Stations of the Cross: ; Church Members Use Art to Create Self-Guided Meditation Tour

Summary

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At. Andrew United Methodist Church in St. Albans has taken a different approach to a reflective part of the Lenten tradition. The church has set up a self-guided meditation tour with 14 Stations of the Cross created by artistic members of the congregation. The stations are to lead to a more meaningful Lenten season, said Julie Janisch, director of worship arts for the church. All of the artists donated their time. Some of the artists are well known while others create artworks as a hobby. Lent is the period of the liturgical calendar that begins on Ash Wednesday and continues for the 40 days prior to Easter. Some Christians use the season as a time of sacrifice, prayer and meditation as they reflect upon the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The 14 Stations of the Cross depict the final hours of Jesus, from being condemned to death, to carrying the cross, to dying and being placed in a tomb. While they can be reflected upon any time, the most common time is during Lent and particularly on Good Friday. Some churches, such as Roman Catholic churches, have permanent Stations of the Cross. Others bring them out during Lent. St. Andrew went about it a little differently, creating a special display. Visitors may pick up a meditation booklet to read as they look at the different displays. The booklet contains scriptures, prayers and meditative writings. Janisch came up with the idea for the exhibit last June as part of work she is doing on a doctoral program through the Institute for Worship Studies in Orange Park, Fla. She has created a collage piece for the exhibit and she contacted artistic members of the church to ask for help. Slots quickly filled for creating the stations. Artists meditated on specific Biblical passages to help prepare for their pieces. For example, the first station is an acrylic on canvas by Norma Bartlett portraying Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. The corresponding Bible passage is from Matthew 26: 36-41. The meditation booklet includes the scripture as well as a prayer. Bartlett, a retired art teacher, painted the picture of Jesus kneeling in prayer as the disciples slept. At first, she kept the painting in her home where she could walk past it occasionally and determine whether it needed any tweaking. One morning the light from the window made a cross over Jesus head, she said. She found the reflection so fascinating that she took photographs of her work in progress and then added the cross to the painting. The photographs are displayed beside her artwork. Other contributing artists are Mike Keller, photography; David Hollingsworth, cross-stitch; DeeAnn Thomas, oil painting; Sue Cooper, pencil drawing; the Rev. Loretta Isaiah, cross-stitch; St. Andrew Quilters, quilted wall hanging; Roger Rasmussen, shadow box; Julie Janisch, interpretative collage; Leslie Adkins, pencil drawing; Ernie Downey, stained glass; Tim Priddy, woodwork; Herb Derr, woodwork; and Don Ellis, carving. Meditation writers in the Lenten booklet are Kimberly G. Vickers, Phillip M. Lewis, Elizabeth Ross and Marilyn Trout. Kathy Hollingsworth designed the cover. The Stations of the Cross meditation area opened Ash Wednesday and will remain open through the Saturday before Easter. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, Sunday afternoons during Lent, or by appointment. After Easter, the individual artworks will be sold in a silent auction format. A minimum bid for each item will be posted. Silent auction bids will be accepted April 5 to 17. All money raised from the auction will go the church missions committee for local, state, and global mission projects. People were very generous with their talents and their willingness to sell the pieces, Janisch said. The project has required a great deal of cooperation and the money garnered from the sale will go on to help others, she pointed out. St. Andrew United Methodist Church is located at 815 Kanawha Terrace in St. Albans. The Web site is www.sasaumc.org and the telephone number is 304-727- 7114.

Bob Wojcieszak/Daily Mail Julie Janisch, director of worship arts at St. Andrew United Methodist Church, asked artistic members of the congregation to create 14 Stations of the Cross. Visitors may take a self-guided meditation tour and see the touching artworks.

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Stations of the Cross: ; Church Members Use Art to Create Self-Guided Meditation Tour

Artworks, f...

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