ANDERSON — The large stained-glass mural of Jesus speaking with his disciples at the YMCA has a new home after a rededication Wednesday.
Current and former board members of the Anderson Young Men’s Christian Association rededicated the artwork that dates to the 1920s or ’30s as a way to reaffirm the organization’s Christian ethos and values.
“The whole purpose is to tie in with … redirecting toward Christian principles,” said former executive director Dan Sager, who hosted the event.
The stained glass artwork, which now sits directly behind the main desk at the YMCA building, depicts Jesus speaking with his disciples Peter and John as well as another unidentified person.
Though Sager said he hasn’t been able to confirm the exact history, he believes it was given to the YMCA in the 1920s or early ’30s by the Byrum family, who were instrumental at Anderson University. It originally sat in the west lobby, which served as the men’s smoking lounge, but has been moved throughout the 102-year-old building through the years.
For Sager, placing the artwork behind the main sign in desk where it can be seen by everyone who comes into the building, serves to highlight the inscription on the piece: “Follow thou me.”
“The significance is being there in the midst of all the people because it underscores the mission of the Y,” he said.
Pastor Art Jaggard of the First Baptist Church of Anderson, who also spoke at the event, said the artwork’s place as a focal piece for the building is just a first start in reinvigorating and reorganizing the YMCA around its Christian foundation.
“It’s time to stop being apologetic for the Lord Jesus who built this in the first place,” Jaggard said. “Any nation that loses its founding religion quickly perishes, and we are seeing that today.”