present before you, come - part 2

"Be like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."           Matthew 13:52

music and voices, words to Him, being washed by this One, by this Jesus, surrounded by a people I have not met, who chant, who love, who gather, to praise this One, this Jesus, the one who makes me new, who lifts my burdens, who brings His embrace, who holds me right where I am.
i come to see the once tall mosaic presented sidewise on a church hallway. i come to see for myself, to touch the polished wood, and feel the cool glass with my fingertips, to video and record a work of my father and my brother. i read an history article from 2005 in the lincoln journal star newspaper. i read about the history of three altars.
when i stand and kneel and listen to the voices around me, there is joy, there is intent, and He comes, Spirit, Father, Son, His interface with my finite mind, tears whelming up, His gentle stirring, His intent, His joy, His being, His words spoken alive, His body presented as food, His mystery, this thinking entity, involved, near, within me, but not from me, His own personality, His own path, other than me, drawing my thoughts and hopes to Himself. more than wood and glass and fresh beginnings. more than words composed in a blog. you are. YOU  ARE. i am yours. you, Jesus, you.

'Renewed Beginning' to be celebrated at renovated church by Joel Gehringer (from the Lincoln Journal Star, July 30, 2005) double click on images to enlarge

     With the dedication and completion of their new church building in 1980, parishioners of the St John the Apostle Catholic Church celebrated a new beginning.

     On Sunday, members of the parish will celebrate a 'renewed beginning' as they open the recently renovated St John the Apostle Church, 7601 Vine St., for a public showing at 2 pm.

    Parishoners raised $650,000 in their "Renewed Beginning" campaign to redesign and replace the interior of their church. The campaign was a nod to their 1980 fundraiser "A New Beginning," which raised money for the construction of the building.

  "It was in need of some refurbishing," said Father Lyle Johnson. "It's been 25 years since anything has been done, and we did it as part of our 25th anniversary."

    Johnson said the project focused on dual goals of strengthening the interior's connection to St. John and improving the sacramental focus of the Mass.

    The building now features a new interior, complete with a redesigned entrance, a colorful sanctuary, fresh carpet, a tile center aisle and new pews.

  Where a wooden altar once stood sits a granite altar matching the marble steps, lectern and tabernacle.

    Three hand-carved Italian statues now surround the tabernacle---- a crucifix stands above, with Mary at the left and St. John the Apostle at the right.

     Along the sides of the interior, Stations of the Cross are found below scripture passages and quotations from St. John.

     "There's really no comparison (with the old design)," parishoner Bob Ruyle said. "It really made it warm, and it's a 'wow' to everyone as they walk in."

     The redesign improved more than aesthetics. Church members used the renovations as an opportunity to make the building more functional.

     Designers rearranged the layout to comply with new church regulations, and thin plaster was added to low wall areas, improving the acoustics of the sanctuary.

    "The sound has changed," Ruyle said. "It's more reverberant and easier for elderly people to hear."

    In renovating the church, parishoners also wanted to preserve the church's history.  That's why the designers kept the original stained glass windows in the back of the church. And a painting, which had hung behind the altar since the building's construction, has been moved into the hallway which connects the church to the parish school.

    "It gives people a look at the history of our parish," Ruyle said.

    Johnson said he enjoys the new look of his parish and thinks the objectives of the "Renewed Beginning" project were met.

    "It helpful for the worship of God at mass," he said. "I love it."

-----------

St. John Altars
Catholic churches have only one altar, symbolizing the one Eucharist (or) Mass offering us Jesus as the Bread of Life, the source and summit of saving grace.

Built for what is now called the old church in 1959, the original altar was steel-framed and wood-topped. It had the three steel crosses of Calvary across the front and a granite altar stone.

In 1980, built for what was called the new church, the second altar to be used as St John was made of oak and rebuilt around the original altar's steel frame ... with the three steel crosses still within it and used the same altar stone.

(See above, the wheat and grape mosaic on the front of the altar which related to the tabernacle mosaic which was done by Reinhold Marxhausen in 1980.)

In 2005, built for the renewed church, the third altar was made of granite and just below the top still contains the same altar stone of the original altar (from 1959) and three relics of saints, because the early Christians celebrated the Eucharist over the tombs at the grave sites of the martyrs.

-------------------

I remember some of the old 4th and Seward church I attended when I was a young child. I remember the long slow prayers that the minister led us all in near the end of the worship service. Our religious classes took place in the basement. There was talk of a new sanctuary being built at the north end of Columbia Avenue. In 1968 it was modern, spacious, and full of color. (below, photo)

Today when I worshiped here, the newness of this space in Lincoln, Nebraska; the music, the new pews, and the renovated interior reminded me of 919 North Columbia in Seward. That parish was a Lutheran fellowship, and it also bore the name of John, the follower and disciple of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

More on my old church HERE.
http://stjohnseward.org/old/church_history.pdf (accessed Nov 7, 2014)