Over the years the Church of the Holy Spirit has been filled with many beautiful handcrafted objects. Its own parishioners – including Vernon Smith, an original member, and a well-known area artist and craftsman – have made many of the objects. Smith’s contributions include carved wall sconces, pew carvings, the Bishop’s chair, a carved Madonna, a wall carving depicting Christ in the tomb, a painting depicting Ruth in the field, the lectern, the Memorial Doors, and a mural in the Galley West Shop.
Works by other artists and craftsmen include the Hanging Dove Pyx and Sanctus Bell made by William Boogar, wall sconces and the kneelers at the altar by Carleton Litchfield, and the organ screen by William Anderson. There are also carved figures and two Crucifixes carved by a blind Italian laborer.

The original altar is now the center of the freestanding altar and has an oak inlay from St. Peter’s Church in the Forest of Arden, England (1662). The Dove Window and the Anchor Window came from St. John’s Church, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts that was torn down about 150 years ago.

Reflecting the area’s fishing heritage is a model of a three-masted schooner made by Richardson Wright, the first Senior Warden of the church; as well as a model of a sailing dory over 250 years old from a church in Holland – made by a Dutch fisherman as a thank-offering for deliverance from a storm.

Today the spirit of those early parishioners is carried on through the Kimball Craft Guild and the Galley West Craft Shop. When visiting the guild workshop, one notices a workbench that seems too low for constructive use. The bench is for the children of the mothers who work in the shop. The children are entertained by being allowed to bang on aluminum. This could also be the spark that leads to a future craftsman.

The Church of the Holy Spirit is truly a "hand-made" church reflecting the warmth and charm of Cape Cod. Its own parishioners have crafted the church from salvaged material and filled it with wonderful things that not only reflect its heritage, but also the love and devotion of its members – past and present. In the words of Rev. Kimball, "There is hardly anything connected with the church that doesn’t suggest personality . . . all of these things represent the kind of work with heart and hand that money cannot buy."

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The Galley West Craft Shop is open daily in the summer: Monday through Friday 10:00am to 4:00pm, Saturday 10:00 am to 1pm, and Sunday 10:15 to 11am. From October through May the hours are Sundays from 10:15 to 11:00am and Mondays 10am to 1:00pm. Many articles on sale in the shop have been handmade by members of the parish. Items include Prayer Books, hand-sewn items, hand-wrought aluminum – for which the shop is widely known – and many other crafts.

Story by Dan Hardison. Photos courtesy of the Church of the Holy Spirit