Page 10 - hs7701
P. 10
"BUILDERS CREED"
"When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delights, nor for present use alone; let it
be such work as our descedents will thank us for, and let us think, as we lay stone on stone, that a time is to come
when those stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say as they look upon
the labor and wrought substance of them "See! this our fathers did for us." John Ruskin
Devout believers always have made extreme personal sacrifices to find and establish a place of worship. Many hardships
were endured and history records that the earliest houses of worship were unpretentious and simple in appointment, and often
in secret locations. As Christianity spread over the face of Europe, a new freedom of mankind was expressed in building,
to the glory of God, edifices which have become renowned for their beauty and magnificence. These structures, particularly
of the Medieval and Renaissance periods, required many years to erect and seldom were completed with in a generation.
The new Sanctuary for the First Presbyterian Church in Newhall in its architecture of simplicity and dignity, still
expresses man's relationship to God and his desire to honor God by offering only his best. The style is not bound by
tradition, nor should it be, since it is important that the Church building be representative of the period in which it is erected.
The architecture of the design, is reflection of the desire to combine a material expression of man's relationship to God,
present day construction techniques and materials, and the functional application of all building units to meet the church's
total program requirements.
The success of a Church building project depends in large measure on the validity of the program requirements as
established by the Church authorities. The First Presbyterian congregation, through it's Pastor and Building Committee ,
determined that the Sanctuary should be established not only as a landmark in the community to symbolize its tradition
of many years of service, but that it also be a structure to provide the necessary space and liturgical arrangement
for corporate worship in the reformed tradition. The shape of the Church evolved out of the committee's study
involving many months of time.
Suggestive of the "reformed" tradition the wood Communion table, with its inlaid ceramic artwork, rests as a free-standing
unit on the quarry tile Chancel floor. The pulpit, symbolizing the "word" has been carefully located to emphasize this
important item of furnishings.
The arrangement of the pews to the Chancel area was designed to emphasize the historic Protestant tradition of the
importance of the preaching of the Word of God and the fellowship of God's people about the Communion Table.
The universal language of symbolism is one of the rich heritages of the Christian faith and the worshipper may experience
many enriched moments in reading the iconography portrayed by the beautiful stained glass windows and the symbols for
the Chancel furnishings. The stained glass win~o_ws have been executed by one of California's outstanding glass artists.
Some of the original stained glass panels or medallions in the First Presbyterian's Sanctuary have been incorporated in
contemporary window designs.
The Chi-Rho symbol on the p1i1lpit consists of the two Greek letters used to abbreviate the name of "Christ" and
clearly proclaims the truth, "I\ believe in Jesus Christ, His Son, Our Lord". This symbol is one of the most ancient of
the so-called monograms of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It is superimposed over the famous Alpha and Omega symbol.
The former expresses Christian knowledge as well as the word, "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."
The Alpha and Omega proclaims that Jesus Christ is the beginning and end of all; He is the first and the last.
The leg supports for the Communion Table are decorated with interwoven symbols of the Cross and the Vine, the
grape leaf and grape fruit. These symbols are also interspersed on the pew ends.
Natural materials and applied color play important parts in supplementing and accentuating the desired atmosphere.
All materials including furnishings have been carefully selected for texture and color to focus the attention of the
worshipper to the Communion Table and Pulpit. All items of furnishings and the liturgical artcraft are of original design
to conform with the basic design of the structure and expert craftmanship has been employed to execute and achieve the
beauty of these various appointments.
Robert R. lnslee, A.I.A.
Jos Maes, Stain Glass Windows Designer
Karl Weibach, Ceramic Tile Designer