Liturgical Art and Design

Sacrament Banners: Communion, © David Versluis 2000

On display in the Dordt College Campus Center Art Gallery, for part of the summer, is a retrospective exhibition of liturgical banners designed by Dordt professor David Versluis. The show will open on Wednesday, May 19 and will run until Wednesday, July 14. The banners are on loan from Westview Christian Reformed Church of Grand Rapids, Michigan.


Sacrament Banners: Presence of the Holy Spirit, Baptism; © David Versluis 2000

Just prior coming to Dordt, in 2001, Versluis was commissioned by Westview CRC’s Worship Committee to develop a new series of worship banners. Featured in the show are banners that highlight and celebrate the sacraments of baptism, The Lord’s Supper and “The Word” (pulpit paraments) as reminders of the “means of grace”. Marilyn Vanden Heuvel of Cutlerville, Michigan fabricated each of these appliquéd banners. In addition, a baptismal banner specially commissioned by Robert and Mary Molewyk Doornbos, of Grand Rapids, celebrating the birth of their son is included in the show. The Doornbos banner is now a piece that is brought out and used for every congregational baptismal occasion at Westview. Joan Dykstra of Grand Rapids fabricated the banner.

The last piece in the show is the “Firstfruits” banner, which was commissioned by the Westview CRC diaconate for the annual congregational stewardship, giving and budgeting process. Versluis’s design is somewhat based on the biblical Old Testament “Feast of Firstfruits” known as Yom HaBikkurim.

During the 1980’s and 90’s Versluis developed numerous worship banners for Faith CRC, Tinley Park, Illinois and Westview CRC. Versluis credits his teacher, artist, Chris Stoffel Overvoorde for his interest in liturgical art.