Mission Spotlight:
Our New Communion Table
Mission Spotlight:
TOM JANDOVITZ: OUR NEW COMMUNION TABLE
If we've missed you the past few Sundays, you have not gotten to see the new Communion Table and boy is it a work of art! This week's Mission Spotlight goes to Tom Jandovitz, who created this new piece from an old piece. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Very fitting for the church!
I had the pleasure of interviewing Tom about his woodworking skills and this project he humbly took on:
Tim and Beth approached me about repurposing an old plywood box that is part of the church's history. Beth's dad had a member of the congregation build it. When the church met at WHS, it was used to store materials that were needed for Sunday services. It was also used as a "pulpit' where the Sunday message was delivered. Recently, it was in the clubhouse and not being used, but the church didn't want to get rid of it due to its historical significance. When I was thinking about how to repurpose it, I recalled that on one communion Sunday I helped to move a folding table from the side of the stage to the center area with the communion elements on it. The idea came to me about having a dedicated communion table and the plans were created from there.
I cut apart the old box and used all of the pieces that I could salvage. It was very well built with screws, nails and glue. Some of the pieces couldn't not be salvaged without destroying them since they were so well put together. I created a "breadboard" edge on the top of the table. "Breadboard" edges are on older wooden breadboards to cover the grain of the wood on the edges to make smoother ends that dough would not get caught up in. I figured a breadboard edge would be appropriate for this communion table, since we are receiving " the bread of life" on it. There is a little storage slot on the upper inside on the table where I put a photo album with pictures of the "before and after" along with some pictures from when it was being used for services at the high school.
Tom has a beautiful and natural gift for woodworking:
I have no formal training in furniture making. Much like a person can amazingly sit down at the piano and start to play it, I discovered woodworking the same way many years ago. I remember looking at a piece of furniture in a store and I said to myself "I can make that". I was in high school at the time and had no tools but started with a simple cut out design of a cat by using some old tools my dad had on his workbench. I remember that my parents were amazed at what I made since my dad was self professed as having no woodworking skills! My grandfather was a carpenter so maybe there was some genetics involved in my furniture building! I started small in my spare time, began gathering tools and evolved from there. I was always creative, loving to sketch and draw comic book characters like Spiderman, Batman and sports figures. Maybe some of those creative juices led me to woodworking. I have made over 100 pieces mostly for family and friends ranging from small tables to larger, more involved wine cabinets, hall trees and a Hoosier chest, which is an old time (from the 1920's ) baking center that has a roll top opening, along with a bread box, individual storage for sugar, flour and spices . It also has a porcelain pull out top for rolling dough. I seem to always have a list of requested projects in my basement shop. It is an enjoyable, creative stress relief and keeps me busy figuring out how to plan for the needed materials, the sequencing of the steps that I should follow, all the way to the finishing material. I have worked from various different plans and have created many of my own pieces.
Father, thank You for Tom and his heart for building and service to our church and community! We thank you for Tom's wood-working gifts and we are grateful he is using them to glorify You! Amen.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Tom about his woodworking skills and this project he humbly took on:
Tim and Beth approached me about repurposing an old plywood box that is part of the church's history. Beth's dad had a member of the congregation build it. When the church met at WHS, it was used to store materials that were needed for Sunday services. It was also used as a "pulpit' where the Sunday message was delivered. Recently, it was in the clubhouse and not being used, but the church didn't want to get rid of it due to its historical significance. When I was thinking about how to repurpose it, I recalled that on one communion Sunday I helped to move a folding table from the side of the stage to the center area with the communion elements on it. The idea came to me about having a dedicated communion table and the plans were created from there.
I cut apart the old box and used all of the pieces that I could salvage. It was very well built with screws, nails and glue. Some of the pieces couldn't not be salvaged without destroying them since they were so well put together. I created a "breadboard" edge on the top of the table. "Breadboard" edges are on older wooden breadboards to cover the grain of the wood on the edges to make smoother ends that dough would not get caught up in. I figured a breadboard edge would be appropriate for this communion table, since we are receiving " the bread of life" on it. There is a little storage slot on the upper inside on the table where I put a photo album with pictures of the "before and after" along with some pictures from when it was being used for services at the high school.
Tom has a beautiful and natural gift for woodworking:
I have no formal training in furniture making. Much like a person can amazingly sit down at the piano and start to play it, I discovered woodworking the same way many years ago. I remember looking at a piece of furniture in a store and I said to myself "I can make that". I was in high school at the time and had no tools but started with a simple cut out design of a cat by using some old tools my dad had on his workbench. I remember that my parents were amazed at what I made since my dad was self professed as having no woodworking skills! My grandfather was a carpenter so maybe there was some genetics involved in my furniture building! I started small in my spare time, began gathering tools and evolved from there. I was always creative, loving to sketch and draw comic book characters like Spiderman, Batman and sports figures. Maybe some of those creative juices led me to woodworking. I have made over 100 pieces mostly for family and friends ranging from small tables to larger, more involved wine cabinets, hall trees and a Hoosier chest, which is an old time (from the 1920's ) baking center that has a roll top opening, along with a bread box, individual storage for sugar, flour and spices . It also has a porcelain pull out top for rolling dough. I seem to always have a list of requested projects in my basement shop. It is an enjoyable, creative stress relief and keeps me busy figuring out how to plan for the needed materials, the sequencing of the steps that I should follow, all the way to the finishing material. I have worked from various different plans and have created many of my own pieces.
Father, thank You for Tom and his heart for building and service to our church and community! We thank you for Tom's wood-working gifts and we are grateful he is using them to glorify You! Amen.