When Cambridge teen Emma Kerr started planning her Silver Award Project for Girl Scouts, she quickly decided that she wanted to do something that would benefit her parish at All Saints Church, as well as the neighboring Hoosick community.
Emma, who is active in All Saints’ Youth Ministry, serves as an acolyte and was confirmed by the Bishop of Albany this past January, soon came upon an idea – create a quiet, secluded place where folks could talk to Fr. Gary Strubel privately, or where they could pray, and enjoy the beautiful Churchyard. She drew up a plan for building a Prayer Bench and a small garden and then presented the proposal to the Vestry. The Church had been talking about creating a Memorial Garden, so Emma’s project was enthusiastically embraced.
It just so happened that a large spruce tree on Church property had recently been felled. Junior Warden Glenn Hynick offered to saw the tree into usable lumber for the bench. Vestry member, and master carpenter, Jack Murphy, volunteered to help Emma build the bench. And Emma’s friend, Church Secretary Ingrid Schaaphok, was enlisted as her Project Advisor.
The project soon took on special meaning for Emma. “After I submitted my initial proposal, a woman that we frequently brought to church passed away while we were on our way to church one morning. She of all people needed a place to sit; she carried an oxygen tank with her. So, I decided to dedicate my bench to her.”
Building the bench under Jack Murphy’s tutelage, Emma discovered how very much she enjoys woodworking and that she has a real knack for it. She also learned how to plan, present and implement a project, taking a leadership role in bringing people together to accomplish a task.
The beautiful Prayer Bench is a meaningful addition to the Church, one that can be enjoyed by both the parish and the community at large. Emma envisions that this contemplative little spot will grow into a full Memorial Garden. “The youth group plans to expand the garden. In the future we have discussed adding an arch to enter through as well as a path leading to there and through the garden,” she said.
The sanctuary for meditation and memory that Emma Kerr created has already served its intended purpose. “It [has helped] me by providing closure with the lady we would bring to church. I got to know her well over the last five years. It will also help other grieving families, and those who need a quiet place to sit will find what they seek at All Saints.”