Unity of Faith Missionary Baptist Church is working to transform a tree stump into a work of art.
Lightning likely struck a cedar tree on the churchâs property in late December, knocking all the tree limbs off. After a cleanup effort, only a 3.5-foot stump remained. Now, what was once a fallen tree will be turned into a sculpture made by Texas wood carving artist Della Meredith.
Meredith is scheduled to carve out a bible on March 20 at 1:30 p.m. She said she anticipates it will take her one afternoon to complete.
âAs pastor Iâm humbled and grateful to her for doing this for the church and community,â said Philip Hagans, senior pastor of the church. âMy hopes are that [the sculpture] serves as a reminder and Encouragement that it does matter what happens, God can turn an eyesore into a piece of art.â
Meredith has been carving wood for seven years but has been making and teaching art for far longer. Now, she spends most of her time creating commissioned pieces which can be seen as far west as Arizona as well as east into Louisiana.
While Meredith plans to sculpt a Bible out of the wood remains, she said she wonât know for sure until she begins to work with the wood as different factors such as any rotting.
But by the end, Meredith said she intends to leave a piece of art that can be enjoyed for every angle.
âI want every piece that I do, I would like for my feelings that go into it to be transferred to the viewer,â Meredith said. âI want people to when they see my art, I want them to have that feeling. You know that I want it to captivate them and connect to them emotionally.â