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Presentation of use of sacred space. Part one: Gathering Spaces. Christ Episcopal Church. Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
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Our Gathering Spaces
Presentation at Christ Church February 27-28, 2010
Gale Francione, Consultant for Liturgical Space
“How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings...” Luke 13:34
Jesus was all about gathering people – especially those who didn’t normally mingle.
We gather everywhere
We gather with family and friends
Sometimes we act as the host: “Come on in, let me take your coat, would you like some coffee?”
Sometimes we are the guest, enjoying the conversation and the food. Maybe even helping clean up afterwards.
And sometimes, we are a stranger, even in a room full of people.
at Christ Church?
How have you experienced being
• Host
• Guest
• Stranger
In the House for the People of God...everyone is an invited guest
In the House of the People of
God
Everyone acts as the host – how else can we experience
God’s welcome except though the touch of one another?
“We affirm the people of God as the primary symbol of Christ.”
-“The Church for Common Prayer”-an Episcopal statement on worship space
Our Gathering Spaces
• To offer a place of welcome and hospitality
• To provide transition to the sacred
• To form us as the Body of Christ
Santo Nino Chapel, New Mexico
Trinity Church, West Yorkshire
All churches,grand and humble, gather Sunday after
Sunday
The primary entrance: clearly visible inviting to visitors and strangers the first impression of your community.”
- The Church for Common Prayer
in proportion to the worship space identify and reach other parts of the building easily.
- The Church for Common Prayer
A gathering area
We mark entrances
This door invites entry. What’s on
the other side?
(Especially when it is etched with the words “Seek” “Knock” “Ask”)
Some doorways
offer a tactile experience
that says “no ordinary entrance”
Doorways should lead to a gracious space where people feel comfortable. Grandma can be dropped off and wait in a soft chair, maybe chat
with a friend.
Gathering spaces should not feel office-like or institutional.
Does this space help me transition
into a sacred activity when I walk through
them?”
A gathering space: warm, light, comfortable
(Soon to be a baptismal font
on the tile in the center)
Gathering spaces should include the activities of a busy
parish
But clutter is not necessary
This parish’s solution was a six-sided kiosk
(also hiding a supporting pillar)
This parish keeps noise (from visiting friends to
fussy babies) from disrupting the service with
sliding glass doors
Where do we gather? What happens in these places? How do they help us become the Body of Christ? What would enhance our gathering spaces?
Christ Episcopal:
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