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The following two photographs were recently discovered in the collections of the Eastern Regional Coal Archives at Craft Memorial Library in Bluefield, West Virginia. They were made for the Church Architect in 1920 upon completion of construction. Note the immaculate condition of the nave of the church. There is no staining, and the beautiful Ohio sandstone is very light in color. Click on
either of these two photos
These photographs were taken for the Architect, Alex B. Mahood. They may not be downloaded or reproduced without written permission of the:
You are invited to visit our church and tour the chancel and sanctuary (altar area) to view the parish needlepoint cushions and become acquainted with the various religious symbols woven onto them. As is the custom of the Anglican Church, please take the opportunity to kneel and pray while in the church. (In an Anglican Church, it is customary for individuals to kneel and pray.)
The heart of the church building is the sanctuary (shown here). The atmosphere of this hallowed place brings a sense of joy in the glowing, jewel-like colors of the stained glass windows. Each of the windows depicts an important scene in the life of Christ and has been given to the church in memory of a loved one. Above the altar is the Resurrection window. In the east transept, near the baptismal font, is the Nativity window. Across from it, in the west transept, is the Crucifixion window. Just above the main door is the Ascension window showing Jesus ascending into heaven. Below that window over the entrance to the nave, two smaller ones show additional scenes: one of the boy Christ Teaching in the Temple, and the second showing Christ and the Rich Young Ruler. In the Narthex, just before the main door, a window frames the portrait of St. Luke, and above the M.P. Möller organ, in the chancel, is the portrait of St. Cecelia, patroness of music. All of these windows are so masterfully designed in such beautiful colors that, through them, the Gospel story becomes visible and real.
The motif outlining the windows is continued in the border treatment of the cushions. The handwork of our most devoted and skilled church-women is proudly displayed to the glory of God in these kneelers as the the gothic design found in stone and glass of the sanctuary is woven onto the beautiful fabric. The blue and red colors of the leafy tracery frame the kneelers as well as the church windows. Click on each photograph for a larger version
Each cushion was crafted from an imported wool tapestry fabric. The handwork of parish members was occasionally halted as matching dye lots of fabric were shipped from a French supplier. The cushions feature various religious symbols and monograms reminiscent of the themes commonly illustrated by artisan guilds of mediaeval Europe. The needlepoint cushions were dedicated to the glory of God and as a memorial to loved ones on Palm Sunday, 1990--one hundred years after the formation of the parish congregation.
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When
Elizabeth Ann (Betsy) Walker
served in the parish as deacon and priest-in-training in 1988-89, she created
the designs for the needlepoint kneeling cushions. Their background color is crimson, and
they are decorated with symbols of the Christian faith which repeat the
designs in the stained glass windows. The Rev. Walker, a native of Greenbrier
County, is now chaplain at the federal women's prison at Alderson, West
Virginia, and editor of the Dayspring, the monthly publication
of the Diocese of West Virginia.
