Artwork at St Andrews

The artwork was designed and created by Gayle Storey, a member of the congregation, who is also a Central Bedfordshire College Art Lecturer. I had invited her to create something that would enhance the vestry in its new focus as a prayer room. Her inspired creation involved the skills and abilities of many in the local community.

It all started last Lent when, during a cafe Church in February, all the members of the congregation had a chance to make a ceramic cross, other friends and colleagues of Gayle added to these until there were 112 individually crafted crosses

Central Bedfordshire College kindly gave permission for the crosses to be fired in their kilns. These have been mounted on a wooden frame, Tony Willson made a pine wood prototype so that Gayle could experiment with the placing of the crosses. Then professional wood craftsmen from Kensworth Saw Mills fashioned the final hard wood frame. Members of the congregation helped to attach it to the wall in
the prayer room. The inspiration and core skill came from Gayle but it came about through the work of the whole community.

The artwork was designed and created by Gayle Storey, a member of the congregation, who is also a Central Bedfordshire College Art Lecturer. I had invited her to create something that would enhance the vestry in its new focus as a prayer room. Her inspired creation involved the skills and abilities of many in the local community.Each cross represents an individual’s prayer, yet placed together there is a sense of a single movement of prayer reaching upwards and outwards – very symbolic of our prayers going up and reaching out to touch others in need. The cross is a wonderful symbol of prayer. We pray with confidence because of the cross on which Jesus gave his life so freely out of his love for us.

The “Ascension of Prayer” was blessed by the Rt. Revd. Richard Atkinson, Bishop of Bedford on Sunday January 5th 2014 during the Epiphany Communion Service. Bishop Richard blessed the work and also prayed that the prayers in the prayer room may bless more people and that there may be a further release of creative gifts at St. Andrew’s.