First Baptist Church restores stained glass

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By Jessica Brown

Members of  First Baptist Church in Winchester, which will celebrate its bicentennial this year, are making some much needed updates. Pastor Bill Baughman said restoring the stained glass windows in the sanctuary there is long past due. Jacksonville Stained Glass, or JSG, will begin their work on Monday, February 17th.

“The glass in the current windows was only built to last about 75 years and these were originally put in 1908 when the church was built,” Pastor Baughman said. Although minor replacements, patchwork and glass replacements have been made, JSG assessed all but one of the windows at a “D” rating.

The first two windows to be removed, transported and restored will be the transom window about the double entrance doors at the front of the church and the large window on the west side of the sanctuary in the choir loft. After those windows are returned and reinstalled, JSG will remove more windows and continue the process in a “piecemeal” fashion until every window has been restored.

According to a summarized assessment of the extent of deterioration of the windows, JSG stated that stained glass windows in the sanctuary are typical of turn of the century Early American style. The assessment states that the “lead came” or metal framework holding some glass together had become oxidized and brittle.

Other areas of concern listed  are reinforcing bars failing, sagging and bowed panels under the weight of gravity and age, as well as broken and poor replacements throughout the years.

Instead of demolishing the current windows and replacing them, JSG will implement a restoration process. Each section or window will be photographed and every piece numbered before it’s removed to ensure the ability to put it back in place in the event it was to fall apart. Workers will then carefully remove the windows and place them in carriers to be transported to JSG where the restoration process can begin.

Pastor Baughman said he plans to make a day trip of sorts with his congregation to JSG to view the restoration process, commenting that they had been invited to watch it.  “We haven’t raised all of the money to fund the restoration project yet,” he said, adding that they are getting closer.

First Baptist will be holding its 66th Annual Pancake and Whole-hog Sausage Dinner on February 22nd.