Balsa Wood Planes with John
For several years now, our church has enjoyed gathering together for a picnic and kite fly to celebrate Ascension Day.
Last year, the event got a major upgrade.
One of our members, John Robison, has blessed us with his creative talents in many ways over the years. For our celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, back in October of 2017, he crafted a replica of the Wartburg Castle – the site where Martin Luther translated the Greek New Testament into German while he was hiding to protect his life.
A portion of the crèche display
This past Christmas, John and his wife Jan loaned us their beautiful display of handmadecrèches. The children from our Early Learning Center took turns visiting the sanctuary to see the collection of Nativity scenes from around the world. For those who worshiped with us throughout the season of Christmas, an extra artistic opportunity was provided to contemplate our Savior’s birth.
While each of these works of arts blessed our congregation, I think it’s safe to say that John’s Ascension Day project was the favorite of our kids. In preparation for the May picnic, John crafted over a dozen balsa wood planes to help the kids look to the sky as we gathered to remember Jesus’ Ascension (not to mention, he spent several weeks after the picnic offer a repair service for the kids who continued to enjoy their planes a little too enthusiastically).
For the past several weeks, John has been hosting a balsa wood airplane-making night here at Beautiful Savior. On Wednesdays at 5:30 pm, all are welcome to come and learn more about the art of crafting these incredible – and fun! – works of art. If you have questions or would like more information, you can reach John at (509) 534-2205 or johnr55@protonmail.com.
