Stained Glass Windows

How They Came to Be

In 1980 the worship center at Immanuel was built. Stained glass windows were not envisioned when the building was constructed, however, members soon became aware that the sun often shone with glaring brightness on a part of the worshipping congregation. A suggestion was made that the windows should be covered with colored plastic panes; others thought it would be nice to have stained glass windows. It would cut the bright rays of the sun and also add to the beauty of the worship space. In the spring of 1986 the church council discussed the matter and appointed a committee of five to study possibilities and make recommendations. The committee visited about a dozen churches to see a variety of stained glass windows. They selected two companies—one in Winona and one in Minneapolis. Reinarts Stained Glass Studios, Inc. of Winona was selected and recommended to the council. The council approved the recommendation, and the exciting process was on its way.

During the Advent season in 1985 Pastor Del Lind gave a series of sermons on the name Immanuel—meaning “God with us.” Those sermons became the inspiration for the themes depicted in the windows. Members of the committee approved the theme, and the church council approved the idea with Immanuel as the focal name. Six themes became a part of the dream for the windows:

• The Nativity
• Jesus the Teacher
• Jesus the Healer
• The Miracles of Jesus
• Jesus the Prophet
• Jesus’ Death and Resurrection

Bill Reinarts, Sr. knew it would be important to listen to the wishes of the pastor and the people. He hired a young artisan, David Kjerland (who had completed seminary training but chose to go into stained glass are work as a vocation), to visit the congregation. David came twice to Immanuel, met with the committee, and took copious notes while Pastor Lind shared a dream of what the windows might be. The six themes were further developed, and suggestions were made as to content and story. The notes were given to Bill Reinarts, Sr. who in turn sent them on to an artist, James Crombie, of Bristol, England. Crombie studied the suggested themes and used his creative background as an artist to develop the symbols for each set of windows. A rendition of the artwork for the windows was sent to Reinarts, who in turn shared it with the congregation. It was “love at first sight.” It was exciting to see the beautiful artwork completed by James Crombie. The practical question was: How will be pay for the stained glass windows? Reinarts’ studio had given a reasonable proposal of $3,600 for each set of windows—complete and installed. In the early spring of 1986 Clarence Guttromson, a long-time member of Immanuel, died; and his widow, Gladys, in 1987 gave a memorial gift of $7,200 for the two windows on either side of the altar: The Death and Resurrection on the left and The Nativity on the right. Another window, #2—Jesus the Teacher, was given in memory of the parents of Bob and Clare Kooiman. Three of the six windows were paid in full, and the leadership of the congregation wondered how the bill for the remaining three would be paid. Within a couple months’ time, an anonymous donor gave a gift to pay for the remaining three windows—a gift of $10,800. That part was over, and in the spring of 1987 a truck from Reinarts’ studio pulled up to the church and a skilled craftsman installed the first two windows. It was a most thrilling day. A few months later the remaining windows arrived. The renditions produced by the artist were exciting to see for the first time, but the windows as they were installed, one after another, was a breathtaking experience. The dedication service for the completed windows was held on February 14, 1988. The sun continued to shine, but now it shone through multiple colors of glass. People came to worship and appreciated being able to sit anywhere in the worship center, since there was no longer a problem with the glaring bright sun. People soon noticed how the brightness and hues of the windows changed as the sun changed its position. Members of the congregation studied the windows and asked what the symbols meant. Just before Pastor Lind left to start a new mission in Lakeville, members of the congregation asked if he would write an explanation of the symbols in the windows. Several years later he wrote a booklet in response to that request (this booklet is available in the Church library). It is intended to give a brief historical background on how the windows came to be and to present an explanation of over fifty symbols depicted in the windows. How they came to be

The Nativity

Jesus the Teacher

Jesus the Healer

The Miracles of Jesus

Jesus the Prophet

Jesus’ Death and Resurrection