The people of Trinity Church, St. Mary's City,
Maryland, created an altar frontal for the Feast of Pentecost. The design team included adults, teens
and children, and the process was simple. One person volunteered to read the Pentecost story from The Acts of the Apostles. The group then
named the images and symbols they heard or
imagined. Wind … fire … Upper Room … dove …
They began to ask the creative questions.

 

How do we show the power of the wind?
How do we show the fire?
The dove?
The diversity of the people?

 

They blocked the scene on newsprint, then went at it. The frontal, begun the week prior to Pentecost and finished at least ten minutes before the service, was processed by the children during the opening hymn.

We then set the table, tried hard not to admire our work too much, and opened with a Hebrew greeting. A great day!