I was in Northland recently and walked into one showroom to see the above piece of swamp kauri.
“Font”, was my first thought.
Swamp kauri was preserved in peat and is aged anything up to 50,000 years old. This piece could be easily waterproofed and provide a wonderful Kiwi font, usable both for full submersion and for pouring. It could be complemented by a swamp kauri altar.
How often I walk into churches to find very recent fonts that would be too small for a reasonable bird bath, and still look as if they were posted out from a mail-order catalogue from mother England.
And it wouldn’t break and fly through the church during earthquakes! Lovely!
Yes, Mary. Our font snapped in the quakes – thankfully, the building being well designed, that’s really all we sustained. And our font is now fixed and fine. Blessings.
Babies and small children could go for full immersion!
Of course, Gillian. Blessings.
Another of Earth’s Wonders revealed. .i should think a Font would be pleasing to The Lord.
Seems like a great font.
Our Anglican church here in Castlemaine, Victoria is attractive in the old style traditional English way. Then by Victorian standards it is venerable ((if lately opened up inside after some years of discussion with the tradionalists and National Trust) dating from gold rushes, 1858. The font is very 19th C, now also acting as a receptacle at entrance for those few wishing to bless themselves.
At the RC church, same age but post Vatican inside, a previous ptiest wanting full emersion for babes reverted to using a plastic tub at reading desk and warmed holy water. Most reacted with little more than a splutter.
Was there a price tag on this natural font?
Yes, Tracy, I’m pretty sure there was. And now you are going to ask me, how much? And I have no recollection, other than surprise at how inexpensive it was – well feasible for a church big enough to have this fit within its architecture. Blessings.
Beautiful! (I’m new here on this website) Thanks for sharing. I wonder if this is a piece preserved from the Great Flood! Imagine being baptized in a piece of wood that was from the Great Flood of “baptism” for Noah. (1 Peter 3:20-21)