Let The Sun Shine In

Jun 26, 2014

By Suzanne Hoag

Driving past St. Paul's United Church in Harrowsmith in recent weeks, you may have noticed ladders and scaffolding in the front of the near century-old heritage building. It has been five years since the church council decided the stained glass windows were in desperate need of repair and now this project is finally underway.

Delay occurred in 2010 when St. Paul's was in a dire financial situation. With an internal debt approaching $25,000, rumours circulated that the church would have to close and the stained glass window refurbishing project came to a halt. What happened next is nothing short of a miracle. Within two years, after intensive fund-raising, countless volunteer hours logged by dedicated church members, and overwhelming community support, St. Paul's was back in the black and able to continue its ministry and outreach to the Harrowsmith area.

In 2013, council decided to move cautiously ahead with the project that is estimated to cost around $45,000 and enlisted Mark Thompson of Traditional Glassworks out of Westport to do the restoration work. The work is labour intensive and highly specialized. It involves removing the stained glass and transporting off site so that the glass can be re-leaded and repaired. The frames are being rebuilt as much of the wood is rotting. The stained glass windows are then reinstalled with a tempered glass protective glazing on the outside. This process makes the refurbished windows stable, energy efficient and more visible and esthetically pleasing.

To date, five out of 14 windows have been refurbished. The two transom windows were refurbished using donations made in memory of Mr. Fergus Brown, a long time member of St. Paul's. A previous cookbook fundraiser and individual donations paid for the three east facing windows of the sanctuary.

This project will be on-going as funds become available. An Old-Fashioned Fish Fry and Corn Roast is our next scheduled window refurbishing fundraiser. Come out and join us on Friday, August 22 from 4:30 to 7 pm! Local pan fried fish is on the menu with fresh corn on the cob, salads and homemade pie. Advance tickets preferred. Adults $13, Children over 6: $6, family rate $30. Advance tickets can be purchased by calling John or Suzanne Hoag at 613-386-7751 or by visiting Willows Agriservices or Tiffany Gift Shoppe in Harrowsmith. Please note tickets at the door will be $15 for adults; $35 family rate. Child rate will be unchanged. Anyone wishing to make a donation toward the Stained Glass Window Fund may do so by contacting the church at 613-372-2525 or by mailing your donation to St. Paul's United Church Harrowsmith, Box 506, Verona, ON K0H 2W0.