Reformation Lutheran Church dedicated a new Meditation Garden on
Sunday, September 24. The meditation garden is located just south of the church at 7601
East 13th Street North. The public is invited to attend the dedication ceremony.
The meditation garden features the monumental sculptural work "Hands of God and
Man" by the late Kansas artist Bernard "Poco" Frazier. The Wichita City
Council listed the sculpture in the Wichita Register of Historic Places in 1996. It is 34
feet tall, 16 feet wide, two feet thick, and weighs an estimated 30 tons.
Reformation Lutheran Church commissioned Frazier to create the sculpture in 1954 for
the exterior west wall of the church sanctuary. This creation was first molded in clay on
the ground, and concrete was then poured into the mold. After the concrete was set, the
wall was lifted into position. It is believed that this was the only example of a concrete
sculpture serving as a structural element of a building.
The church property on Kellogg Avenue was sold in 1994, and the sculpture was removed
from the building prior to demolition. It remained in storage until 1999, when it was
erected as the focal center of the new meditation garden. The meditation garden is open to
the public.
Additional information regarding Bernard "Poco" Frazier, "Hands of
Gad and Man," and the Reformation Lutheran Church meditation garden can be found at:
