Love Lock Wall

Locks = Love.

Nancy Hendrickson, worship leader at Indy Vineyard Church, Indianapolis, came across this stunning display of locks on a wall at an Anthropologie Store in Portland and she knew there was potential for a creative arts project at the church. This display is modeled after the famous Love Lock bridges,  perhaps most notably Pont des Arts  in Paris, which for years was a favorite spot for smitten couples to proclaim their forever love by attaching a lock to the bridge, then throwing the key in the Seine. (It was disassembled in 2015 after a section of it collapsed under the weight of the locks.)

Nancy and her team have not yet found the right application for a version of the lock wall, but they believe it can work to illustrate a message or series.  They shared some of their brainstorm notes in hope that the discussion might spark some ideas for your creative team. (Photos: Nancy Hendrickson)

Lock Wall Brainstorm Thoughts

(Remember the rules of brainstorming: Save judgement until latter. Just let the ideas flow, first. These are the pieces of ideas that came out of Nancy’s team meeting.)

• Maybe have the congregation bring their own locks and attach them, symbolizing a point that is being made

  

• The locks represent passion. Could that translate to a message on passion or even Passion Week?
• The locks were disruptive on the Paris bridge. Jesus’s appearance and ministry was disruptive.
• The locks are unexpected. The Messiah was expected to come as a king, but was born in a manger.
• The locks represent longing.
• The locks are rebellious/romantic.
• The locks represent “forever” love. We have a forever promise/love as believers.
• The locks create a sense of community. We are connect to a great cloud of witnesses. Christian community.
• The bridge could be symbolic. Jesus’s appearance bridges a chasm between us and God.

Maybe these will inspire an idea for a Lock Wall project at your church. Let us know what you come up with!  Contact us at: [email protected]