Celebrating the Symbols of Creekside

Baptismal Font

Christian Blanck remembers being in the Mayflower/Creekside Sanctuary with his mom, Dana Blanck, and noticing the bland, stainless-steel bowl that was being used at the time for baptisms. They began an informal conversation about making a new vessel for that space. Christian, a potter, made a few platters with the correct dimensions, and experimented with some glazes and decorative effects to define the text on the rim of the platter using the word “Peace.” Christian threw the piece on a potters wheel in his studio and glazed in an electric kiln. It was a meaningful project for him, and he loves knowing that it is still used for such a lovely purpose. And it started with a conversation between Christian and his mom. “It’s heartening to know that a piece of me is still in the Sanctuary,” he says.

Dream Catcher

In 2010 Julie Champ contacted renowned Native artist Joyce LaPorte about making Mayflower/Creekside a dream catcher. Joyce is best known for her Native dolls, which are featured at the Smithsonian and the Minnesota History Center.

Traditionally, we think of dreams as ways to help us interpret or understand our past and present events. But in many Biblical instances, God spoke through messengers in dreams to show the way of the future. In the Ojibwe culture, a dream catcher is a handmade object based on a willow hoop, on which is woven a loose net or web. The dream catcher is then decorated with personal and sacred items such as feathers and beads. The Ojibwe believe that a dream catcher changes a person’s dreams: Only good dreams would be allowed to filter through; bad dreams stay in the net, disappearing with the light of day.

The dream catcher that Joyce created for Mayflower/Creekside is six feet in diameter and made of willow branches. The web is sinew, woven in the traditional spider web pattern. It is decorated with two wild turkey wing feathers and cobalt beads representing Grandfather Sky. There are seven smaller dream catchers attached to the main hoop representing seventh generation philosophy. A deerskin medicine pouch hangs from the main hoop and houses the ashes from our Mayflower mortgage-burning ceremony. We also plan to hang the ashes from our Mayflower to Creekside name changing ritual. What dreams are calling to us? Listen…

Columbarium

In the early 1990s, a group of Mayflower/Creekside members began to informally explore the general concept of memorial gardens and the idea that the church might develop a memorial garden of its own.

In 1992, Don Hadfield formed a committee that brought a resolution to the Council and then to the Congregation for approval. This resolution was approved by a Congregational vote at the Annual Meeting in May 1993.

By March 1994 the committee had created a set of policies, drawings, and associated costs for a project that was to be constructed in the Garth. By 1998, the Memorial Garden Fund had grown to over $29,000, a good start but not nearly enough to complete the project. Julie Champ had a brilliant idea: Mayflower/Creekside would prepare for its 75th Anniversary by raising funds toward completing some of those big, far-reaching major projects, including the Memorial Garden.

The Mayflower Foundation gave tremendous financial support to the Memorial Garden, which made the project attainable.

After a formal groundbreaking during the church’s 75th Anniversary weekend, the real work began. To cut costs, Mayflower/Creekside members did the demolition themselves. Gary Bourg coordinated much of this volunteer effort. Paul Barton’s crew from the Landshapes company worked throughout the summer to create the space you see now. The arrival of the columbarium units in late September 2000 marked the completion of this project.

The Memorial Garden is available to members—past and present—and their immediate family members. Others may be considered in consultation with the ordained staff and the Church Council.

A site may be purchased in advance or at the time of death. Members or family members may reserve a site by completing an application and paying the cost of interment.

Seasons of Life Banners

The banners that hang in the front of the Sanctuary were designed and created by Barbara Behnke, Ginger Bush, Suzanne Holt, and Deb Spuit to be part of an Earth Day celebration. Per Deb, “During the development of the idea, we were thinking of the many world cultures that have symbols and rhythms that connect us to the earth; symbols including the elements of air, fire, earth, and water. The banners are meant to remind us of the generosity of the earth and our connection to the world. Wind and water flow through all four panels connecting them together.”

The earth banner that hangs on the front of the altar table was designed and produced by Barbara Behnke. She had a vision that the Seasons of Life banners ended at the surface of the earth and did not imagine any aspect of God’s creation below ground. This below earth image shows the layers of soil and rock including a red iron ore layer. The banner displays the flow of water not only into the earth, but also through the earth and back out, providing essential nutrients to the trees, grass, and plants that draw water from the earth. Look closely; do you see the mole?

Faith Stained-Glass Windows and the Eternal Light

On October 10, 1993, Faith United Church of Christ merged with Mayflower /Creekside UCC. The stained-glass windows in the Sanctuary came from Faith Church as did the eternal light in the front of the Sanctuary. Karen Heinke from Faith remembers helping her mom check it during the week and replacing the candle container inside when to make sure it would never burn out. Our Eternal Light has become even more sacred as the spot where spiritual directors wait to give people blessings or prayers after worship.

Angel Stained Glass Windows

The two angel stained glass windows that hang in the Narthex as you look towards the garth originally were on either side of the altar in the former church across the street (now the Russian Museum of Art).

Communion Ware

Ian Scheerer and Natasha Yates presented Mayflower with a glass pitcher to be used for baptisms when they moved away from Minneapolis. Diann Anders recalls that the pottery communion ware was a gift from Ken Iha (minister from 1998-2002).

Singing Bowl

Mike McMillan joined the Mayflower staff in summer 2009, serving for two years as a Lilly resident. Mike remembers buying the singing bowl in a gift store in Linden Hills.

Pilgrims Landing Bas-Relief

The Pilgrims Landing bas-relief was commissioned and created by Dr. Peter Lupori, a Professor of Art at St. Catherine University. It hung over the fireplace in the Fireside Room starting in the late 1980s. The bas-relief shows Pilgrims landing in North America and served as a reminder of the Congregational Church’s ancestry and history. During the design of the bas-relief we had a discussion of the emerging role of leadership of women in the church. A suggestion was made to put one of the women in front of the Pilgrims as a symbol of strength, representing the women of Mayflower.

The words in the second verse of the hymn “Won’t You Let Me Be Your Servant” are:
“We are pilgrims on a journey, we are travelers on the road.
We are here to help each other go the mile and bear the load.”

These words were symbolic for the focus on Pilgrims when we commissioned the art.
As Mayflower engaged in a process of reflection and discernment in the early 2020s, we thought about questions such as: Who have we been? Who are we now? Who do we want to be going forward? How can we be a safe place for all who enter here?

As a result of our reflection, this work of art was relocated in the summer of 2023. It is now hanging in our Legacy Room downstairs, which features other important symbols of Mayflower’s/Creekside’s work and presence over the years.

Semi-circle Stone Ship

This stone ship was originally a door decoration at our old church, now The Museum of Russian Art. It was found in the lower level of the museum and  Bob Scott, then the moderator of the church council, brought it back to Mayflower on a specially built wheeled rack. At the time, the Fireside Room remodel was nearly done, and the ship found its way to the wall indentation near the Narthex doorway into the Fireside Room. Per Steve Grundahl, the Museum also gave us the semi-circle painting of pilgrims that is now in our Legacy Room.

Prayer Shawls

Prayer shawls are warm, tangible, enveloping reminders of God’s embracing love for all people. They have long been a ministry at Mayflower, but no one is sure of exactly when the tradition started. Member Beverely Johnson learned about prayer shawls sometime in the 1970s and began knitting them for a group of her neighbors. Later, at a Women of a Certain Age meeting, she explained her knitting and Barbara Behnke jumped on the idea, spawning the idea of knitting shawls for members who might need them. Knitters and crocheters purchase yarn, create shawls, and bring them to church for a blessing on the first Sunday of each month. The pastors then have the shawls to bring to people who are in crisis, in transition, or have an event in their lives to celebrate. High school graduates receive prayer shawls to accompany them on their journey to adulthood.

No official list has been compiled of the people who do the knitting or crocheting, the number of shawls given away, or who exactly as received them. Approximately 50 are given away each year. Knitters gather on the first Sunday of the month from October through May to knit, socialize, and pray together.

Describing this handmade ministry, Barbara Behnke recalled the words of former pastor Les Pugh, who referred to these kinds of loving acts as “the silent working of God.”

Organ Pipe Shades

The decorative pipe shades that adorn the areas above the visible organ pipes are comprised of many small Mayflower ship images. Each one is an individualized representation of a ship, designed by a household/family in the congregation and signed on the back by the ones who sketched or made it. Organist Dorothy Williams completed the process, arranging the pipe shades to form a permanent record of Mayflower members in 1988.

Solar Panel Canopy

Our solar panels were installed in February 2012, and we knew we wanted to share our message with the public. However, the best location for the solar panels (on the roof of the education building) was not visible to the public. To make the project visible, an entryway canopy was designed by Kurt Gough to make the solar panels front and center. There were multiple adjustments necessary for the functionality, aesthetics, and technical requirements of the panels. They have more than proven their value.

Pollinator Garden

The area west of the education building, between Mayflower/Creekside and the apartment building next door, is now a haven within the urban landscape both for pollinators and for the people who visit or work in the garden. This area was originally planted with trees and shrubs, but these were removed for access and maximizing sunlight during the installation of the solar panels. As a result, by the summer of 2016, this area had become a mature weed lot. To reclaim the space as a visible symbol of our human stewardship in God’s world, the Mayflower/Creekside gardeners began the process of killing weeds and replanting a 20-foot portion each year with pollinator-friendly perennials.

This pollinator garden now hosts a wide variety of native plants (plus a few helpful non-native plants) that support native bees, honeybees, and butterflies. It is a small area, but we are part of a broader network of “homegrown national parks” that cultivate Native and pollinator-friendly habitats. Per Linda Ridlehuber, pollinator gardens are a corridor through the city for bees and butterflies. Our pollinator garden has been the location of garden teas during fellowship as well as a site on neighborhood native-friendly garden tours. These tours help us spread the word about the emotional, spiritual, visual, and scientific benefits of care of the earth for all of God’s creatures.

Rain Gardens

New in 2023, two rain gardens now collect stormwater runoff from the library and administrative corridor roofs. Together these rain gardens are designed to capture almost 55,000 gallons of annual rainfall. We took action to install these rain gardens to help address one of the impacts of climate change: the increase in sudden, heavy rains. These heavy rains often produce too much water, too fast, and the soil is unable to absorb and filter it. Our rain gardens slow the flow of the rainwater from some of our roofs, allowing the water to soak it into the ground rather than letting it run off onto the parking lot and street. This prevents the rainwater from collecting further pollution, which would be carried into Diamond Lake and then into the Minnehaha Creek watershed. We hope that this highly visible project educates and inspires others to take steps to help mitigate some of the effects of climate change on our waterways and the life within them. Managing our stormwater runoff is a key component of human stewardship in God’s world.