Sanctuary
Processional Cross
by Carl Binder. Steel and brass on oak support. Gift of Carl Binder.
The Rev. William Hillegonds saw a Celtic cross Carl had made and wanted a similar one for a processional cross. Carl made a model from light materials supported on a broomstick. When Bill Hillegonds approved, he made the present cross. It has been widely admired, and has become somewhat a symbol of First Pres, so that members have requested smaller crosses of the same pattern.
Chancel Cross or Great Cross
(Please see the description of the Chancel Cross in Part 1.)
Three-panel screen in Hillegonds Chapel
designed by Carl Binder; executed by Carter Blocksma in Waterloo, Michigan and Carl Binder
Carl designed the screen to echo the decorations on the reredos in the nave. The main cabinet work was done by Carter Blocksma, using white oak. Carl carved the finials, roses, pomegranates, and shield from butternut wood.
Cloth for Communion Table
designed and hand woven by Mildred Danielson from cotton, linen and raw silk.
The cloth is comprised of three five-yard-long panels and then assembled. It has a neutral background with a laid-in design of many pale blue, overlapping crosses, balanced by seven jacquard blocks representing the seven days of Creation. The cloth may be turned to display the plain side only, should the occasion arise. When the Communion Table was moved forward in the mid-1990s it was shortened, and the cloth was also shortened to fit it. Millie gave the cloth a major renovation in 2007.
"Genesis" (in narthex)
by Michael R. Kapetan. Carved oak, 1987. Given in memory of Harlan Mulder by his wife, Phyllis Mulder.
Michael Kapetan is an Ann Arbor resident and professor of art at the University of Michigan who has done much liturgical work, mostly wood carving. He considers all his religious projects "as an opportunity to integrate science, art, and spirituality. 'We're at a time in our culture where we need integration in so many different ways that we have to do it wherever possible,' he says." (from the Ann Arbor Observer, October 1995)
