GROWING SEEDS: "Glass of Our Church"

 

 

"People are like stained-glass windows.

They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in,

their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within."

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

On the heels of the sermon series of our church's stained glass windows, it seemed only appropriate to sit and visit with two of the chosen people who helped design and plan what those very windows surrounding you would look like.  

I'm talking about Mike and Janet Jordan.

Mike and Janet have been faithful members of the Mt. Vernon First United Methodist Church for about 40 years now.  Back in the day when the church was located on Kaufman St. just spitting distance from Mike's old tromping grounds, First Baptist Church, they started raising their children, Julianne and Josh, at the 1930's brownish brick church building with the amazing stained glass windows throughout.  

But by 1985, it became clear the church body had outgrown its square footage and plans to build a new church began.  

The pastor at the time, Dan Hoke, a retired architectural engineer, began the long process of organizing committees for each aspect of the new construction.  Mike and Janet were asked to lead the Decorating Committee along with a team of about 5-6 other members.  This team visited various churches as far away as Arkansas and, with the help of Pastor Dan Hoke who decided on the stained glass symbols, came up with the design you see before you today.  

As I visited with Mike and Janet this week, I realized that they, along with the entire team who gave of their time....their resources....their energy, did so that we could not only "feel" the presence of God in this place, but "see" the presence as well through the stained glass.....which is exactly what I do each time I walk through those double doors into the sanctuary and see the colored glass cross ahead of me.

And I could just picture the entire congregation that beautiful Sunday in 1985 as they each carried one old thing from the prior church to their beautiful new church home. Some carried a hymnal or a Bible or a cross.......a piece of history in one hand....child in the other, and the Jordan family proceeded down the aisle to find their home on that 4th pew from the front on the right.  And in true childlike fashion, Julianne, age 5, made that pew forever the "Jordan Pew" by proceeding to throw-up on the brand new, never-before-sat-on cushion her parents so lovingly had just selected.