Self
Twenty-five years ago, I collaborated with St. Peter Baptist Church in Glen Allen, Virginia, on the construction of their new sanctuary.
Our relationship started with meetings to determine design and cost. There were around 12 representatives from the church and me.
By this time, I had been working with churches for twenty-seven years and knew the best position for me was to sit quietly and answer any questions with as broad an answer as I thought I could get away with. Having the number and sizes of the proposed windows was a great start, but design and materials were also significant factors in the equation.
Moving into the design stage always enlivens the discussion. Fortunately, there were many windows to display the diverse opinions on how to represent their church in stained glass.
Upon returning to my shop, my job is to explain our role to the people who work with me. They always have their insights and suggestions, which I am almost always grateful for. Then, It’s my job to coordinate all this information and present it in drawings and glass samples to the church committee.
One of the last tasks upon completion was to sign our work. As soon as the last window was installed with our signatures, I began to hear from some of the committee members that “we design the windows.”
I learned a very valuable lesson that day.