Introduction at "Light in Midwinter," St. Francis Church, 12 Feb. 2017
We welcome
you to this evening’s presentation, Light in Midwinter. We gather in the cold, as the sun has nearly
run its course, to explore and perhaps to meditate a bit on the design of this
space where the people of Saint Francis gather to praise God. Thanks to the generosity of many of you and
the skill and hard work of others of you, this church was renovated during the
course of last year.
Our
architect and designer, David Tozer, is also among those who gather here to
pray week by week. He will discuss some
of the alterations that were made: their inspirations, purposes, and unified
effect in filling this space even more completely with light, color and
harmony.
It might be
helpful, though, to begin our story many centuries before anyone ever broke
ground at this place to build a house of God.
Church architecture, more than most crafts, bears the weight of
centuries of tradition and symbolic intention.
David is creative, to be sure, but his is a creativity normed by a deep
and respectful awareness of what has come before.
Many of the
world’s oldest and most beloved buildings were designed for religious
worship. Part of their enduring power
lies in the message behind their use of balance and proportion, light and
shadow.
