The Rose Window

By 1963, the sanctuary stained-glass Rose Window that had been in place since 1913 was in bad shape. Some pieces of glass had fallen out and others were loose in their lead channels. The Dove of Peace, which was the centerpiece in the original window, was faded.

Jane Anderson designed plastic overlays to cover the center of the window, and the practice of changing the centerpiece to fit the occasion or sermon began. When Roy D. Murphy, the builder of the new extension [our Fellowship Hall and REE wing] donated $1,500 for new glass for the window, Jane facilitated a design contest among the congregation. The final choice was the spectrum of colors we now see radiating from the changeable center.

Robert Chase of Creative Builders ordered the new glass from France and fractured the many-colored pieces to size and set them in black epoxy. Ruth Ross was the special advisor on the creation of the window and Robert set the new “petals” in the sturdy woodwork of the window frame.