Self-Guided Tour: 12 The Chapel
Welcome to the chapel. I hope you are visiting in the late afternoon so you can appreciate the breathtaking effect of the sun on its gorgeous rose window. If not, come back when you can; it’s worth it. Maybe spend a minute trying to puzzle out the Greek letters chi and rho (first two letters of Christ), as well as alpha and omega (first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, denoting beginning and end).
A gift of the Reynolds family (who later established Grand Island’s Edgar and Francis Reynolds Charitable Foundation) the chapel was designed and built in the mid 1950s as an integral part of the FPC facility. Well equipped with a sound system and even a small Möller pipe organ, it was intended for smaller events, weddings, funerals and the like. However, comfortably seating only around 30-40 worshipers, it’s a bit smallish, so it has remained an under-utilized resource. Our Youth on Wednesdays and VBS kids often meet here to do Bible study and learn worship skills. It’s where we hold our annual Lenten Prayer Vigil, and it’s where our Sudanese Presbyterian brothers and sisters have held their weekly Sunday afternoon worship services for decades.
In 2015, Lanny Martin, (Yes, the GISH graduate who funded the 2020 renovation of Memorial Stadium), who grew up attending
FPC and was married in this very chapel, funded its complete restoration into the pristine gem of a religious
asset that you see today. Notice the specially designed acoustic ceiling and the original, “exotic” (by our standards) window pane décor.
