Prayers for Growth

There is a kneeler in the parish hall that has been with All Saints for almost twenty-five years.

It was built for a small gathering of faithful Anglicans seeking to plant a lasting Christian witness in the Raleigh area—a seed that would grow into All Saints. The kneeler was lovingly crafted by one of our founding parishioners, Fred Buynitzky, whose hands also fashioned our sanctuary’s credence table and the processional cross that now serves as the Children’s Cross.

Over the years, these pieces have changed along with All Saints. The credence table is still used in the sanctuary each Sunday. The Children’s Cross served for many years as our processional cross until another was given in memory of a parishioner. The credence table and Children’s Cross have since been refinished to match the wood tones of our current altar furnishings.

The kneeler followed a different path. For about a decade, it sat unused atop the classrooms that once stood at the rear of the nave. When those rooms were removed last year, the kneeler was displaced and has been awaiting a new purpose.

It may be time to refinish it to match the other altar pieces within the church. A new cushion could be made, continuing the tradition of parishioners contributing their craftsmanship to the church’s worship and life. Likewise, a plaque could be added to honor Fred and those who help create the new cushion.

Perhaps with these enhancements, this kneeler can be put into regular use as a devotional piece that encourages us to pray for All Saints’ missions, to pray for future clergy, and to pray for those missions to become sending parishes themselves.

There is something fitting about this use. All Saints did not begin as an established parish, but as a small group of people who prayed, worked, gave, and hoped for what they could not yet see.

The founders of All Saints could not have foreseen all that God would do here today. They prayed for a future they could not yet see. By honoring our past, we join our prayers to theirs, asking that the light of Christ continue to shine—not only in our parish, but throughout new communities across the Triangle.

In time, perhaps the very kneeler made for our beginning will serve another church plant for a season.

God’s Peace,
Mason Sawyer
Postulant for Holy Orders