Bishop of Barking, Fr. Ben Rutt-Field, and Henry Shelton after the dedication of the 'Stations of the Crown of Thorns' at St Paul's Goodmayes
Fr. Ben with the final Station in the seriesFor the second week running the new Church Art Trail created by the cluster of Anglican churches in Aldborough Hatch, Goodmayes and Seven Kings features in the Ilford Recorder; this week with a double page photo feature.
In the article, which features each of the four churches on the Trail, Fr. Ben Rutt-Field, Parish Priest of St Paul's Goodmayes, says: "So often people walk past churches and think it is just a plain building - they aren't aware of the beauty inside." Revd. Petros Nyatsanza, Vicar of All Saints Goodmayes, said: "We hope that with the Trail, churches will be at the centre of the community and people will come in and have a look and actually read through the stories of Jesus."
The Art Trail includes The Stations of the Crown of Thorns created by Henry Shelton at St Paul's Goodmayes through a commission obtained by commission4mission. These Stations were dedicated by the Bishop of Barking at the weekend and a report plus photographs from this event can be found by clicking here.
A guided walk along the Art Trail has been organised for Wednesday 28th July beginning at 2.00pm at St Peter's Aldborough Hatch. All are welcome to come and enjoy the art and the walking.
As part of preparation for the Recorder feature I prepared the following comments which were used in a variety of ways within the piece:
The Christian faith has inspired great artists throughout the centuries to paint at the height of their technical ability and creative imagination. The result has been centuries of great art inspired by the Christian faith and conveying aspects of the faith in new and creative ways. People are often initially attracted to Church art by its beauty and scale but great art is never simply about its immediate or surface impression; instead its colours, shapes and symbols draw those who take the time to look deeper into the mystery of God and faith.
Through wall-paintings in catacombs and homes, visual art very quickly became a significant feature of the Christian faith. Such art was about inspiration and instruction for followers of the Christian faith and throughout much of the history of the Church this continued to be the case; because most people were not literate, the fundamental doctrines of the faith were conveyed through art. By contrast, today Christian Art often seeks to convey, through colour, shape, sign and symbol, something of the mystery of God, who is Spirit and therefore, ultimately, invisible.
The visual arts can contribute to the mission of the Church by: speaking eloquently of the Christian faith; providing a reason for people to visit a church; providing a link between churches and local arts organisations/initiatives; and providing a focus around which local people can come together for a shared activity.
I hope the Art Trail will provide people with another reason to visit their local churches in order that they can be inspired by the beauty of the artworks and of the buildings themselves. I hope, too, that those who do will be pleasantly surprised to find that these churches are also vibrant community buildings hosting a wide variety of community activities and events which benefit the whole community.
Through wall-paintings in catacombs and homes, visual art very quickly became a significant feature of the Christian faith. Such art was about inspiration and instruction for followers of the Christian faith and throughout much of the history of the Church this continued to be the case; because most people were not literate, the fundamental doctrines of the faith were conveyed through art. By contrast, today Christian Art often seeks to convey, through colour, shape, sign and symbol, something of the mystery of God, who is Spirit and therefore, ultimately, invisible.
The visual arts can contribute to the mission of the Church by: speaking eloquently of the Christian faith; providing a reason for people to visit a church; providing a link between churches and local arts organisations/initiatives; and providing a focus around which local people can come together for a shared activity.
I hope the Art Trail will provide people with another reason to visit their local churches in order that they can be inspired by the beauty of the artworks and of the buildings themselves. I hope, too, that those who do will be pleasantly surprised to find that these churches are also vibrant community buildings hosting a wide variety of community activities and events which benefit the whole community.
In a further interesting development, this week I have been contacted by a researcher who thinks that St John's Seven Kings may contain stained glass by the mural painter, stained-glass artist, illustrator and wood engraver, Bernard Sleigh. Watch this space as we investigate this possibility further.
This week's Recorder also includes an article about our recent Praise on the Green event.
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Al Green - People Get Ready.
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