SUN CITY CENTER, Fla. — For many, this is considered a Holy Week, and for one Tampa Bay church, it is the perfect time to get the word out about a new tour that combines art and faith.
Reverend Edwin Gonzalez-Gertz is already speaking at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church every Sunday, so serving as a tour guide on the weekdays was a seamless transition.
“It began with a little pebble as I was approaching the pulpit one Sunday,” said Reverend Edwin. “I look to the floor, and I see this small pebble, and I’m wondering, ‘Where did this come from?’ and when I pick it up and look up behind me, here is the grand window, 50-foot-tall, and that fit in there somewhere.”
It turns out the 19 faceted glass panels sounding the church were in need of major restoration.
“The people saw the reconstruction of it, and they asked, ‘Where did this come from? What does it mean?”’ said Reverend Edwin. “Everybody loved it, but it was a mystery to us all.”
Reverend Edwin began researching and discovered that every panel was created by an anonymous artist, and proceeds for each window were donated by a different family.
“The style of art here is called contemporary, impressionistic, iconic,” said Reverend Edwin.
Parishioners wanted to know even more, so Reverend Edwin started offering his voice to the entire community through free interactive tours. He calls them, These Rocks Shall Speak.
“And to have such a priceless collection of beautiful art like this and keep it to ourselves, it almost seemed wrong,” said Reverend Edwin.
Those who have attended the tour say there really is no wrong answer when it comes to what each panel means to them.
“It's important to get this on ABC Action News because people are looking for a place to show their faith and worship their faith. It’s not necessarily religion. It's what God means to the person individually,” said parishioner Bob Meier.
Someone even thought the yellow bars represented a series of musical notes, leading Ruth Downing to write a spiritual hymn.
“I’ve just been very, very inspired by everything that’s been going on and just the presence and the beautiful inspiration of this glass,” said Downing.
For more information on upcoming tours, go here.
