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A clever lectern and a beautiful cross handcrafted from local timbers will be installed in the refreshed chapel space at Lutheran Services' Cooinda Aged Care facility in Gympie thanks to a $5,000 Special Ministry Grant from LLL.
The lectern is crafted from silky oak, while the cross has been made from a weathered fence post sourced from the rural location.
Lutheran Services Director of Chaplaincy & Ministry Development Rev Dr Russell Briese said the chapel was a wonderful space hosting multiple services each week.
It regularly welcomed more than half a dozen local church denominations and religious leaders, who provided worship to residents at the aged care site.
"We set a goal to create a refreshed worship space at Cooinda based in the tradition of the Lutheran Church, but flexible to a range of Christian traditions," Dr Briese said.
Wheelchair friendly
Dr Briese that it was important the space remained accessible, not only to all denominations, but to people in wheelchairs and those who needed assistance with mobility.
The lectern has a clever mechanism at the back, which allows the reading desk to be lowered and raised so it can be used by someone either seated or standing.
The lectern's timber was sourced from an old silky oak tree that used to be in front of the Gympie Central School until it grew too close to the buildings.
When the tree was cut down 20 years ago it was slabbed by Wayne Lisle, and remained with his widow Kathie, who donated the timber to fashion both the altar and the lectern.
The new cross is to be featured on the liturgical east wall and is crafted from a weathered fencepost, with barbed wire featured it suggests Christ with a crown of thorns.
