It may not be the Garden of Eden, but Messiah Lutheran Church in Mandan has created its own corner of paradise with a new fountain and garden, designed and built by members.
Longtime Messiah members Joanne Drevlow and Dick Ames designed and built a fountain that will be dedicated Sunday at the Mandan church, along with its surrounding gardens.
Drevlow, Ames,and about 30 members of Messiah joined to form a trinity of builders — designer, engineer, and helping hands.
Messiah’s landscaping committee began plans for a church beautification project about two years ago. The fountain was an addition to the broader landscaping ideas, Drevlow said.
“When they started to do the landscaping project, I thought we should dedicate an area to a meditation-type garden,” she said.
From there, she came up with the design for a central fountain and the committee accepted her plan.
Drevlow teaches art at Shiloh Christian School in grades six through 12, and sculpture is her favorite art medium. She saw designing the fountain as a way to serve her church and her faith.
The fountain is three-sided with a face sculpted on each side, representing the Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Water is constantly flowing over the faces, representing a continuous baptism. One of the faces was cast after Drevlow’s daughter.
Drevlow chose to design a baptismal-themed fountain because baptism is a “meaningful and central part of a Lutheran’s faith.”
“I wanted to incorporate Martin Luther’s idea of washing in our baptism every day,” she said. “That’s why there are adults’ faces on the fountain instead of children’s. We need to remember our baptism even now (as adults).”
Ames is the chairperson of the landscaping committee at Messiah and has been a member of the church since 1974.
He calls himself a “fabricator” because he built special equipment from scratch, although he is now retired. Ames said building the fountain was a good use of his skill set.
He describes the fountain as a sign of the church’s faith.
“It’s a demonstration to the community of what our church teaches,” he said.
Drevlow and Ames said the congregation was “integral” to the landscaping project. Around 25 to 30 congregation members donated plants, seeded grass, planted, and even did such labor-intensive work as building the pond and the piping for it.
“The congregation really did get behind it and were pretty excited about it,” Drevlow said. “They really stepped up.”
Surrounding the fountain is a circle of three benches, each with a mosaic representing the Trinity designed by Drevlow.
“It’s gorgeous. It’s beautiful up there,” Drevlow said of the church and the surrounding area. “I hope the benches will be a place for people to sit and reflect and to pray and spend some quiet time.”
The Rev. Mark Drews hopes the new fountain and gardens will add more than just beauty to the outside of his church. He hopes the new look will be inviting to potential members.
“We’re right on the end of Boundary Road, and there’s a walking trail that goes right past the front of our church and winds around.” he said. “Hopefully, it catches the eye of some people who go by.”
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