Our Tapestry, Our Family, Our Story
As our congregation moves from the Brown Auditorium to our new sanctuary, we realize that this move is no ordinary relocation. The move involves not only the physical move from space to space, but leaving behind part of our lives. We are many people, representing different ideas, ages, life experiences, gifts, abilities, limitations; we are a complex microcosm of society here in Winston-Salem. We have collected a lifetime of remembrances in a physical space that is precious to us. The move to a more accommodating, spacious, and modern room is anticipated, but how can we leave all these memories behind? Surely there is some way we can bridge the relocation process.
It almost seems providential now, but a visit to a sister church in this state, First Baptist Church of Gastonia, gave us an idea for a way to take part of the past with us to the future. First Gastonia has recently made a major relocation, from a downtown site to a new facility in an outlying area of town. Everything is new. However, there in the new sanctuary was a connection to the membership of the church that represented their past. Three wall hangings decorate the face of the balcony in their new sanctuary. We learned that fabric swatches were collected from church members along with the stories that each swatch represented. A fabric artist was commissioned to receive the swatches and fashion them into wall hangings. These unique hangings seemed to capture the spirit of the membership in a warm and inviting way. The stories of each swatch were preserved in a booklet for sharing and safekeeping. And what wonderful stories there were to be found! It was impossible to put the booklet down until all stories had been read. It seemed that all of life’s experiences were to be found somewhere within the delightful reflections in the booklet. Could we find a similar way to capture something of this spirit that we could take into our new facilities as a connection to our past?
Looking at the faceted stained glass windows in the Brown Auditorium provided the answer. It seems that the large variety of glass pieces found there mirrored, in an imaginative way, the membership of our congregation. There, in the windows we admired on a weekly basis, were as many different pieces in color and size as there were folks in our membership. The pieces blend together in a charming way to beautify our worship space. Could those same pieces provide the answer for connecting us to this room as we move into new spaces? Absolutely!
So, the idea was born. Wall hangings or tapestries would be constructed using our windows as the inspiration and pattern design. With endorsement from the staff, the swatch and story collection began. Helpers were enlisted, supplies were purchased, and the project was underway. Digital photographs of the windows were taken and measurements made. With these documents in hand, scale drawings were completed and copied so that our completed hangings would represent approximately 60% of the size of the windows. One of the six window sections was deleted in order for the finished hangings to fit its designated wall space. The full project, three hangings or tapestries, will require more than 900 pieces. It was decided to mount the first finished piece to give the congregation a visual idea of the full project. We continue to collect additional swatches and when sufficient numbers are in hand, the second and third pieces will be finished. The stories will be published at the completion of the project.
At last, we have found a way to bridge our precious past with an exciting future. As you enter our new facilities, our tapestry greets you. We invite you to look at the tapestries and reflect on the variety of swatches that make up this piece. Be reminded that each swatch represents a person, family, or group and a story unlike any other. We encourage you to remember that our family has been made by God’s design and represents a community of many people with many gifts to serve as God’s hands in this place. Our stories are real and our reflections are precious. You will be delighted to read about the exceptional people who join together to constitute Ardmore Baptist Church.