In Life and in Death, We Belong to God

November 1 is All Saints' Day.

At APC, the service for All Saints' Day is a small and meaningful worship experience. It is a time to commemorate our loved ones, in particular those who have died in the last year. We hear beautiful music, offer crosses with the names of the deceased, turn to God in prayer, and celebrate the sacrament of communion. We light candles and write the names of our deceased loved ones in a comforting ritual. Each year, the squares of cloth with these names are sewn into works of art that are displayed in future years. Whether you are a mourner, or a comforter, all are are welcome to attend.

For grief to be fully expressed, grief must be shared. There are not many spaces or occasions in our world where people may openly express and communally share their sense of loss at a loved one's death. The church is the place where this happens. While other groups and organizations may offer opportunities for individuals to grieve, the church provides ritualized expression and wide community support for those who have experienced loss.
Ultimately, the church promises the hope found in Christ. On All Saints' Day, we come together to express our losses as a community centered in Christ. We share in our grief and in our faith. We hear one another and heal one another. We remember the lives of those who have gone before, and we profess our faith in the life that is to come. Please join us for this special service.

Every entry is a sermon

The congregation of APC has been hiding its' talent under a bushel basket! Our Photo Exhibit "The Word through the Lens" is up and the results are awesome. Each photograph is better than the next, and the Scripture passages selected are wonderfully complementary. There's a grand total of 65 entries. The exhibit will be up until the afternoon of October 10. L'Art wants to thank the congregation for all their wonderful contributions.

Photo Exhibit - CALL FOR ENTRIES

APC’s first Photography Exhibit:
The Word Through the Lens

The Liturgical Art committee invites everyone to submit an original photograph for an exhibit at APC entitled The Word Through the Lens. Members, visitors, friends, youth and children are all invited to submit one 8” x 10” photograph, color or black and white. You print—we mat and hang!
When you submit your photo, also turn in the form listing your title for your image, your name, and a Scripture verse you have chosen that relates to the photograph. If you wish to add additional information (such as identifying the place, people or situation in the photo) you can list that as well. This form will be the label for your image in the exhibit, so please print clearly and use black ink.
Copies of the form are available in the church lobby.

Each person can submit only one photograph. Please submit a photograph you yourself have taken. L’Art reserves the right to make the final selection of images for the exhibit.

Calendar

Summer 2010: Take your photograph or select one from your archives. Just be sure the image measures 8” x 10.” It can be digital or film, color or black and white.

Aug 22-Sept 5: Submit photo and label form to L’Art committee. We will accept photos at a table in the narthex on Sundays or you may give them to Carol Sweet in the church office.

Sept 19-Oct 10: Photography exhibit on view in narthex

Oct 11-17: Pick up your matted photo to take home.

The LORD upholds them with His hands

L'Art provided support for the Youth as they designed and created their own banner, which hangs in the area that the Youth use during their fellowship and worship time.

This cup is the new covenant ...

We celebrate the sacrament of Communion this Sunday, August 1. Come join us!

O taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8)

A Child of the Covenant

Currently, we are in the season of Ordinary Time, which is usually symbolized by the color green. Special seasons and events that mark the extraordinary participation of Christ in our lives are often highlighted by using the color white, which represents purity and hope. Our Sacraments, Communion and Baptism, are two such events.

Special overlays for the woven paraments were created to incorporate the colors of the season (which are used in the woven banners) along with the color white for our Sacraments. The banners being used for July 18 and 25, 2010 help us celebrate a Baptism during Ordinary Time. The shell, such as the one seen on our pulpit cloth, is often used as a symbol of baptism.

On baptism Sundays, we covenant together as a community to guide and nurture this Child of God. When we baptize an infant, we are testifying that God's grace acts on our behalf even before we are capable of responding. God has already claimed us, and we bear witness to this with the Sacrament of Baptism.

This Do in Remembrance of Me

Currently, we are in the season of Ordinary Time, which is usually symbolized by the color green. Special seasons and events that mark the extraordinary participation of Christ in our lives are often highlighted by using the color white, which represents purity and hope. Our Sacraments, Communion and Baptism, are two such events.
Special overlays for the woven paraments were created to incorporate the colors of the season (which are used in the woven banners) along with the color white for our Sacraments. The banners being used for July 4, 2010 symbolize the celebration of Communion during Ordinary Time.


Close-up view of left banner with overlay.

Close-up view of right banner with overlay.



Pulpit cloth with chalice to celebrate Communion.

The Tomb is Empty!

Easter Morning: April 4, 2010

Processional Banners were paraded during the opening hymn.





The Green Thumbs beautified the chancel with flowers - all of the blooms were white.



The pulpit and font were highlighted with white blooming flowers and plants.

Worship in the Style of Taize

As part of its Wednesday Night program during Lent, APC decided again this year to offer a worship service in the manner of the Taize community (February 24, 2010).




Seating was provided in a circle, to enhance the intimate and communal atmosphere. Everyone participated in the singing of the simple, repetitive songs that are the most essential element of a Taize service.
This year, the setting for the service was our "Old Sanctuary", which is now used as a theater for ACT 1 productions.




The dimmed lighting enhances the beauty of the glowing candles and facilitates the meditative mood.

L'Art provided the candles and crosses display that was used as a visual focal point. The display was set up with four sides so that regardless of one's position in the seating circle, crosses and candles were visible for contemplation.

The Woven Community

The Saga of the Woven Paraments Part 4:

Our goal became to create, through artful integration, a finished piece where dissimilar materials not only co-exist, but actually enhance each other. The blocks of solid provide a resting place for the eye; the prints add interest; the airy, open areas elevate the tenor. The dense supplies grounding for the sheer; the delicate softens the heavy. The light-colored fabric sets off the dark, so that each looks better than it did when standing alone. We began weaving from the bottom, working upward, and the design functions in the same way; the eye tends to look at the bottom of the piece first and is led upward. The lower area has more horizontal lines and is woven more tightly, giving a grounded effect. As the eye is drawn upward, some spaces open up, and some of the lines become more vertical. Also, the predominant colors become lighter as the design moves upward. By the time the viewer’s eye reaches the top, the materials have become slender and vertical, spiraling aloft. The suggestion is that of a tree, growing upward. The symbolism is that of ordinary time, when our growth should be spiritual, towards God.

Our congregation responded generously to our appeal for materials. We received fabrics and fibers with historical or sentimental value, items that have imbued our banners with meaning. We attempted to mingle all of these varied colors and fabrics, finding meaning and beauty together. We received such a wonderful outpouring - from sweaty t-shirts to wedding finery, from Boy Scout kerchiefs to Christmas Pageant costumes, from formal neckties to a dish towel of everyday family life, from the woolen plaid of a family tartan to the soft cotton of a baby’s onesie. Our hope is that these banners are a tangible depiction of the way our congregation is tightly woven together in community. Accordingly, we have entitled them “The Woven Community”. We decided that sounds more sophisticated than “Strata, Blobs, and Zig-Zags”!

Close-up of the Pulpit Cloth

The pulpit cloth was designed and woven by Molly.
The arrangement of lights and darks makes it appear as if a shaft of sunlight is coming in from above.


Close up view of the left banner.


Close up view of the right banner.

Strata, Blobs, and Zig-Zags

Sheryl exhibiting great patience.


Nancy and Molly going to great heights for their art.

Saga of the Woven Paraments Part 3: We began by weaving at the bottom of the loom with a simple under and over pattern, straight across. We quickly realized that this would produce a rather boring composition. After researching more advanced techniques, we experimented with inserting some rhomboid-shaped “lozenges” (as they are called in the weaving biz) to add contrast and interest. These inserts were intended to be tapered, diamond shapes, but we quickly discovered that with the thickness of our weft, the diamonds kept stubbornly winding up as, well, blobs. As we continued working, we learned to accept, and even to love, our blobs.

Next, we discovered that as we worked the weft in around these blobs, they acted as obstacles, forcing us to weave up and over and around them. One observer commented that it seemed to be a metaphor for life – just when you feel as if you’re sailing smoothly along, you encounter a problem that you have to work around. Romans 5 resonated with us: “ … we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Having to work around the obstacles in our weaving produced interesting, wavy horizontal lines, which gave character to the piece. And that produced hope that our banners might turn out all right, after all. And we began to feel the Spirit that had been at work through us.

More confident now, we thought further about the purpose of the banners and our design. These paraments are intended for Ordinary Time, the period on the liturgical calendar that falls between our church holidays and celebratory seasons. It is a time for spiritual renewal, growth, and the building up of the church; traditionally, the dominant color is green.

Aren't Y'all Done Yet?

The weaving begins in August ..... and continues .... day by day .....




August leads into September .... and we weave ...

And September turns into October .... and still we weave ....

October passes ..... and we're still weaving ...





And weaving .... and weaving ....





November arrives ... to find us weaving.

The Saga of the Woven Paraments Part 2: We stepped out in faith, attempting to trust in God despite our continued self-doubts.

We put out the call for the congregation to contribute the materials. The congregation responded. We designed and built our own looms. We plunged into the weaving, learning as we went along. It went slowly. Very slowly. A common refrain heard in our vicinity for several weeks was a well-deserved, friendly mocking “Aren’t y’all done yet?”

We continued with our “on the job training”. The initial weaving concepts that we encountered were “warp” and “weft”. The warp threads are the strings that run vertically, from the bottom to the very top of the piece. The weft is the “fill” fabric that is woven horizontally under and over the warp threads. The weft is how the weaver introduces color and design, hopefully using creativity to make the piece unique.