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Pulpit

Once inside the church, the pulpit commands attention. Again is the skill of a stone mason , his son, Marmaduke, that catches the eye. The central, elevated pulpit serves both a practical and a religious purpose.

In such a large building and without microphones and amplifiers, the human voice could be lost. The height and shape of the pulpit with its elaborate carvings provides a point of focus. Listening was at the heart of every Presbyterian worship service.

Theologically, the pulpit speaks of the elevated way in which the scriptures were held and listened to. Until the Pipe organ was added in 1887, there were pews on the side facing inward, making the pulpit even more a focal point. A photo of the original layout is available in the Heritage Centre.

The idea that God’s word belongs at the centre of the community’s life was embedded here at First Church in a particularly contextual way, with the pulpit originally being octagonal in shape, reflecting the shape of the streets at the heart of the city just a stone’s throw from here. It was later enlarged, probably by Louis Godfrey’s son, Marmaduke, to accommodate a minister who liked to move around while preaching, and the connection was somewhat overshadowed.

Our belief is that the words of scripture are sacred, not in themselves, but in that the Spirit of God takes these words and uses them to speak afresh to people, revealing Jesus in our midst.

These words are not special because they are old, but because they are new every morning. Neither is it incidental that the scriptures are read within a community, for it is together that we discern what God is saying, not alone.

Therefore, we believe the Bible is not just holy words, but a holy encounter with God’s self, by a people being made holy in the process. That is why the pulpit belongs at the centre of the community’s life together.