Sanctuary
Sanctuary, a word that calls forth images of respite and peaceful silence. Yet an active sanctuary like ours also fills with the whispers of families, tinkling voices of happy children, and passionate voices united in song reciting a liturgy as familiar as the sun which rises every morning. More than a building, our sanctuary has been imbued with cherished memories of our beautiful weddings, tender memories of baptism, and tearful farewells to our saints. This warm and loving space beacons us to gather with extended family and observe the perennial timelessness of the seasons: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, and Easter.
In the foreboding days of long winters, our city can be a dark, moody place. When low clouds drift gloomily across our skies, we cherish the sunbeams pouring through individually-insignificant chips of colored glass, creating a congregation of mystic light. Twelve contemporary faceted glass windows on an “I Am” theme bring messages from our sacred scriptures to life. These windows, created in 1965 by the Willet Hauser studios in Philadelphia, provide a stunning visual experience in the early-morning sun.
The story of our sanctuary began with the tireless work of our longest-serving Pastor, the Rev. Martin J. Hoeppner. Pastor Hoeppner guided our congregation from our 100th anniversary in 1933, through tumultuous war years of the 1940’s, and painful years following our members to the suburbs in the 1950’s. Like Moses, Pastor Hoeppner was fated to wander through a desolate transition from inner city to Williamsville, but was never allowed to see this sanctuary, our promised land, except in his dreams for his flock.
Our beautiful sanctuary began as the vision of one of our most iron-willed pastors, Dr. John Schmidt, who meticulously planned every aspect. Ten laminated wooden beams create a visual allusion to hands folded in prayer. A stunning hand-carved statue of the Risen Lord, arms broadly extended in welcoming forgiveness, evokes an image of the cross where He delivered our salvation. Dr. Schmidt observed at the dedication of this 7 foot 3 inch wooden sculpture by the internationally-renowned German artist, Otto Flath, that, “The figure with outstretched arms emphasizes the living Christ as the companion of His people in every generation.”
The church organ, originally designed by the E. F. Walcker Organ Company of Ludwigsburg, Germany, was installed in the new sanctuary in 1965 and dominates the loft at the rear of the sanctuary. The organ has 1,890 individual pipes, twenty-four stops and was originally operated by a two manual console. In 2002, the console was rebuilt by Charles Kegg Organ Company of Columbus, Ohio. A third manual was added to support planned future addition of another rank of pipes.
The church was designed by Clarence E. Donath. Construction began in March 1964 by the Shelvin-Manning Construction Company and the building was dedicated on January 24th, 1965.