We went back to the church today to see the gift shop, but when we got there we saw the end of a funeral. We went towards the gift shop, but before we got there, someone asked if we wanted the tour of the church. Of course we did! So we followed a lady who explained everything about the building, the church, and the congregation. The church is absolutely amazing! Of course I did not get any pictures of the outside, because at first there were the people from the funeral and on the way out I was in schock at the beauty of this church that I didn't even think of taking pictures. www.communityofjesus.org
We walked up to the entrance, and this is what the doors look like:
Adam and Eve and the tree of life on these massive doors. That alone was worth seeing this church. But then, we went inside and we were blown away by the architectural beauty and the craftmanship of the artists!
On the inside, the Adam and Eve door was surrounded by a gold and glass sculpture:
Then Babtismal Font in front of the door is actual a real fountain that feeds the Font continuously. There is a mosaic in the middle of the church, from the entrance up to the altar. When you open the Adam and Eve door and step inside, it starts with the seed, then turns into the roots, then into the tree itself and closer to the altar, it turns into the branches of the tree of life.
The Apse behind the altar containes this absolutely stunning glass mosaic, the pews are Mission style chairs, the ceiling is wood, the church itself is build of beautiful thick stone, and the altar is italian marble.
The Apse behind the altar containes this absolutely stunning glass mosaic, the pews are Mission style chairs, the ceiling is wood, the church itself is build of beautiful thick stone, and the altar is italian marble.
The Apse Mosaic, "Christ in Glory", was made from two-and-a-half MILLION hand-cut pieces of colored glass!
The Sanctuary Floor and the steps are stone mosaic,
but from the glass Apse Mosaic flows the River of Life, also done in glass. The River of Life flows back towards the front door and ends in the Babtismal Font.
The Mosaic is absolutely stunning! Every little piece of glass or stone has exactly the right color, it is beautiful and whimsical, and the children in the church look for the animals and bugs on the floor. That's one way to keep the little ones interested!
After seeing this, we went to the gift shop and . . . well . . . shopped. We sat outside the compound for a few minutes until the funeral group returned, then we left.
I finally finished my Pastaza vest. Now I only need buttons and colder weather. Unfortunatly we are supposed to have temperatures in the 70's tomorrow. Is it ever going to get cool?
The Sanctuary Floor and the steps are stone mosaic,
but from the glass Apse Mosaic flows the River of Life, also done in glass. The River of Life flows back towards the front door and ends in the Babtismal Font.
The Mosaic is absolutely stunning! Every little piece of glass or stone has exactly the right color, it is beautiful and whimsical, and the children in the church look for the animals and bugs on the floor. That's one way to keep the little ones interested!
After seeing this, we went to the gift shop and . . . well . . . shopped. We sat outside the compound for a few minutes until the funeral group returned, then we left.
On the way back to Chatham we drove to a yarn shop, I bought some really cute buttons that are more of a decoration than an actual button, and a "knitting angel" pin. Jan bought patterns.
We drove back to Chatham, and went first to the "Candy Mansion" (because we obviously need more candy!), then we had dinner at the "Impudent Oyster" in Chatham.
I took a few pictures of Janis' house and the back yard and then we settled in for the evening.
I finally finished my Pastaza vest. Now I only need buttons and colder weather. Unfortunatly we are supposed to have temperatures in the 70's tomorrow. Is it ever going to get cool?
