This Lent, the congregation of Christ Church in Bloomfield/Glen Ridge stepped out in audacious faith by removing 19 pews to transform the entrance of their church into a self-guided, interactive Stations of the Cross entitled Dying ... to New Life: A Lenten Program of Transformation BY and FOR our Christ Church Community and the larger community in which we reside.
The backbone of this project is a set of fourteen unique and beautiful Stations of the Cross banners created by member Clara Mitchell, a local artist and native of Trinidad. For years, these banners have had an important – but subdued – place gracing the sidewalls of Christ Church.
On the last Sunday of Epiphany, they all came down. Each week during Lent, two banners have reappeared in the entrance, set out from the walls on free-standing poles and accompanied by an interactive meditation station based on themes relevant to today.
Some 35 members of the congregation worked to create these meditation stations, designed to draw the worshiper deeper into the message of Jesus’ last days:
As Jesus is condemned to death and picks up his cross, the meditation created by the Adult Confirmation Class invites you into the desert to reflect on the trials and temptations you face.
When Jesus meets his afflicted mother, three generations of women offer a rocking chair and stories that invite you to pray about the needs of children and their caregivers.
Those who attend Christ Church’s weekly healing service created a meditation supporting those who need healing and those who heal, to accompany Simon helping to carry the cross and the woman wiping Jesus’ face.
Christ Church’s Episcopal Church Women’s group took on the rights of women when Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem.
A diverse group of Christ Church members offer a striking reminder of the continuing need to address civil rights as Jesus is stripped of his garments.
The Youth Group created a station to call attention to victims of violence as Jesus is nailed to the cross and dies.
The program will culminate with a labyrinth in the center of the space for the journey of the final days of Holy Week.
In order to open this program up to the community, the congregation of Christ Church has kept their doors open for extended hours during the week. According to the Rev. Anne Koehler, the Priest in Charge, “Except for our regular service times, the doors to the sanctuary have been shut and locked for years. We know it will take time for our neighbors to believe they are truly welcomed to enter, no strings attached. But it is beginning to happen.”
Removing 19 pews “seemed an impossible task – not physically, but emotionally,” added Koehler. “But being able to actually see and experience the space at the entrance to the sanctuary in this new and deeply moving way is revealing something of the possibility of New Life that awaits our congregation and the larger community.”
See an online photo album showing the space and all six Stations of the Cross
