History of the Stained Glass
Former Pastor Paul Moyer, with little experience in leaded glass work, and with encouragement and cooperation from the congregation, decided to undertake the project of building matching windows for the openings on the west wall, on either side of the front entrance. These two windows were planned with no other goal than to display the blue Bavarian fern-like glass in the largest pieces possible, combined with some complementary new art glass.
Our Stained Glass
RUBY FLOWER-PATTERN GLASS
An arched section of ruby flower-pattern glass had been preserved in a picture frame over many years and presented to the church by Mrs. Bush. Its exact origin seems to be unknown now. This piece, combined with panels of ruby fern-leaf glass, completed a graceful design. Its location is the south wall of the Pastor Griffin Room, pleasingly visible from much of the sanctuary. This window in memory of Cyrus Davis.
CIRCLE OF ETERNITY
The upper west window, above the church entrance, was designed with Trinitarian symbolism enclosed in the Circle of Eternity. Within the circle are:
The hands upholding the world, representing God the Father
The empty Cross, in reminder of the life given in Jesus Christ the Son
The glowing Flame, which is the historic representation of the Holy Spirit
In the smaller section of the window, above the Circle, is centered the butterfly, which is a symbol of eternal life through the resurrection. This window is in memory of Mr. Arthur Pitcher.
SUNRISE
The arch-shaped window above the front entry portrays the church as a ship sailing into the sunrise. The emphasis here is sunrise – as opposed to sunset – because the church and faith in Christ are leading people always, with hope, into tomorrow. A quote from Martha Meister Kiely is a fitting theme for this window:
“A new and lively Spirit can yet fill the sails of the Church of Christ and move her speedily toward the horizon of God’s new dawn.”
This window is in memory of Mr. John Swets.
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH
The large window in the south wall portrays the history of the local church. Selecting a format that would be followed also in designing the other two large windows for the sanctuary, the circle as the center of the cross was chosen. This circle may be seen as the sun, God’s warm caring for his world, its rays going out to form the cross. The Bible and a lighted candle are silhouetted within the circle, remembering the faith of the early pioneers. The historical covered wagon travels westward across the plains toward the mountains. The log cabin represents both the homes of pioneers and the school in which the first church meetings were held. This window is in memory of Mr. Walter Reck.
NEW TESTAMENT
In the New Testament window, which is the east window of the two, the circle and the cross again form the central format. Within the circle is silhouetted the “hand of God”. The descending dove, which represents the Holy Spirit, the intermediary between God and his people, is outlined within the main stem of the cross. Over the world hovers the “Lamb of God” which is Jesus Christ whose concern reaches out for the whole world. Surrounding the world is the vine and its branches and the fruit of the vine, symbolic of our dependence on Christ, and of his Last Supper when he asked his disciples to “remember me”. This window is in memory of Howard and Josie Willis.
OLD TESTAMENT
The Old Testament window is the west window on the north sanctuary wall. The dove with an olive branch is flying into the circle of the cross, reminding us of how God cared for Noah in a perilous time. The olive branch has come to be a universal symbol of peace. The rainbow overwhelming the ark demonstrates a dominant Old Testament story and carries God’s promise of caring for his children, even as it was a promise to Noah that he would not again destroy the world with a flood. The lower part of the window portrays the temptation of man through the fruit tree and the serpent. The tablets of stone are God’s laws to the world in the Ten Commandments. A special feature: The two small windows in the ark are made of polished stone. This window is in memory of Dorothy Land.
CREATION WINDOW
This is called the “Creation Window” as it portrays the universe with the sun, the moon and the planets, and focuses especially on the earth and life in it. On the earth is included vegetation, animal life and human population. There is represented here the dream that some day the people and animals shall learn to live together in peace. This window is in memory of Virginia Nelson.
THE WORSHIPPING FAMILY
The window entitled “The Worshipping Family” was named by the artist, Rev. Paul Moyer. The top portion of the window depicts the memorial family of four, while also signifying a universal family showing their faithfulness as they gaze at the cross, grapevine, chalice and a loaf of bread. The background shows the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in the area of the Long’s Peak – an area of the mountains much loved by the memorial family. In the lower part of the window the grapevine intermingles with a vine of red roses which have personal meaning for the family. The butterfly below and the rising suns in the two upper corners symbolize eternal life through the resurrection. This window is in memory of Gregory, Kristine, Lisa, and Scott Rudolph.
GOD’S CREATURES
Late in 2004, a new stained glass window was installed over the west doors of the Narthex. Three ladies from the church, Nancy Greenwood, Ginger Jump, and Leann Starlin, volunteered to work with Paul Moyer in creating this window. It is named “God’s Creatures” and portrayed the animals of the Rocky Mountains. This window was dedicated to the memory of Bill Jump (June 26, 1946 – August 12, 2004).