September 9, 2002
CHURCH MEMBERS pass under one of the handcrafted chandeliers created for First Baptist Church in San Antonio by Kurt Voss (shown below).
Labor of love produces two
handcrafted chandeliers for church
___SAN ANTONIO--The gifts of many members have made possible a $4.5 million renovation at First Baptist Church of San Antonio, but the unique contribution of one member will literally light the way.
___Kurt Voss not only donated new chandeliers for the church's Unity Hall, he handcrafted the fixtures himself.
___The project was a labor of love for the German native who learned the art of decorative iron and metal work from his father.
___"Church has really been our complete life," he explained. "We raised our children there and have been involved in every part of it."
___After earning the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart in World War II, Voss returned to San Antonio, where he met his wife and found a way to fulfill a promise to God to change his life.
METAL master Kurt Voss.
___"I didn't think I'd come home from Italy," he said. "I was lying there being shelled, my leg was split open, the ground was shaking. I promised God that if I ever got out, I'd change my life."
___He recalls his experience through the message of the hymn "The Ninety and Nine," which tells the biblical story of the Good Shepherd leaving the 99 sheep that are in the fold to search for one lost lamb. "He was the Good Shepherd to me," Voss explained. "He went and got that lost lamb."
___Back in San Antonio, where he worked in his father's business, Voss became interested in his heavenly Father's business through an unexpected encounter. While looking for a recording of "Cotton-Eyed Joe," he fell for the girl behind the counter, Mary Posey. She took him to choir practice at First Baptist Church, and although he says he can't sing, he came to love the people, the church and Jesus.
___The church's pastor at the time, Perry Webb, married the couple in 1946. Voss was baptized a year later.
___Meanwhile, the metal business flourished, and Voss took over the business from his father, who died in 1975. The family-run enterprise created wrought-iron gates for the Goddart Chapel of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., in 1956.
___Voss' most elaborate commission was for a private home on St. Charles Street in New Orleans, where he built 16 balconies, a double staircase, a fence and all the metal fixtures inside the house.
___Voss designed First Baptist Church's wrought iron gates, countless handrails and pulpit.
___His latest work is part of a project to link the church's two largest buildings, Kokernot Hall and Webb Hall. Unity Hall is the first major construction project at the church since 1960.
___In addition, the church renovated its 1,800-seat sanctuary, installed a carillon and added lights to its bell tower. The renovations will be dedicated in special services Sept. 22.
___For the Unity Hall fixtures, Voss and his son used a special machine to craft two 500-pound chandeliers. Each measures 10 feet in diameter. The brackets and lamp holders were forged by hand. They hang from the 40-foot ceiling on chains with links measuring three inches wide, six inches long, and one-half inch around.
___"The way we hand-craft metal is a dying art," Voss said. "Most places produce by machine. In Mexico, there is still hand-crafting, but businesses in Chicago and the Northeast can't believe we still do it. It's hard work, and people don't want to take the time to learn it. You have to love to work with the metal."
___And it is, in fact, love that drove Voss to complete his latest contribution to his church--love of his craft and love for the church.
___"We love the Lord," Voss said. "He has been so good to us, and we have dedicated our lives to him here, in this place."
___
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