Cathy Crow, one of our friends and an alumnus of several of our conferences, including Oxbridge 2008, recently sent us an article describing her church’s creation of a Narnia themed library. Cathy, a professional librarian, spearheaded the project, and is featured in the article. We thank the Columbia Metropolitan magazine, author Susan Fuller Slack, and photographers Jane Ellen Moore and Lynn Greenlee, who gave us permission to repost the article and photos.
Through the Wardrobe
Northeast Presbyterian Church’s Magical Land of Books.Once upon a time…
The Wardrobe Doors to the Library
When the church library was established at Northeast Presbyterian Church on Polo Road, it took shape through the vision and dreams of Cathy Crow, a professional librarian and wife of the church’s pastor, George Crow. One of Cathy’s goals was to give the library a unique indentify, so she decided to name it The Lamppost. It was a reflection, in part, upon the words of Psalm 119:105: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”
Another lamppost that influenced Cathy’s design was from The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven children’s books sprung from the mind of Irish-born writer C.S. Lewis. The writer penned the first volume, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, in 1950, and librarians, teachers and parents in the United Kingdom voted the timeless tale the most influential children’s book of the 20th century.
Cathy and George Crow
In the story, four British children decide to explore an old-fashioned coat wardrobe and inadvertently pass through an entryway to Narnia, a magical land of enchantment that is populated with a rich diversity of wondrous beings. The children pledge allegiance to the wise and powerful golden lion Aslan. In an epic battle they triumph over cruel Queen Jadis, the White Witch who blankets the land with endless winter.
Visitors Posed on Narnian Thrones for Photo Opportunities
Lewis’ writings influenced Cathy’s spiritual growth and ultimately the development of the church library because, she says, “They reflect the best in Christian scholarship and literature.” Scholars say that Lewis was noted equally for literary scholarship and for his intellectual and witty expositions of Christian tenets.
Cathy explains that Northeast Presbyterian Church was growing, and the library needed to grow with it. So plans were developed for a new multipurpose building with ample room in the atrium for both an adult’s library and a special children’s library. Today, the welcoming new atrium evokes a sense of openness warmed with sunlight, and the expansive floor plan offers several intimate seating areas. Pam and Andrew Grayson, a designer and an architect from Birmingham, Ala., who also happen to be family members, designed the children’s facility.
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Tags: Cathy Crow, children, library, Narnia, Northeast Presbyterian Church, Oxbridge 2008, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
