Richland church debuts homegrown Stations of the Cross

They hang in the sanctuary of the Richland church between large and colorful stained-glass windows.

They’re all different, all striking in their own way.

Some are paintings. Some are cross-stitch. At least one has elements of collage.

The 14 pieces tell the story of Jesus’ journey from condemnation to crucifixion and burial.

And they were all handmade by parishioners inspired to use their artistic talents for the task.

The homegrown Stations of the Cross project debuted as a completed set this year.

“We left it really open — the style they used and the method of portrayal,” said the Rev. Jane Schmoetzer, the priest at All Saints’ Episcopal Church.

The pieces had to meet size parameters and be able to hang on the wall.

“Beyond that, we said pick something and meditate and pray on it,” Schmoetzer said.

The idea for the project came four years ago, and the church gradually has replaced its old, simple Stations of the Cross placards with the new pieces.

The first one finished was Station 1, depicting Jesus’ condemnation.

It’s a silhouette of Christ, with a crown of thorns made of words like “accused” and “betrayed.”

The last to come in, completing the set, was Station 2. It’s a cross-stitch of Jesus looking skyward as he picks up the heavy cross.

All Saints’ displays Stations of the Cross in the sanctuary during the Lenten season, from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday.

The stations “show the length to which God will go to show us his love and be in relationship with us,” Schmoetzer said. “And (they’re a) reminder that nothing we can do as human beings ... can separate us from the love of God and prevent God from coming to us. Even death is overcome.”

Lisa Richmond, the parish administrator, made two of the stations.

They’re cross-stitch, depicting Jesus’ death on the cross and the placement of his body in the arms of his mother.

They’re intricate, beautiful pieces. From a few feet back they look like paintings.

Richmond said she was glad to be a part of the project.

“It shows me the talent that’s in this parish, for one thing. You see people sit in the pews or you talk to them downstairs and you don’t know what they can do until they bring in something like this. They’re just so wonderful. It adds to the sense of community, because we all worked together to put this together,” she said. “(The stations) are all different but they all say the same thing.”

Schmoetzer nodded. “They’re all part of the same story,” she said.

All Saints’ has a long history in the Tri-Cities. It formed in the 1940s, as the area’s population swelled with the start of the Hanford site.

The congregation met in a grange hall until the church’s building went up in the 1950s.

When All Saints’ first formed, there was debate about what to call it. Most of the parishioners had come from somewhere else, from out of town.

“People had been part of other congregations, St. Paul’s, St. Tim’s, whatever,” Schmoetzer said. “They decided they wanted to honor that tradition of welcoming people from everywhere, so they called it All Saints’. Wherever you come from, your background is welcome here. That’s why we’re All Saints’.”

Schmoetzer said she loves seeing the homegrown Stations of the Cross in the sanctuary.

Sometimes, before she leaves at night, she’ll walk them and pray.

“It really is a source of both comfort and challenge,” she said. “If God was willing to work this hard to love me, I can maybe try to make some of that effort in my daily walk.”

And “the other thing that I think about,” she said, “is what in the world we can do next?”

All Saints’ Easter services are at 8 and 10:15 a.m.

The church is at 1322 Kimball Ave.

This story was originally published March 26, 2016 at 9:31 PM with the headline "Richland church debuts homegrown Stations of the Cross."