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Origami Peace Cranes for the International Day of Peace
The phrase “on a wing and a prayer” has special meaning for the 1,400 members of the First Presbyterian Church. In fact, they are about to become intimately acquainted with more than 8,000 wings and accompanying prayers.
Just before the International Day of Prayer, Sept. 21, the church hired a hydraulic lift and experts in theater management to hang more than 4,000 origami cranes from the sanctuary’s 45-foot-high ceiling. All the birds were folded by church members during the lockdown and inscribed with a name of a church member or friend, some of
How a Chelsea Church Became a Buddhist Monastery
Three sandhill cranes make their home on ten acres of rolling land bordering Werkner Rd. Once the site of the Chelsea Free Methodist Church, today the property belongs to a Buddhist monastery. The birds inspired its name: Triple Crane Monastery.
In Asian cultures, cranes are often considered an auspicious sign, messengers of good tidings, explains Lei Jiang, a member of the monastery’s governing board. “Here on this property, the number of sandhill cranes has remained constant–three. Their presence convinced our founders that they had found the right location to establish a monastery.” On a cold, snowless winter day in late January, Jiang, K.T. Gan, and Steve Daut offer a tour of the church-turned-monastery.
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