Mismatched tiles transform entrance to UM church

Debra Baker, a member of Coker UMC, San Antonio, puts a tile floor together at Shepherd’s Gate Community UMC, San Antonio.

By Rachel L. Toalson
Staff Writer
With two-tone gray walls and bare cement, the space looked anything but inviting.
Believing the entrance to a church office should be warm and welcoming, Debra Baker saw potential in the small space inside Shepherd’s Gate Community UMC, San Antonio.
A member of Coker UMC, San Antonio—which has been helping Shepherd’s Gate restore its building—Baker raided her carport and began formulating her plan.
The entry would be an artistic space.
Known as the “tile lady,” Baker has been collecting new mismatched tiles for about two years—because she wanted to keep them out of landfills, where they’re thrown after being discontinued.
At first, she said she didn’t know why God would want her to salvage tiles. She was sure only that the
Holy Spirit was guiding her to do just that.
“When you see what her faithfulness has produced, you know it was indeed inspired by God,” said Shepherd’s Gate Pastor K. Vanessa LeVine.
So Baker approached local warehouses with the idea of collecting their old tiles and using them for church or mission projects. After several refusals, a handful of warehouses agreed.
Her carport quickly filled with stacks of tile.
“It’s gotten as big as it can at my house,” Baker said. “We can’t put either of our cars in there. I would love to have a warehouse and other volunteers who could help pick up and store the tile.
“And I would love to grow this and see it happen in Austin and around other areas.”
Baker said she now realizes that God wanted her to collect the tiles to help ministries and churches create an artistic, unique space that they couldn’t otherwise afford to do. Because the tiles are mismatched, tiling becomes an art project.
“Churches need to know they can’t order a 30-foot room,” Baker said. “It’s going to be an art project. It will be creative.”
Such is the space inside Shepherd’s Gate.
“Only a miracle could have provided this sacred space for us,” LeVine said. “I am sure that if we had attempted to buy the materials to design the Christian mosaic Debra’s remnants have created, it would have cost in the thousands of dollars—surely more than any poor inner-city church could ever afford.”
But Baker’s tile gift is much greater than a monetary blessing, LeVine said. Shepherd’s Gate youths and young people who worked at the Alamo City Work Camp designed “individual Christian symbols to be placed as a permanent memorial of how the glory and grace of Christ has touched and transformed them,” she said.
“Now embedded in our puzzle of faith are several crosses, the Star of Bethlehem, Christ’s candle, fishes, a butterfly, a sand dollar and an anchor,” LeVine said. “And this work of art will, in all likelihood, be there to illustrate their faith stories to their grandchildren.”
LeVine said going into the church from the street is similar to Dorothy opening her black-and-white door and stepping into the colorful Land of Oz.
“You know without a doubt that you are stepping out of the world and into a sacred space,” LeVine said. “Our church members are aflame anew with inspiration on the possibilities for their church.”
Baker said she has more tiles to donate to other church projects. She, however, typically doesn’t come with the tile.
For information about picking up tile for projects or helping store the tile, call Baker at (210) 413-2703.