The painted windows in the De Bron Baptist Church
The painted windows in the De Bron Baptist Church (Emmen, the Netherlands) were made by Liane Katsuki, an artist from Brazil who lived in Emmen for several years. She made jewellery, designed art on mirrors and glass using sandblasting techniques.
At the opening of the church she explained the windows. She wanted to do that in her mother tongue because that way she had the impression that her homeland was somehow represented at that important moment. Of course everything was translated.
At the end she said: “I want to tell you that it was an important experience for me and I will never forget the effort of all of you. An effort that has been made jointly in order to achieve this ideal. I ask you to pray, whenever you see my work in this place filled with faith and love, that my life will be a source of inspiration, full of goodness and love.”
She moved to Spain and later returned to the Netherlands.
The windows in the church hall
The middle window: Here the cross is present, the symbol of Christianity. At the level of the arms of the cross, where the heart of Christ is located, we find the rising sun. The sun, aura of sacred love, the light that guides humanity.
Under the cross the symbol of the Baptist community: the fish and the bread. In the harmonious composition, as the base and support of the cross, however, submissively, at the foot of it.
Side windows: On the window on one side the pair of birds, symbolizing the peace flight of mankind, departing from the source, towards the horizon with mountains of faith.
On the window on the other side again the symbolism of the birds, in flight spreading the peace and love of the source.
The four natural elements can be found as follows:
• The sky: in the birds,
• The earth: in the mountains,
• The water: in the source,
• The fire: in the sun and the love of Christ.
To emphasize the importance of the source, only the water has been given the colour. The windows in the doors show symbols from parables, such as sheaves of corn, dove and sheep.