Windows with a Statement Though stained-glass windows or skylights aren't an absolute necessity, they are one way to make your worship environment more welcoming. Gulf Breeze United Methodist Church in Gulf Breeze, Florida, for example, rebuilt its sanctuary and added a skylight in 1995. According to Paul Nixon, senior associate pastor, the new light positioned above the cross in the sanctuary is a striking addition that attracts people to the church. The good news is that you can replace existing windows with stained glass, he says. If you're constructing a new building on a limited budget, for example, your architect can size your window frames to plan for a future upgrade from plain glass to stained-glass inserts.
Stained glass is expensive, but it's designed to last a lifetime.
You can also develop some creative fundraiser programs to cover the cost. For example, the original plans for the United Methodist Church's new sanctuary in Brentwood, Tennessee, called for stained-glass windows. When the budget wouldn't stretch to cover the cost of the windows, the pastor and members of the building-design committee selected several windows with a biblical theme, then launched a gift program. During the next two years, individuals and families in the congregation purchased individual windows as memorial gifts. Emmanuel Studios then replaced the plain windows in the sanctuary with stained glass.