First Congregational
United Church of Christ
... exploring the frontiers of faith in Jesus
Creative Corner
Beginning in September 2020, we began featuring a variety of creations from our members in our weekly newsletter Tidings. We miss seeing each other during the pandemic and this is a way that we can continue to share. We welcome artists and collectors of all ages and abilities. We welcome all sorts of contributions: photography, paintings, sculpture, poetry, stories, dance, music, acting, recipes, knitting, crocheting, sewing, needlework, pottery, favorite hobbies or collections. On this page we present the items that have so far been featured - a new one will be added each week. If you would like to participate or have questions, please contact Anne Hoekstra or the church office.
Michelle Holt - December 16, 2020
It was the first evening of the writer's retreat and the weather was beautiful so I was determined to be outside and walk. After I just sat down to write, to start something for the weekend:
Walk On
Went walking on a
stone labyrinth at 5 pm
sharp,
went looking for
the sunset with
My eye
I found mine
Turned to the ground,
Stone after stone
Stepping slower,
Winding back
Breathing with
each motion forward.
My thoughts spider out
as I hear a boat purr
and a leaf blower roar
jetting out across
the green blue lake as
I trace my way back
And the sound is done.
Cindy Thompson - December 9, 2020
During the early days of the pandemic shutdown, I spent my time sewing masks to donate. While waiting for a new shipment of elastic, I found tshirt squares my daughter, Kati had cut to make a quilt. I decided to work on her quilt until the elastic arrived. Since we weren't shopping, and because I have a large stash of fabric, I used only materials I had at home. I call it my "Pandemic Quilt". It will be presented to Kati and her husband when I see them again.
Previously, I made 2 graduation tshirt quilts, a quilt I donated to homeless children as a fundraiser, and another quilt for Kati's wedding. I have another graduation quilt to make for a niece, then hope to make one for myself and a tshirt quilt with shirts from many years of coaching for my hubby.
In addition to these quilt projects, while hunting for mask fabric, I found a box of quilt squares my mom made many years ago as part of a class she was taking. Each 18 inch square is a different quilt design. The squares need to be put together and then quilted. I don't have the skill or patience to hand quilt the remaining squares to match her beautiful handiwork, but want to put it together so that she can enjoy her work.
Though I have sewn since I was in junior high school, my quilt projects are a new adventure for me.
Ed Dams - December 2, 2020
My Grammy
I love listening to music from the 1900's, the whole century. I have accumulated an eclectic assortment of records, 8-tracks, cassettes, and CDs which I listen to often. Imagine my surprise a few years ago when we returned home one day from running errands and I spotted something in the driveway. . . pieces of an antique Brunswick-Balke-Collender console gramophone...circa 1925...a wind-up 78 RPM record player. It was a basket case with a note that said "if you can put this back together and make it work, you can have it." I had no experience with these types of machines but accepted the challenge. It needed a replacement 2-spring motor. I was very fortunate to eventually find one on Ebay. The wooden grille with its ornate scroll work was broken to bits. Using the various pieces as a guide, a local wood crafter made me an exact replacement. The parts for the rest of the mechanical and sound mechanisms were somehow all there and just needed a good cleaning, oiling, and reassembly. It slowly emerged---My Grammy! Since then I have found old 78 rpm "acoustic" recordings and enjoy immersing myself into their big band ballroom, folk, country, jazz, blues, inspirational, and pop musical offerings.
Do you have a grammy? Wanna share some really old tunes? Let me know.
Barb Mardis - November 25, 2020
Among my favorite activities are travel, hiking, birdwatching and photography. While this picture wouldn't win any contests, it does capture all of those activities and it has a story. Rocky Mountain National Park is sadly closed for now, due to wildfires, but the news reminded me of the last time we were there, when we were hiking on the west side of the park along the Colorado River Trail. When we stopped for lunch, this little jay discovered that John had a bag of trail mix and brazenly stole a raisin. When that worked, he came back for more. He then stayed with us along the trail, escorting us as he moved from tree to hand to tree, for probably another mile or so; of course, we were charmed and rewarded him with raisins and nuts - and took his picture. He definitely made the day more memorable! (While it used to be called a Gray Jay, his official name now is apparently Canada Jay - Rocky Mountain variant.)
Evie Waack - November 18, 2020
Dancing Coneflower
This simple ink and watercolor drawing has profoundly affected me. In November of the year Dale and I moved into my childhood home, the coneflowers in the backyard had just turned brown. The "cone" of this flower caught my attention. In the fading sunlight of a Sunday afternoon I sat before the flower and dabbed in the yellowish orange colors of the cone. I then continued with the pinkish brown of the petals. By the time I finished painting and drawing the dying flower it had come to life.
Dale Waack - November 11, 2020
When Anne Hoekstra asked me to contribute for the "Fine Arts Page" for the
Tidings, she as well as I was thinking I would pick one of my favorite
wildlife photos, some species of birds or other creatures of the woods. In
the process of glancing through who knows how many thousand of photos I
came across the one to the right. As I kept looking, I
kept coming back to this particular one. It seems more appropriate at this
time in history than wildlife photos.
Some years ago Evie and I fell in love with the area of Minnesota known as "The North Shore" and have been fortunate to make trips in all four seasons. That area of God's country extends from Duluth, Minnesota to the Canadian border along Lake Superior. Our favorite place to stay while there is a small, non four star, privately owned resort five miles south of Grand Marais and sits fifty yards from the lake. On one of our early fall trips these empty chairs were sitting about ten feet form a short drop off to Lake Superior. A picture says a thousand words. What is Missing?
In this time of the pandemic, what/who is missing from your life? Where do you feel empty? More importantly, what have you done/can do to fill the void the pandemic has caused?
Beth Hurley - November 4, 2020
I have a large perenial garden that takes up the majority of my backyard, and in that garden I have a section just for hybrid roses. At this time of year , I watch as they all dry down and go dormant for the winter. One day, a couple of years ago, I walked out to my garden and spied a bright rose growing out of a dying bush. I considered whether to pick it or leave it there at the mercy of the uncertain elements we experience in the fall. It was this quandry that inspired me to write the following poem in which I discover an analogy to our own humanity. Included is a photo of one of my roses.
The Last Rose of Summer
Today I picked the last rose of summer.
I saw it through the window,
Standing tall and bright
Above the other rosebushes,
Now blighted and withered.
Their leaves falling on the ground.
Yet strong and tall it stood,
Head toward the sky,
Far above the rest of the garden.
Its color a bright fuchsia.
Almost neon-like,
Demanding the focal point
In a sea of fading flora.
Its message was one of hope and courage,
As if it refused to give up its
Strength and beauty,
It stood atop a thick and sturdy stem.
Hesitantly, I put the pruners to it.
As if trying to prolong its life,
I placed it in a vase of life-sustaining water.
As such, have we been plucked
From a life of iniquity and death.
We can stand tall and unafraid.
The beauty of Christ's love,
Shining from our countenance,
Saved by the life-giving waters,
Of his eternal Grace.
John Mardis - October 28, 2020
This song - Searching for Jesus - is my current answer to the question "If Jesus is always with us, where is He?" The tune was suggested by the shapenote hymn, The Morning Trumpet, which starts out "When will I see Jesus, and reign with Him above, and hear the trumpet sound on that Morning?" I believe we don't have to wait for the afterlife to see Jesus in action or even to hear morning trumpets!
Sue Hummel - October 28, 2020
I like to collect bits and pieces of Halloween decorations, mostly from the 1960's. It feels good to create something while being at home more, and to share a few of them with you!
Sabina Meacham and cello - October 21, 2020
For this week, we have a link to a performance by one of our very talented youth--Sabina Meacham, performing "Contra Dance" by Beethoven on her cello. She is accompanied by her teacher, Ludmilla Lebedeva. Sabina has been playing cello since age 5. What she likes best about playing the cello is hearing the many sounds that come from a simple wooden instrument and she likes performing because she wants people to hear the skill that she has been developing through the years. Thank you, Sabina, for sharing your talents with our church family!
Click here for Sabina's video.
Cliff Highnam - October 14, 2020
This is a photo of a set of dulcimer hammers I made. This pair is
composed of walnut with grips of maple. I cut them out with a scroll saw
and glued them together with clamps. The hammers are hand-sanded and
finished with tung oil. The dot on each shank is a wood inlay locating
the fulcrum or balance point. The fulcra for a pair need to match in
order to feel balanced in the player's hands. The striking surfaces are
covered with leather strips that soften impact and mellow sound.
During the boredom created by the pandemic, I made dozens of these pairs
and peddled them on E-bay and from my Etsy shop. But I flooded the
market (which took a couple dozen) and now I'm nursing a bloated inventory. Hammers anyone? :-)
Bob Hurley - October 7, 2020
The Man of All Colors (oil)
I call my painting "The Man of All
Colors" because to me it represents the man
whom God originally created. He has no
racial bias as all races are in him. He
symbolizes God's perfect creation within
one body as all are blending together in
total unity. This painting is how I believe
we should value every person.
Diane Highnam - September 30, 2020
I chose to share this photo with you today because I love spring flowers! I love
perennials that come back year after year. I planted this beautiful flower in my
garden near the front of the house. It was always a reminder of my dad, a
Master Gardener, who tended his flower and vegetable gardens with the utmost
care. He loved his gardens. . .Dad's gardens, I believe, were his sanctuary. He
loved the solitude, the beauty, the respite from his daily responsibilities. He
loved the hard work of keeping God's plants alive and well. For years, I was
blessed to have this purple columbine greet me every spring and remind me,
too, that God is in our midst. God is creating and recreating us every day. We
can withstand harsh winters, dry spells, and spring floods. We can thrive in our
own gardens. We can be a blessing to those around us! We can bloom where we
are planted!
Paul Greene - September 23, 2020
"I love kayaking! I love being so close to the water ... actually sitting in the
water. I love how I feel how the kayak and I become one ... together. This is my
first kayak and favorite kayak that I've had for probably twenty years ... long
before kayaks were so popular as they are today. But, I have the same problem
kayaking as I do with other activities like biking, running, walking, or whatever.
It seems I just have one speed ... all out. I can't seem to slow down and just
enjoy. I see a lot of things when I'm outdoors, but I often wonder what I'm
missing going 'wherever' in such a hurry.
Well, every now and then there is an exception to my "all-out flaw". You see one of them here. I'm all by myself on the water, everyone else has (foolishly) gone home, it's quiet except for the wildlife, and God puts on a show just for me. It's at these times that I can finally pull my feet out of the kayak, sit back, and enjoy the incredible splendor of our Creator, And not only am I pulled out of "all out" mode, but I could sit there forever, if the show lasted that long. I feel so close to our Lord ... surrounded by His Creation in sight and sound. Amen."
God is still speaking,
Never place a period where God has placed a comma. - Gracie Allen
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