St Clare of Assisi Episcopal Church
Worship with joy, Grow in faith, Act for justice
Altar Cushions
St. Clare’s needlepoint altar cushions were given to the Glory of God and in memory of Adelia M. Beeuwkes, a concerned and much loved member of St. Clare’s Church, by her friend Vivian Visscher. The needlepoint designs for the 22 altar cushions were created by Marytha Allen. These designs were then stitched by a committee of 20 needleworkers chaired by Peg Lambert, Patty Creel, and Debbie Evett. The cushions were dedicated on the 25th Anniversary of the founding of the St. Clare on Whitsunday, 1978.
The theme chosen for the needlepoint cushions is that God as Creator and Father and as Incarnate Lord lives, as Holy Spirit, within this community of St. Clare’s and within the lives of individual Christians. The overall plan is in the form of a Maltese cross spanning out from the altar. Throughout the cushions are two unifying motifs: the links of the chain binding Christians together and the rays of light emanating from the altar.
Click on a cushion in the image below for additional information about the design of that cushion.