Aldine Schroeder Memorial Stained Glass Window

In 1998 First Presbyterian Church received a very generous bequest from the estate of Aldine Schroeder. A substantial part of the funds from this bequest was used to make badly needed improvements to the facility and to reduce the mortgage on the church.

In February of 1999 the Session approved a plan to use a portion of the bequest to provide a permanent memorial to Aldine Schroeder in the form of stained glass windows in the narthex (lobby) of the church, along with replacing the two sets of double doors. The Memorials and Gifts of Honor Committee was charged with the responsibility of developing a specific proposal for this memorial project.

After five months of extensive research and evaluation of competitive bids and designs from three firms, the committee brought a recommendation to the Session that the contract be awarded to Lynchburg Stained Glass Company of Lynchburg, Virginia. The proposed design was enthusiastically and unanimously approved by Session.

The glass used in the project is of very high quality, most of it imported from Europe. It is antique glass; mouth-blown into cylinders, cut in slices, fired and then flattened. This process gives a beautiful texture and shading in color. All pieces are hand cut from small sheets varying in thickness from 3/16 to 1/8 inch. These variations in thickness make possible the different hues and shading of color.

The artist at Lynchburg Glass who designed our windows is Rich Buswell, considered by many to be one of the top ten stained glass artists in the country. He has been featured in Architectural Digest and has received many awards. He excels in the subtle use of color in stained glass.

The goals for the memorial project were: (1) to enhance the worship experience through adding to the beauty of the facility; (2) to create a greater feeling of light and openness and welcome as one enters the church; and (3) to create an appropriate and permanent memorial to Aldine Schroeder.

The windows, seen as a whole, represent the Trinity. One of the side panels features a hand, which is symbolic of God as Creator, reaching down in the act of creating the universe which we all enjoy. The other side panel depicts a descending dove which refers to the Pentecostal experience and represents the power of the Holy Spirit, active and alive in individuals and the Church universal. The center section focuses on Jesus Christ. There are a variety of symbols reflecting the wondrous gift of God’s son and what He means to us. The cross is done in gold tones, reminiscent of the sun and representing the powerful gift of the resurrection on Easter morning. The cross is Celtic, from our Scottish heritage, with a circle joining all four beams of the cross. The circle depicts eternity and God’s everlasting good gift and His love. Intertwined on the cross are vines and branches of the grape reminding us of Jesus’ imagery, ”I am the vine, you are the branches.” It is also symbolic in its connection with one of the symbols of the communion sacrament and has a strong tradition in the Old Testament as a representation of God’s powerful love.