Dunbar Heights United Church, Vancouver

The theme of creation lends itself perfectly to the entrance of Dunbar Height United Church. During the design process, we started with the windows over the front door and the words from Genesis “Let there be light” as well as depicting the fourth day of creation when God made the sun and the moon and set brilliant stars around them. Central to the design is the emanating star evoking the shape of the cross and linking all creation. The window inside left of the door depicts the third day when God created dry ground, and the land produced many different kinds of trees and flowers, fruits and crops started to grow. The tree is symbolic of strength and the cycle of life, the mountains symbolize endurance, and the plants we chose to depict have their own symbolism: Lily for Purity, Iris for Faith & Hope,  Daisy for Innocence, Wheat sheaf for Thankfulness of Bounty, Violet for Humility, and Daffodil for the Triumph of Divine Love. The tree being an apple tree with the mountains behind reminds us of our blessings in our own beautiful region. The window inside right of the door depicts the fifth day when God filled the ocean with fish and the sky with birds. The dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit, as well as peace. The fish was a symbol of early Christianity, and the choice of colour and depiction of movement is a stylized rendition of our BC salmon. The nautilus shell in the lower left of the window represents the spiral, which is a geometric symbol of creation and renewal.

“When my wife passed away we decided to develop a memorial window that would represent Jacqui and her interests, fitting this into an ecclesiastical theme. John and Laura Gilroy are dedicated and talented artisans who involved our family and the church in all aspects of the design. Their integration of colour and design was beautiful along with the attention to detail in creating the glass. I was very impressed with their knowledge of the technical and artistic aspects of their profession. I would recommend them to all who are interested in restoration or creation of stained glass works of art. The finished product is indeed a work of art  encompassing the skills and experience of true masters in the field.” ~ Dr M Hosking.

Dunbar Heights creation of the Sea, full image

Dunbar Heights, Creation of the Land, full image