The Window- Lita and Sidney Swindle

I knew the first design element of the new sanctuary window would be the Multi-colored Cross. This cross was the original logo for the new church and everyone loved it and thought it was so beautiful.

Then looking a the cross, I envisioned the Christmas Star above and to the left, cutting through the cross bar.

The trefoil inspiration came from the logo of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, conveying the trinity and framing the cross.

The Alpha and the Omega stand for Christ as the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet and the Chi Rho is the abbreviation of Jesus Christ in Greek. Revelation 22:13.

After these were in place in the design. I tried to incorporate as many of the most prominent Christian symbols as would fit around the center. There are so many beautiful symbols for our faith and I knew we would not be able to use them all so I selected those that would represent what I felt were basic to our church.

The rainbow speaks of resurrection to continue the story of Christ's birth (star) and death (cross).

The ship speaks of our life's journey in such a fragile bark and it reminds us of the time Jesus spent on our earth with his fisher friends, those miracles and teachings.

The Chalice and Paten, holding the bread and wine of Communion, reminds us that Jesus said "do this in remembrance of me" and his sacrifice made to us eternal life.

Across from the elements of Communion is the pitcher, Bowl and Towel symbolizing service, as we follow Christ's example of washing the Disciples feet in the Upper Room. The one who would be the greatest should be the servant of all. Matthew 23:11-12.

Music is a great part of the ministry of Christ Church and I searched for just the right symbol. There are many representations of music in the scriptures but I chose the Harp because of its beauty, simplicity and antiquity.

Above the harp is the Open Bible. God's word preached and lived out in our church and in our lives is a basic tenet of our community, from our weekly Sunday School classes, to our Wednesday Nights Together, to our Sunday Worship, the Word is studied, preached and lived out faithfully in our community.

The Loaves and Fishes represent all the miracles that Jesus performed. This tells us that even with the smallest contribution, much can be accomplished if we allow Jesus to take it and bless it.

The Descending Dove represents the Holy Spirit, which rested upon Jesus at his baptism and indwells those of us who have been saved and sealed by that Spirit.

The Golden Crown speaks of our heavenly reward.

The Anchor is our assurance that even in the greatest storms of life, we are held firm and secure in God's love.

The colors in the Cross are the Rainbow colors and are repeated in the Circles that frame the whole design with water glass. They are red, blue, green, purple and the two golds - amber and yellow. The background colors in antique glass are softer shades of the same colors.

The design took about six months to complete. I showed it to many people with much more knowledge of theology and Christian symbolism than I, and asked everyone to suggest ways to improve it. The crafting of the window, turning the design into the finished window, took about six weeks. Mark, Melody, Melinda, Tom, Erin and Callie Swindle and Elinor, Mark and Sidney Brown always gave encouragement and help in any way they could.

We also owe thanks to Lisa of Originals in Glass for drawing the pattern from our design and for her expert advice in selection of colors, and our thanks and gratitude to Lori Sells for her advice and hands-on help, without which we would have been lost at times. The one who deserves the most credit is Sidney because, from the very first, he had the faith that I could create the window and then he ended up doing much of the work on the actual window himself, including conceiving and making the "lazy susan" to hold the work while is was in progress and grinding most of the pieces of glass.

This project was always a labor of love and I was conscious of great joy in the long hours of work. Seeing it come together and installed was incredibly fulfilling for us. We know that the Lord gave the vision and then enabled us to bring it to fruition and it is our prayer that it will bring enjoyment and inspiration to everyone who sees it.

-Lita and Sidney Swindle