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Spirit of Hope United Church
7909 82 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB T6C 0Y1
BRINGING LEGACY AND NEW STAINED-GLASS BEAUTY TO OUR RENOVATED SANCTUARY, PART 1 - JUNE 3, 2021
As the renovation construction continues at Spirit of Hope, stained-glass windows will be installed to add elements of beauty and inspiration to our sanctuary. The front feature wall will include a combination of three memorial windows from the former Knox-Metropolitan United Church building and six new ones.
Here is a design drawing of the front feature wall of the renovated Spirit of Hope sanctuary, showing the position of three memorial windows from the former Knox-Metropolitan United Church building and six new, stained-glass windows. The drawing is by Warren Mack
The memorial windows from the former Knox-Metropolitan United Church building were designed by Edmonton artist Brenda Malkinson and installed over the southwest entrance of the church in 1982. These comprise a series called Heritage of Faith (from left to right) comprised of: Alpha and Omega, the Burning Bush, and the Open Bible.
“The symbols in these windows are from the United Church Crest. They are comprised of important symbols from the three churches that came together to form The United Church of Canada in 1925. The open Bible comes from the Congregationals, the Holy Spirit dove from the Methodists and the burning bush from the Presbyterians. The symbols of alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. They symbolize the eternal living God, in the fullness of creation (Revelation 1:8).” Quoted from the book entitled "The Memorial Windows and Special Items of Knox-Metropolitan United Church," page 24, published in 2016.
Alpha and Omega window
Photo by Rick Bramm
Burning Bush window
Photo by Rick Bramm
Open Bible window
Photo by Rick Bramm
The Heritage of Faith windows were donated to Knox-Metropolitan United Church in 1982 by Dr. Brock and Mrs. Gene Armstrong, in memory of Rev. T. Edgar Armstrong (1881-1940) and his wife Mabel Louise (Brock) (1885-1954) Armstrong and in memory of Herbert (1885-1953) and Annie Priscilla (Fulton) Noble. We look forward to installing these windows in a new place and in a new light.
While our renovation has moved ahead, our Music Director, Warren Mack has been busy designing and creating nine new stained-glass windows for Spirit of Hope’s sanctuary. In late May, he finished the last of a series of six “Spirit of” windows specially designed for the front feature wall. In addition, he is making three additional panels for the left side on the themes of Learning, Changing, and Growing.
It has been about a year since he began the design work; some windows have taken more effort and design thought than others. The “Spirit of” windows focus on Truth, the Land, Creation, Hope, Affirmation and Faith/Prayer. Today we will look at the first three; next week the second three “Spirit of” windows and then the final three the following week.
The Spirit of Truth (labelled #1 in drawing above, lower left, with bottom at floor level) is like a searchlight which sweeps through the darkness of our questions and doubts and pauses briefly to investigate each of the various major belief systems of the world: Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Indigenous, Islam, Science (the telescope) and Philosophy (the question mark). Photo by Warren Mack.
The Spirit of the Land (labelled #2 in drawing above; mid-height, left side) window features an Aspen Poplar tree image and our current Acknowledgment of the Land text. The tree image ties in with the stylized image of the poplar – an important element in Indigenous spirituality – that architect Barb Reid included in the wall design behind the greeting desk in the new narthex. Photo by Warren Mack.
The Spirit of Creation, the tallest of the windows, measures eight feet tall by only eight inches wide and has been created in three sections (labelled #3 in the drawing above; mid-height, left side). The small middle section has an image of the brain and the title words. The left side shows images of: Michelangelo creating the Creation of Adam in the Sistine Chapel ceiling, a woman knitting, two very ecstatic dancers, a schoolteacher, and a composer (who happens to be Beethoven). The right-side features two children making a snowman (an expression of the spirit of creation), an author, medical researcher, a bridge overseen by two engineers, and the Mars Perseverance Rover. “I believe these all are expressions of the way we are created – and are creating – in the image of God,” Warren says. Photo by Warren Mack
Next week we will look at the other three “Spirit of” windows, with links to videos Warren has recorded showing the different steps and processes involved in making such beautiful pieces of art, followed by the “Learning, Changing and Growing” windows and then the remaining legacy memorial windows. All these treasures will be installed later this summer.