Plymouth Magazine-Winter24-DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 20
A Spiritual Beacon
By Amy Elbert (she/her)
A bitterly cold and snowy day more than
40 years ago, Jay Eaton was first struck
by an intricately carved monogram
mounted on the chancel cross in the
Plymouth Church sanctuary. That
delicate yet powerful symbol, called the
Chi Rho, became a spiritual beacon for
Eaton and, years later, compelled him to
be part of its restoration.
“Kathy and I were new members and
were among only a handful of others who
came to church that Sunday morning,”
Eaton recalls. “Rev. Jim Gillion invited
our small group, parkas, and wet boots
and all, forward into the pews of the
small east choir loft for an informal,
intimate service.”
Pieces of the nearly 100-year-old carved
symbol broke off the cross but the dried
glue preserved its outline.
The illustrations in this story are
by Plymouth member and retired
architect Scott Stouffer. Scan the
QR Code for a closer look.
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This was prior to a 1988 chancel remodel
and the choir seating was arranged with
pews facing each other on the east and
west sides of the chancel, providing an
unobstructed and close-up view of the
cross and decorative panels that enhance
Plymouth’s English Gothic-style chancel.
As the Eaton family attended Plymouth
over the years and Jay sang with the
Chancel Choir, the symbol continued
to speak to him. “This Chi-Rho symbol
seemed to me a sacred beacon every
Sunday morning for many years as a
Chancel Choir member. And it remains
so today.”
The Greek letters Chi (X) and Rho (P)
are the first two letters for Christ in the
Greek alphabet. Superimposed they form
the Chi-Rho symbol, which throughout
centuries has represented Christian faith,
hope, and love.
This symbol, as well as the 14 shield-like
reredos (pronounced rer-das from the
Middle French arrere for behind and dos
for back), adorn the oak panels across
the back of the chancel. The decorative
screen and symbols were in place when
the present Plymouth building was
dedicated on November 20, 1927.
“One hundred years dried out this
symbol and cracked and broke it off the
cross,” Eaton says. “Yet the glue that once
held it preserved its outline, such that in
my mind its presence remained—until
last year.”
Eaton was on the Plymouth Building
and Grounds Committee when there
was discussion about how to deal with
the damage. “Some folks had been
discussing removal of the old glue residue
and sanding and staining that area to
blend it into the rest of the cross. I am
a woodworker and was asked whether I
could do that,” he says. “I suggested we
restore the symbol and offered to do so.”
Restoration was tricky, however, because
only one piece, a leg of the Chi (X), had
been salvaged. Dan Mowry, Plymouth’s
Facilities Manager, scoured the church
