Stained glass depicts tenets of faith

The two large stained glass windows at First Baptist Church in Birmingham help illuminate the church’s sanctuary while also providing artwork rich in color and detail.
   
Bathed in a rainbow of purple, gold, light green and a myriad of other colors, the windows depict images that are tenets of the Baptist faith. Christ is seen carrying a sheep in the largest pane of a window on the east side of the sanctuary. Other images pay homage to the Lord’s Supper and Christ’s testament that He is the Alpha and Omega. Still  another scene shows the cross sitting inside a crown.
   
“When one enters the sanctuary, their attention is directed toward Christ and His love,” said Don Campbell, minister of music at First, Birmingham.
Campbell said the artwork, which was part of the church’s former building in downtown Birmingham, is a reminder for Christians of the beautiful things God has placed in the world.
   
“The windows bring to worship an aesthetic beauty, reminding the congregation that we are to worship the beauty of holiness,” Campbell said.
   
Using stained glass to convey the gospel message has not lost its appeal and is as popular as ever, according Terry Barnes, owner of Leeds Stained Glass in Leeds. “I think moreso now than it’s ever been,” he said.
   
“It adds a beauty to a building, whether it’s a new church or an existing one,” Barnes said.
   
What is included in stained glass windows varies, according to Barnes. He said some sanctuaries simply used them as art alone, while the majority also include images that point to the denomination’s theology.
   
“You have a few that only do colors,” Barnes said. “Most churches use them to tell a story and it has a message.”
   
Barnes said the messages usually relate to Christ and His ministry. Much like a church or individual commissioning a portrait, he said what is depicted in the stained glass windows is a decision made by the church.
   
“They come to us and we work with them on the design and color,” he said.
   
Timothy George, dean of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University, said stained glass was developed in the Middle Ages at a time when most people could not read and few translations of the Bible were available.
   
“The stained glass was developed as a way of presenting the gospel to those who could not read,” George said.
   
Stained glass is a unique art form because of the richness of colors that are created when sunlight interacts with stained glass, producing an effect that cannot be found in paintings, said Heather Miller, a Birmingham artist who works with stained glass designs.
   
“The interplay between color and light is fascinating,” said Miller, a member of Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in Homewood. “There’s so much more depth with stained glass.”
   
And while stained glass windows can cost anywhere from $500 to $50,000, Barnes said the expense is usually not paid by churches. He said 90 percent of stained glass windows are paid for by individuals who have them dedicated as a way of remembering loved ones.
   
Stained glass windows are also a good feature for church sanctuaries because of their durability, Barnes added. He said most stained glass windows in churches today were made 75 years ago or longer.
   
“We repair windows that are hundreds of years old,” he added. “The glass never wears out.”