NEWTONVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10)—The United Methodist Church in Newtonville was founded in 1799. The new church began construction in 1892 and was finished the next year. All it needed were the stained glass windows.
Over the coming years, the windows would each find a sponsor. Each of the Memorial Stained glass windows cost $750 in 1890, equivalent to over $20,000 today.
The names of the memorialized person sat at the bottom of each window. As the year passed, those names began to fade, the lead grew soft, and the colorful windows started to bow.
The first of the Memorial Windows to be restored was the large three-panel window at the church’s front. That was 18 years ago.
“Through donations and a former member who passed away and left to our Memorial Fund a majority of the money,” said Bob Kircher, Chair of the Trustees. “Last year, we were able to get eight of the ten side Memorial Windows restored for $1,200 a window.”
The new windows don’t use plexiglass on the outside, which over time yellows. The windows use quarter inches plate glass that will keep the sun shining in for years to come.
On Sunday, February 21, the church is opening again for services. Every other row of pews is closed and on each wooden bench is a piece of blue tape six feet apart.