new church life: jan uary / february 201 4
This year Glencairn has forged a partnership with Mepkin Abby in South
Carolina, with whom we will be exchanging several dozen Nativities for our
exhibition. This means that the nearly 8,000 visitors who visit Mepkin Abby’s
exhibition will be introduced to Glencairn Museum’s Nativity collections.
Seven thousand visitors were introduced to the Museum’s collections and
mission through a guided tour. Each tour begins with an orientation video,
which introduces visitors to the history of Bryn Athyn and the mission of the
Museum. Visitors learn about our schools as they enjoy a spectacular view
of both campuses from the tower, and learn about New Church beliefs both
through the symbolism in Glencairn’s chapel and the four decorative themes
that appear throughout the building: Family, School, Nation and Church. It is
through an explanation of these themes that visitors are introduced to the New
Church concept of the neighbor, not only as an individual, but as increasingly
larger communities of individuals.
The tour invites visitors to look at objects in the collections to see what
they can tell us about religious beliefs and how people act from those beliefs,
for these objects are the human expressions of faith over time. More important
than seeing them merely as works of art or explaining how they were created,
is seeing these objects as gateways through which we can seek to understand
the religious beliefs of their creators and the ways in which they sought to act
from those beliefs.
Today, Glencairn Museum is at the forefront of the museum world in its
use of social media, which has resulted in an 11% increase in visitors in the
last year and a 38% increase in tour visitors over the past six months. If you
haven’t done so already, consider “liking” us on Facebook, “following” us on
Twitter, visiting our Tumblr blog, signing up to be one of more than 2,000
subscribers to our on-line newsletter, or watching one of the 11 videos on our
YouTube channel. Recently staff members from the Michener Museum visited
Glencairn to learn about our successful use of Groupon, through which we
have sold more than 5,000 tour tickets in a six-month period.
Two recent surveys show that not only are increasing numbers of people
coming to the Museum, but that they appreciate the mission of the Museum
and the message they are receiving through their tour. On one survey 91%
of visitors reported being “very interested” in what they learned, while 100%
on another reported that they would recommend Glencairn to a friend. One
parent of a visiting school group wrote: “This was the most educational and
spiritually moving field trip I’ve ever been on.”
Glencairn Museum’s goal is to become recognized as a leader both
regionally and nationally in the interpretation of religion. While at one time
in the not-so-distant past that may have seemed a far-off dream, today that
dream is coming closer to reality.
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