Approaching the building

The Church is designed to welcome you through this gate.  The building and its art are designed to make our entrance a visual and physical experience. 

As you approach the church, you will notice that the central cupola is capped with a large Celtic cross.  This symbol was fashioned in Celtic Christianity to show the cross, superimposed over the circle, which represents the sun.  Celts first worshipped the sun until Christianity was brought to them by brave missionaries like St. Columba.

The Bell

Located inside the front cupola, is the Memorial Bell purchased with Memorial Funds which have been accumulated through the blessing of memorials to many of the saints of the congregation who have entered the Greater Gates over the years.  The bell was cast at the Meneely Foundry in Troy, New York in 1858.  It weighs 750 pounds and is used to call God’s people to worship, to mark notable national days, to toll and peal as we celebrate the passages of life in weddings, funerals and other occasions.

The Entry

The entry itself is meant to be a place of preparation.  Double doors enclose a space for cleaning off shoes, quieting our conversation and preparing our eyes and ears for the transition from being “in the world” to entering into holy space. 

We particularly encourage you to enter into the Narthex (the large gathering space before the worship space itself), with your eyes looking forward.  Here, you will meet friends, greet strangers, and gather with others as the people of God.  This is a space where people may mill about briefly but quietly, acknowledging their neighbors and being aware that others will have entered the worship space (also called the Nave) for a time of meditation and prayer as music is played for centering hearts and minds on worship.

The Cross

The outstanding feature as you look toward the place of worship is an eight and one half foot Franciscan Cross.  It is placed as nearly as possible at the very center of the building.  It is so placed that we may pass under it as we enter and leave this holy space. 

Its placement also reminds us that the cross is not the end of the story.  As we enter we “move beyond” the cross to worship and Communion.  As we leave we “move beyond” the cross into the world to carry out our mission and ministry. 

The cross stands in its place to remind us that the Christian faith is about life from death; that Jesus’ death on a cross is the means by which God has “redeemed us from sin and death and made us worthy to stand before God”  (Book of Common Prayer).