When Lorna Perkins felt God impress her to move to western New York in 2002, she was a single parent with no job prospects.  But her employer at Dairy Queen believed in her so much that he gave her a bonus with his blessing.  So Lorna packed up her 15 year old daughter, their horse and all their belongings, and left Iowa.  From her occupation of decorating cakes at Dairy Queen, to painting a house and office for Gary Lynn, Lorna was introduced to Dale Peterson and The Gateway Center.

Lorna’s eyes sparkle when she talks about the overall vision for the Center.  She is quick to say she wants to bring glory and honor to God and to create subtle scenes of God’s beauty.  When you step closer to her art, you find something deeper happening…Lorna hides special items of creation in everything she creates!  Her respect for God’s World is represented in every area of the building because of her conviction that nature brings people to God.  “Look at where you focus your eyes when you are in your home.  We create beautiful walls with faux painting, and add furniture accents to make our homes comfortable, yet our eyes are drawn to the window where light and nature intersect to splash our world with beauty.”

That beauty is what Lorna seeks to develop at The Gateway.  There are many rooms yet to be defined, but you can be sure as their purpose unfolds they will include beautiful winged creatures, Lorna’s trademark.  The Skate Park even has three massive doves moving through the paint scheme.  She says the size of the rooms have been challenging.  Some days she works on scaffolding to reach the 12 foot ceilings.  But she enjoys the freedom to choose the direction the decorating will take.  The donations of paint and nice accessories from people’s homes have inspired many themes throughout.

Yet, all this work, and Lorna says, “It’s not about the building, but the people who enter it.  The Gateway Center is all about helping people.  My idea of a good day is when I have had an opportunity to talk to people about their choices, and to feel that I made a difference by listening.”

Lorna lives in Sherman with her husband of five years.  You’ll often find Tom working at The Gateway as well, as they endeavor to create an environment where people can come for encouragement!