get rehab After illuminating the sanctuary for almost 150 years of worship, nine 16-foot-high stained glass windows were removed from the Union Congregational United Church of Christ on North Main Street in the village of Churchville May 4. According to church member Scott Kyper, who serves on the building committee, the windows are being shipped to Bovard Studios in Fairfield, Iowa. Workers there will clean the glass, replace the lead, and apply a protective covering, before trucking the windows back to Churchville. Kyper said the windows on the south side have experienced some warping, and some of the colored window panes have developed little cracks called "crazing." Church elders wanted to prevent any farther damage. "We wanted to do it before we lose any," Kyper said. "You could never match the glass." The church has already collected about a quarter of the $35,000 the process will cost, Kyper said, thanks to parishioners contributing to the project before it even began. The church will hold several community fund raisers, like its spaghetti dinner, to help raise the money. Rev. Konrad Vanderbeck-Emmert, church pastor, said it was a little strange without the windows last Sunday. "It’s a little odd to see plywood where there were windows," he said. The workers installed clear panes of glass at the bottom of the plywood, which, according to church member Corrine Pimm, helps to compensate. "It’s actually quite bright," she said. Remarkably, she said, "Some people did not even notice." The windows are scheduled to be returned in six to eight weeks--plenty of time before the church celebrates its sesquicentennial next year. "It will make us appreciate the windows more when we get them back," said Vanderbeck-Emmert. |
