Summer marked the beginning of the Glass Project startup. Strong representation of the Tuesday and Thursday teams found their way to our new studio space and to get oriented. Our ongoing expert advisor, Brian from Prairie Stained Glass, was there to oversee the new studio set-up and provide volunteers with a great refresher on technique. Here the volunteers saw the window designs for the first time and admired the chosen color pallet, the brilliant sheets of glass, and the equipment with which the studio would soon be stocked. Trish agreed to lead the Tuesday team, while Danielle and Lori lead the Thursday team.
Day 1 in the Studio for the volunteer glass workers, with advisor Brian (right standing).
The chosen color pallet.
Artisans in training.
0 commentsThere were spaces in the REMB Glass Project, as in all good teamwork, where some members are profoundly at rest (i.e., that state of off-the-hook bliss) while others are incredibly busy getting the essential groundwork done. This is clearly what was going on through May and June, 2013, when the Tuesday and Thursday teams had a chance to almost forget what they had signed up for.
Meanwhile, in some other busy living rooms, the real brains behind this project were meeting to hash out the content and the details of the designs – that is, the stories or messages the windows would convey; the theological imagery that would be invoked; the shapes this would all take; the textures, the colors and their gradations; and how this all would affect the reflection of light and in turn the eye, the emotions, and the spirit – in short, the overall transformation in atmosphere this would create in the sanctuary.
Project leader Rachel and artist Danielle explain that the overall theme of the windows is “God is Light,” and that the design depicts a progression from creation to resurrection. There is also a progression of color from the back of the sanctuary to the front, so that people are drawn forward to the greater intensity and brightness.
The creative work of the design team provided a long, peaceful break for the volunteer glass workers — though our turn would definitely come!
Discussing the thought behind the design of the new windows.
The theologians and artists emerged from their huddle with beautiful drawings — our masterplan design for the new glass windows. These drawings show the five (of 20) columns with which we will start.
This design drawing provides a rough sketch of how the new stained glass will appear on the ten columns of windows that span the length of the north wall of the sanctuary.
Danielle and Rachel at work.
Choosing the color pallet.
Making color decisions
0 commentsAt the very top of the mandate given to the possibilities team is this: “Purpose: Congregational Renewal”
I’m both grateful for, and frightened by, the broad nature of this mandate. It is a very big topic, and an interesting place to start. It has led us to meet with various people in the congregation and ask variations of the question: “What would renewal at REMB look like to you?” I’ve been delighted with the answers and conversations that I’ve encountered so far. Thank you.
Someone wise pointed out that renewal could be thought of in three ways for REMB . The first is the spiritual renewal of those currently attending. The second is structural: to renew the structure of our committees, commissions, services, and events. The third is external renewal: finding ways to invite people to join us as we try to walk faithfully together, guided by the steps of Jesus.
This categorization of renewal might offer us a direction for planning. Should we work on those three in that order? Do we need to ‘complete’ the first renewal before moving to the next? An argument could be made that inviting new people into our church before we ‘complete’ our structural renewal would be unwise. Personally, I have found myself moving away from thinking of those as steps to complete sequentially, but rather as three parts of a system that we need to look at holistically. If we change one part, it affects the other two in some way.
It seems clear from the conversations that I’ve had that most of you believe that spiritual renewal is priority number one. People have been consistently asking for more vulnerability, more discipleship, more community, more interaction, more practicing. But, they have also been asking for changes in the way we currently do those things. They have asked for structural changes that support spiritual renewal. For example: can we change the structure of our sanctuary to support more vulnerability and community? Can we change the structure of our Sunday mornings to support more discipleship, and practice? Can we change the structure of our committees and commissions to support more interaction?
So, personally I’m hoping we don’t try to create a fixed plan to first ‘solve’ our spiritual renewal, then structural, followed by external. Rather, I hope we start trying small things (often suggested by you) to see if we can affect all three. I hope that you will join us in praying for wisdom as we do so. I hope that you will offer your ideas and support in the process.
0 commentsNothing looks as promising as a project with a budget in place! Especially with all that glass to buy, and tools and other equipment needed in order to cover every window in the church with intricate artwork. By sometime in May 2013, the Glass art project even had a space: a large, heated and ventilated office-space-turned-glass-studio where the work could be laid out and left in place from week to week. This generously donated space, within the Palliser Furniture compound, was the answer to a huge problem, because the other alternative (the church basement) presented a myriad of logistical issues, as it is constantly in use for multiple other purposes.
With so much in place, it was clearly time for the project mastermind, Rachel, to take stock of the real wild card in this whole project – the talent pool. By talent pool, I’m referring to what was looking like a serious human resources issue in my mind. Specifically, it was completely clear to me that the project was sunk without a whole lot of people on it with more talent and experience than me!! Along with many others, I had signed up to be on one of the teams — the “Tuesday team” or, in my case, the “Thursday team.” And certainly I was keen to arrive at the new studio with my sleeves rolled up, ready to try out all the new tools that it had been stocked with. But would any of us actually know what to do when we got there?
Is enthusiasm enough to get a project of this magnitude off the ground? What about the drawings? What about the overall design? What about the engineer’s report?? Didn’t anyone out there realize that I had not been screened for any technical credentials whatsoever to be on this team?
LESSON
1: Clearly, the first requirement of this project — and, I suppose, of all artistic pursuits — is creative confidence!
Sometimes the best therapy for cold feet is a little get-away….!
0 commentsI looked around the room, crowded with REMB friends, and an assortment of others. Prairie Stained Glass is a happening place on a Saturday morning, and especially this Saturday morning, as our large group of interested volunteers gathered round. Here we would get our first introduction to what this project was going to require of us. Rachel, art historian and the one who dreamt up this project, was there, as were Bill and Irmgard, Trish, Gord and Lori, Gerry, Connie, Karla and her daughter Jubilee, Joan and Randy, Irene and Ron, and many more.
Did I fit in here? What kind of skills would I need? There were the younger and the older. But in general, it appeared to me, I was amongst people with certain personality traits in common. Surely these were people who could be patient enough, persistent and meticulous and perfectionist enough for this work. I felt excited. I had driven by Prairie Stained Glass countless times, admiring the masterpieces hanging in the windows – stained glass, fused glass, slumped glass – and all of it so beautiful! Finally here was the opportunity to make the leap from hypothetical wish list to the nitty gritty of getting started.
And that we did, as the owners of the shop, Brian and Lucinda brought us past the upstairs store and display areas to the work tables of the studios of the basement. There Brian introduced us to the variety of tools and the basic processes to master. Who knew there were so many steps involved? He patiently introduced us to the tools and demonstrated the processes of cutting the glass, grinding the edges, fitting the pieces together like a puzzle into the rods of leading, and sautering the metals seams together. Emphasizing that we weren’t done yet, he then described the cementing, scrubbing, and drying necessary to hold everything tightly in place.
And, when it was all over, I thought I saw an expression flicker across his face. Could that possibly be a hint of disbelief that this crowd of raw amateurs could actually go from complete zero to being an efficiently-run collective of talented stained glass craftspeople churning out artwork worthy to adorn a church??
Well, I thought to myself, he just doesn’t know us!
Prairie Stained Glass, with their website, Facebook page, and YouTube tutorials, are all very helpful to the aspiring glass artist.
Keen learners at our inaugural training session at Prairie Stained Glass.
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