The CENTRE

The former Cafeteria, now called the CENTRE, has been refurbished and serves as a most useful community centre for St. Andrew's Hall.

The CENTRE also serves as the chapel and every Tuesday at 12:00 noon there is a worship service led by Presbyterian students and faculty.

The Celtic cross is the one from the old chapel. You will see prominently displayed, the eight murals by Bob Kingsmill.

The Kingsmill Gospels
The symbols represented in the murals are derived from the vision of the prophet Ezekiel (Ez. 1:10). To Matthew was assigned the human figure; to Mark, the lion; to Luke the ox; and to John, the eagle.

The evangelists were assigned their symbols on the basis of the opening passages of each one's Gospel: the man to Matthew, since he narrates the genealogy and birth of Christ: the lion to Mark, because he begins dramatically with the voice crying in the wilderness: the ox to Luke, because he describes the sacrifice of Zachary: and the eagle to John, since he begins with the lofty vision of The Prologue.

Worked into each of the murals is a representation of the Celtic cross, symbolizing the catholic Christianity with which Presbyterianism sees itself in continuity. Also present are depictions of the Word and the Sacraments together with inscriptions indicating the discipline of the Christian life.

All of this symbolism is set within the context of the landscape of British Columbia.

The Kingsmill Prophets
To mark our 50th anniversary in 2008, Bob was asked to create 4 new panels based on four Hebrew prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Elijah. While these panels are artistic interpretations of their words, they are also more than that. The images illustrate human interpretation of God’s reality as revealed to us in the prophecies. The central image of each piece is a Menorah (seven branched candlestick of Judaism) while the cross of the Gospels is sketched in the background. The panels are replete with visual imagery drawn from the prophets’ work and surmounted by key texts that convey their message.

At the dedication service of the Kingsmill Prophets on March 13, 2009, Rev. Dr. Patricia Dutcher-Walls (Professor of Hebrew Bible, VST) spoke about the biblical context of the panels. Read her talk here

Bob Kingsmill
Bob Kingsmill was born in Vancouver, grew up in Winnipeg and earned his B.A. at University of Manitoba. He has operated his own pottery studio since 1967, with shows in many locations in British Columbia.

Bob Kingsmill has compiled and published a catalogue of British Columbian Potters in 1978 and he has taught at various Community and Arts School, including the Emily Carr College of Art & Design since 1977.

Works by Bob Kingsmill can be seen several places at St. Andrew's Hall.