An image of Jesus floats above a stream and a forest. A church at the edge of the water is depicted at three different points in time: in 1813, when the church was first organized; 1862, when it was part of the Underground Railroad, and in the 1900s, which shows the current structure.

A warm, golden light surrounds the buildings in protection.

The image is part of a mural for Covenant United Presbyterian Church and will be unveiled Sunday during the Pentecost worship service.

Gregory Stokes, 62, was the artist commissioned to paint the 3-by-4-foot "Spirit of Christ" mural. He said he used cotton canvas, oil paints and turpentine to depict the light of Christ shining over three historical stages of the church on East Jefferson Street, and he plans to add more paint with an artist's knife to make the churches seem 3-D.

"I work as I feel," he said. "Some days I don't work and some days I wake up in the middle of the night and fix mistakes."

The Rev. James Swanson, 60, of Ellwood City has been the pastor of Covenant Presbyterian for six years and commissioned Stokes for the mural.

He said Stokes offered to paint an 18-by-24-inch image of the church's steeple last fall, using references from a postcard and visits to the actual structure.

After Stokes completed it, he and Swanson looked at the church's history wall that displays the previous buildings. Swanson said it inspired Stokes to offer another painting in return for various favors the church has done for him, requesting photos of the history display to get the images "just right."

Swanson said the church helps people in the community with transportation, food and coordinating with other agencies, and that Stokes was one of the people the church helped.

Stokes retired from the U.S. Army in 2001 after 27 years in the service. He's on military disability from hurting his back in Germany and from an injury while in action in Vietnam. He said the last large mural he did was on a mess hall wall in Germany that took him nine to 10 months to complete in 1995.

Stokes is charging the church $5.50 an hour.

"I'm speechless," Swanson said while looking at the nearly completed painting.

"I was impressed when I saw the steeple for the first time, but now I'm speechless. I'm really looking forward to Pentecost."

Swanson said he plans to hang the mural beside the steeple painting near his office.

Stokes said he did pencil work in April before starting the painting process May 1, creating a couple preliminary miniatures for church members to choose from.

Stokes has displayed paintings in the church's assembly room before as well as in art shows in Butler. He said church members have contacted him for portrait work and other commissions.

Swanson said part of the church's contribution to Stokes' work includes buying the canvases, frames and supplies. Compensation is then worked out for the hours spent painting, to which the congregation members contribute.

"The members of the congregation have a soft spot for veterans, those who have served our country and those in need in the community," said Nancy Moorehead, 55, a member of Covenant Presbyterian Worship and a member of the choir.

Moorehead said she helps Swanson with community outreach and has been friends with Stokes for 3½ years since she was the assistant manager and he was the manager for Bob Fower Apartments, which has since been torn down.

"I'm always doing something that has my head spinning," Stokes said.

"I'm always going to school just to learn what I'm doing wrong and what I need to do. I still got a lot to learn. If an artist feels that he can't learn, he ain't gonna be like the great artists."

Stokes said he's been drawing since he was a child, going to schools like the Art Institute of Philadelphia, the Art Institute of Massachusetts and the Art Institute of Connecticut.

He said he was one of the original founding members of the Three Rivers Arts Festival in the 1960s, when he was known as the "Sign Man" because he had a shop in Pittsburgh and worked on bar signs.

"I was a young pup compared to (the other founders)," he said with a laugh.

Stokes said he put about 3,000 hours thus far into the painting.

"I take my time because I have nowhere else to go," he said. "Where am I going to go?"