GATHERING SPACE ART

In 2006, a generous memorial gift to the church made possible the fulfillment of a dream. The dream began six years ago when the two congregations, Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church and the Bethesda Jewish Congregation (BJC), developed the goal of creating a new worship space that could serve the needs of both groups but would be more suitable to Jewish worship than the parish social hall or the Lounge where BJC had been meeting.

The new worship space was designated Covenant Hall in recognition of the covenant relationship between the two congregations, now in its forty first year. Simplicity marks the design of Covenant Hall, in keeping with the unadorned plainness of the old Presbyterian meeting houses and also meeting the need to serve two different faith traditions--thus the absence of any religious iconography. In addition, a new more spacious entrance was created at the front from what was originally office space. This new entrance was simply called the Gathering Space, the space where congregants prepare to enter worship into either Covenant Hall or the Presbyterian sanctuary.

Since its opening, the Gathering Space has come to be associated primarily with refreshments and fellowship before and after worship. In order to serve a more spiritual objective, many in our two congregations have felt the need for something that serves as a reminder that the Gathering Space is primarily a place of preparing to enter into worship, to enter into the presence of God. To this end a new commissioned work of art entitled “Light of the One God” by Takoma Park artist, Jackie Braitman, is designed to do that by leading one from the entrance into Covenant Hall. This work of mosaic art has been made possible by a generous memorial gift.

To see additional works by Jackie Braitman visit www.jackiebraitman.com.