As we collectively navigate the holiday season, First Baptist Church on Fifth invites the community to engage with a public memorial called Shadow and Light: A Community Memorial, a communal, sacred space to bear witness to one another’s grief and name the countless losses this season has wrought. All in our community are invited to reflect upon the loss of this year by bringing a picture, an object, or a written note to place within or atop the memorial. Our hope is that in holding space for each other’s griefs, we can move through the shadows to discover the Light that sustains us through even the deepest darknesses.
Shadow and Light: A Community Memorial can be found just outside the church building at 501 West Fifth Street, and will be up from November 22 – December 22. This program is made possible through a Vital Worship grant from the Calvin Institute for Worship, Grand Rapids, Michigan, with funds provided by the Lilly Endowment, Inc. We thank the Vital Worship Grant Implementation Team at First Baptist who brought the project to life: Chris Gambill, Richard Groves, Mary Kaylor, Carlos Mir, Michelle Portman, Lynn Rhoades, David Williamson, and Emily Hull McGee.