The Roundtable Worship Gathering has met at First United Methodist Church in Waynesville for over six years. I finally got around to making them a table! While other communion tables have featured grapes, wheat, doves, and related symbols, I decided on a simple, abstract design that I had already developed for a smaller table used in the Cornerstone Class at First Methodist. Constructed of walnut and maple, its top contains two crossed mandorlas, ancient womb symbols used to frame the Christ and Mary. They also remind us of the fish — the earliest Christian symbol. The extended arcs reach out to embrace all at the table and beyond. The circle motif at the core of roundtable worship is carried through in the design of the pedestal. The circle of purpleheart at the center symbolizes the love at the core of all creation.
FUMC Table
Red Clay, Blood River
Bill, what a rich and powerful collection of symbols in one round table! I did think of fish as I first looked at the table. I had not realized that these were womb symbols. Great piece of art!
The beauty of this is that a round table does not create a round table community; it is the other way round – a round table community creates a round table!