Vermont church to sell Tiffany window to help homeless

[Are_grits_groceries]

BRATTLEBORO, Vt.—Here's a twist on the old saying, "When a door closes, a window opens." A Brattleboro, Vt., a church is removing a historic stained glass window, so it can open its doors to the homeless.

The First Baptist Church is selling a stained glass window that was installed in 1896. It depicts St. John the Divine and was created and signed by Tiffany Studios.

Proceeds from the sale will be used to repair the church's leaking roof so it can continue to host a winter shelter for people who need a place to sleep and a warm meal.

An antique dealer who specializes in stained glass windows told the Brattleboro Reformer the window could fetch anywhere between $40,000 and $60,000 at auction.


http://thepoliticalcarnival.blogspot.com/2009/11/vermont-church-to-sell-tiffany-window.html

I wish somebody would really make a huge valid bid.

[cali]

1. To those of you who hate religion and in particular Christianity

this is a nice rebuke.

There are thousands of churches, mosques and temples in this country that constantly reach out to the most disenfranchised among us.

[Miss_Underestimated]

15. That's all well and good but if they were paying their fair share of taxes they

would be doing a far greater service and we probably wouldn't have quite the huge numbers of disenfranchised among us in the first place.

[patrice]

2. I hope they replace it with clear glass.

We need to stop interposing pretty stories not only between one another but also between us and the natural world.

[cali]

4. here you go. this is the chapel for you.

http://prescott.erau.edu/news/haas-interfaith-chapel-wins-architectural-award.html

[patrice]

9. Thanks for that.

I will pass it along to our director of development where I work.

I think we should accept all symbols for what they are to those to whom they belong - or - (preferable to me anyway) strip them all away and reduce religion to a fundamental fact of existence, how we treat one another, and then frame that within the context of the natural world at hand and, by extension, beyond that.

There was a major historical cathedral where I lived once that was destroyed by fire, all but the beautiful natural stone walls. It was re-built with those walls and, because the stained glass was going to be so expensive, it went for several years with nothing but clear glass in those long pointy Gothic windows. I thought it was so beautiful, especially when I visited once and looked from within out to the sky and trees, framed by those historic restrictions/biases, now made more open to the truth. I was disappointed when they finally raised enough money to fill the windows with historically correct stained glass again. :-(

[cali]

12. You're welcome

I was there last year. It's designed by two very close friends of mine. they do some really remarkable stuff.

[Hawkowl]

3. Personal

We were raised Catholic and I remember my 13 year old sister meeting with the Father's of St Mary's asking why (in 1981 in Northwest Indiana) was the church buying new stained glass windows instead of helping all the poor and hungry in our community? Their response was they had to be responsive to the wants of the parishioners, and the windows were what they wanted. My little sister was appalled at the hypocrisy and refused to attend church and refused confirmation in the faith.

I'm glad to see that not all churches are that way.

[Nikki Stone1]

5. Post the address. I'd like to send them a donation just for being really Christian

I think if we DUers all send $1, we could encourage them.

[patrice]

11. Excellent idea!

[Nikki Stone1]

13. I think this is the address

[phone]

190 Main St
Brattleboro, VT 05301

[AwakeAtLast]

6. Vatican? Are you listening?

What an example to all Christians. :applause:

[Iggo]

7. Egg-zack-lee.

[Fuzz]

8. Beautiful window too. Wish I could afford it.

I'm an atheist, but I love stained glass.

[Ocracoker16]

10. Happy to see a church with right priorities

[Vinca]

14. I live only a few miles from this church and the windows are amazing.

You can't really appreciate them from the outside, so I brought my atheist self to ask the minister if I could go into the sanctuary one Saturday during a church bazaar. The windows were donated to the church eons ago by a wealthy family and I'm hoping someone else will now step up and help the church out to keep the windows in place.

[pitohui]

16. wow i hope it works out for them

it's a shame to auction something like this in this economy, you'll get a fraction of what you would have gotten in say 1999 and the roof will leak again every 20 years but you'll be out the work of art and the beauty forever

it would be nice if someone could just donate the money and allow the window to stay in the church, but i guess i'm dreaming

i hate to see a work of public art put in private hands, often times never to be seen by the public again, but it gets damn cold in vermont and you can't leave the homeless outside in winter

what an awful decision to have to make, my heart goes out to them

it seems so little money, after they have paid the auction fee, and after they have bought custom clear window to replace the old one, which will be surprisingly expensive too...