by Ed Ing
A street sign for a church signifies different things. And replacing an old sign can become an issue. Beyond the issue, beyond the aesthetics, beyond the paint and lettering, what does the sign mean?
My church St. Barnabas’ was started in 1962. In the eighties a metal street sign was designed and installed for the church. The sign’s low profile blended with the roadside landscape. It showed the church’s name and the times for Holy Eucharist services on Sundays. The sign worked best at night when the fluorescent bulbs inside the sign shined through the stenciling. Over the years, the sign weathered, the metal corroded, and the paint faded. Neighborhood demographics have changed as well.
The church, under a new rector, planned to replace the sign
ten years ago. A committee recommended a
carved sign in 2006. But the committee
recommendation was never implemented, because some in the church did not want a
replacement. A coat of paint on the old
sign and the addition of a sandwich board sign on the sidewalk, they said,
would serve. And the money given for the
improvement would be better spent elsewhere.
Nothing was done until a new assistant bishop on his first visit drove
right by the church without seeing it.
The church sits well back from the road behind a berm. If the church was not visible to the bishop,
many others did not see it either.
So the process to replace the sign started up again. The county granted the permits, the sign
maker delivered the replacement, the sign was erected, and new lighting
installed. The sign was dedicated this
spring on Pentecost, the Sunday commemorating God’s gift of the Holy Spirit to
all peoples who would receive Christ. A
new sign now stands in front of the church.
Some still think that it is too bold and brash.
The experience of replacing the old sign shows that my
church is a group of people like any other group. But unlike other groups, this little parish church
and the bigger Church continually remind us of God -- who as the Father created
us, who as the Son redeemed us, and who as the Holy Spirit sanctifies us. And we are also continually reminded to feed
the hungry, help the needy, and welcome the stranger. For Christ tells us that insofar as do this
to one of the least, we also do it to Him, and that insofar as we neglect to do
this to one of the least, we neglect to do it to Him also. Matthew 25:26 – 46.
The new church sign can mean all this and more. It also can mean all this and less. The sign reflects aspirations and it also
reflects shortcomings. For me the sign identifies
a community that is repeatedly asked to be mindful of God’s presence and God’s
love for us even though we in our striving fall short of the love He asks of us.
Take a look at the picture of the new church sign. See what the sign means. And consider this ancient prayer from a time
of great turmoil in the sixth century. In
the liturgical cycle of prayer, the Episcopal Church designates this prayer to
open worship on the 20th Sunday after Pentecost. The theme of the prayer comes from the
Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae -- Let your thoughts be on
heavenly things, not on the things that are on earth.
“Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but
to love things heavenly, and even now, while we are placed among things that
are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ
our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.”
