can use the walkway which will be composed of engraved bricks containing the names of deceased members, friends and relatives. We will again be offering these engraved bricks for sale at the Ground Breaking Service and afterwards so those of you who have not reserved one can do so.

The engraved bricks will speak of the faith of those who have gone before us, who have shared the Gospel with us, and who have provided the old church and community center for our use until this time when the new facility is open.

We call that remembrance "the Communion of Saints." It is a long-standing Christian tradition of remembering that when we gather around the Table of the Lord, we enter sacred time and all who have gone before us are present with us in the Spirit before the throne of God. The living and the dead are united in the Lord.

Passing through the doors of the new church, one enters into what is called "The Gathering Space." It has traditionally been called "the Narthex" in Church design, but we wanted to highlight the real purpose of this entrance space: it is a place to gather before and after the services.

We designed it quite large as it can serve for a coffee reception after services, for the receiving line with the bridal part after weddings, and even as a place where family and friends can gather when we have a deceased member laid out in Church. The facility can be used for what we call "family receiving" before funerals instead of renting the Funeral Home.

There will be bulletin board space with announcements, and a counter at which one can sign up for the various activities much as we try to do now in the very, very limited space in the present Narthex. The bulletin board will announce both parish, community and diocesan events of potential interest to us.

The Gathering Space allows for friendly conversations with one another to catch up on what is happening in our lives. Using this space allows for us to be quiet when we enter the body of the Church itself, called the Nave. The Gathering Space is a place of separation between the concerns of the world around us, and the ambiance of the Kingdom of God in the church proper where we enter reverently for prayer and worship.

Entering into the Gathering Space, one will walk by a glass enclosed area where the statue of "Christ, the Healer," which we will be bringing from the present church. Lighting will make the statue visible at night from the street and parking lot.

Above the statue will be the historic St. Mark's Bell, which we will be taking out of the present Church and moving to the new facility. We have been advised by our architect, Mark Harsha, that the bell is priceless. It cannot be replaced. The bell is engraved with the name , "Madge," who was the deceased daughter of Rev. and Mrs. Shetkey (our second resident pastor). It is also engraved "Easter 1882" which is the year it was installed.It wasn't rung, hoever, until some date in July — if my memory of what I read is correct.

Space and design matter as we will see. Let's anticipate with joy the new vision coming to be.

Joseph+