This project began months ago when Dan Hardison sent me the story of Epiphany Mission. It was an extraordinary story – a little church in the mountains led by a dynamic priest who had made the place a center of beauty and creativity. It was a story of loss and grief, but also of rebirth and hope. This story opened the door to others, some of which we tell here. Dan himself had a growing collection and contributed four more to the project. I have had the pleasure of conversing with people around the country, from Alabama to Alaska, about the communities they love.
These are stories with a little wonder in them – people who happen to stop just where a lost icon is lying, a dog who arrives while a project is underway only to disappear when it is over.
There are poignant stories – a window given by a grieving father, an entire church built from a wood that has now disappeared. There are stories of creativity within communities – kneelers, stained glass, communion vessels, and a craft guild.
There are historical mysteries – who were the people, lost in a shipwreck and commemorated in an inscription on an altar? Who made the stone baptismal font that traveled across an ocean, endured being used as a planter and now holds the water of baptism again?
There is the story of a church whose very simplicity is the source of its beauty and its tie to history, and of a church that celebrated its history with a work that combines old and new.
Such a rich heritage ties the Episcopal Church to the land and its people and celebrates the variety of this country from the mountains to the sea.
We hope this exhibition will encourage an interest in the sharing of more stories. We invite you to look around in your church and ask questions about what you see. You will honor the artists who used their skill to give glory to God.
Susan
Dixon
Co-Curator
St. Mary of the Harbor, Provincetown, Mary with artist palette and brushes, stained glass, design by Wilbur H. Burnham.