First Presbyterian Church of Sebastian is proud to announce their new Thrift Store Murals Project in conjunction with Pastor Jeff Wood’s Sabbatical scheduled for this summer. Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Programs strengthen Christian congregations through renewal and reflection. The Lilly Corporation provides an opportunity for pastors to step away from the persistent obligations of daily parish life and engage in a period of renewal and reflection. It is meant for those congregations and pastors who have a strong relationship with one another.
Pastor Jeff Wood formed a sabbatical grant proposal team made of church members at First Presbyterian Church of Sebastian, and another pastor from the area. This team worked in concert with the session and the congregation so that the sabbatical would become a church family endeavor.
The theme of the proposal was exploring God and devotion to him through color – color in flowers, fish, butterflies, stained glass, mosaics, murals, and village architecture. It incorporates two silent retreat experiences, one at the midway and one at the end. So, Pastor Wood and his wife, Denise, will roam and reflect from the lavender fields in southern France to looking for northern lights in Alaska. And the congregation will work on a mural on our site, a renewed garden at our sanctuary entrance, a mini-retreat about color and devotion, and an online course with Abbey of the Arts- titled, “Earth, Our Original Monastery”.
The church membership will be embarking on all of these projects on the church grounds during the Sabbatical, and the Thrift Store Murals Project is now nearing completion. Carol Makris was hired, based on her experience, to design and execute this project. “I was inspired by our task to incorporate an abundance of color, and to try to make this building more welcoming,” explains Carol, owner of Artistic Brushworks in Vero Beach. “The theme came into my mind to create a beautiful cottage that would foster our overall goal of making it more inviting!”
Church member Vicki Beyer, Mural Project Manager & Artist, lives locally in Barefoot Bay, and she & her husband, Doug, summer in Michigan. Many other members also helped with the initial blocking process. Vicki also creates a variety of artwork for our bulletins and video screen imagery at the front of our sanctuary.
For more information, please visit the website at www.WeLoveFirst.org. First Presbyterian Church of Sebastian is located at 1405 Louisiana Avenue. The complex is situated at the corner of Cross Street & Friendship Lane- fairly near to Sebastian City Hall. E-mail: Office@WeLoveFirst.org. Telephone: (772)-589-5656.