Remember how much fun we had together a couple of years ago, when we
made the flower banner – and how pleasing it is to have it hanging behind the
altar at Grace? Well, it’s time to rev
up your creative juices and get ready for some more rampant congregational
creative expression! This time, however,
we’re not making something for ourselves.
We’re making a love gift for the members of El Buen Pastor Lutheran
Church in El Salvador.
Hopefully, you now know about member Rene Garcia’s LGBT mission work to
El Buen Pastor, which Grace is helping to support in various ways. Many of you have also met Pastor Julio, who
serves El Buen Pastor, and who was here to visit and preach recently.
Our Creative Worship Group has been considering ways that we, as a
congregation, can do more than just make monetary donations to show our
support. They asked me to lead the
process of making a worship banner for Rene to deliver when he visits El
Salvador in June, but I discovered that New Hope Lutheran Church in Missouri
City had already given them a banner.
Something new was called for, and I thought of making an altar cross for
our Salvadoran friends. Rene checked
with Pastor Julio, and the idea was warmly received, so the plan was set.
This is the El Buen Pastor Cross Project in a nutshell:
-
Base cross (3 ½ feet tall) made of oak wood from
an old church piano
-
Base cross covered with well-wishes from Grace
members, on colored paper and coated with a high-gloss finish
-
Small (2 to 4 inch) crosses, donated from a home
collection, purchased, or made by members of Grace, and attached to the base
cross with old piano wire.
The result will be a warm, brightly-colored altar cross that is full of
meaning for both congregations. We will
truly be giving a gift from our hearts to theirs.
Please see the next article for details on the April part of the
project.
Peace,
Laura Bourdo
