Eric Penic, with Cathedral Crafts, stands on scaffolding outside as he works to reinstall stained glass window panes back into their original frames at Marvin United Methodist Church Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019, in Tyler. The church contracted Cathedral Crafts earlier this year to remove the window panes in order to restore, clean and protect the original 128-year-old stained glass. (Cara Campbell/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

Thirty-six stained-glass windows that are 128 years old and have been restored over the last 11 months will be dedicated Sunday during two traditional worship services in the sanctuary of historic Marvin United Methodist Church in Tyler.

The treasured windows, comprising more than 5,000 square feet of stained glass, are valued at between $2 million and $2.5 million.

The church was founded in 1848 and the windows date back to 1891 when the sanctuary was built, with the exception of four pictorial windows at the back of the sanctuary believed to have been installed between 1912 and 1919.

Restoration of the windows cost $1.2 million and was done by Cathedral Crafts Inc. Stained Glass Studios, a family owned company in Winona, Minnesota, that specializes in repairing, restoring and protecting stained glass for churches, synagogues, cathedrals and historical landmarks.

Beginning last February, according to the Rev. Gerry Giles, executive pastor, Marvin’s stained-glass windows were removed in three main work phases for a two-day trailer trip to Minnesota, where they were restored.

The north side was taken out first, aided by a crane. Those came back a couple of months later. Then windows on the east side went. The last batch to go recently was the windows on the south side. All of the restored windows have now been reinstalled.

“The congregation takes a lot of pride in their beauty,” Giles said. “On a Sunday morning when the sun is shining, the radiance of the light is absolutely beautiful.”

The Gothic-style windows extend from the first floor of the church to the second floor. They depict shapes and Christian symbols, such as an anchor representing hope and steadfastness, a cross and crown symbolic of rewards of the faithful, and wheat and sickle representing a bountiful harvest. The pictorial windows feature Jesus, Moses, Elijah and a bridesmaid.

The windows are in different shapes. Some form arches, while others are rectangular and some are circular with various designs.

To celebrate completion of the windows restoration project, Dr. Doug Baker, senior pastor, will conduct a thanksgiving dedication of the windows during traditional worship services at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sunday. A reception will be from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in Pirtle Hall.

The services will feature a special litany of dedication with a responsive reading by the pastor and congregation as well as Baker’s sermon. The Chancel Choir will sing the anthem “Creator of the Stars of Night.”

The process begins

Marvin members began to realize about two years ago that the windows needed to be restored.

They first noticed wind coming through the windows. An inspection by the church’s facilities team found that the interior framework had begun to separate from the stained-glass elevations. They also saw cracks in the windows and that the lead supporting the glass was beginning to crack and, in some cases, fall away from the stained glass.

Giles said, “For the sake of safety, we engaged structural engineers to help ascertain if there was any imminent danger of the windows falling out of their frames and, thankfully, that was not the case.”

The church conducted a successful fundraising campaign to finance restoration of the windows.

There are a limited number of companies in the U.S. that have the expertise to do this type of work, Giles said.

Four bid on the restoration project after making on-site visits and inspections. The church’s board of trustees studied the proposals and awarded the contract to Cathedral Crafts Inc. Stained Glass Studios.

Approximately 300 pounds of old lead was stripped away. The individual panes of glass were chemically cleaned and repairs made where necessary, Giles said. Then the panes were reassembled with new long-life leading and brass tie bars.

Company on-site representative Jason Petersen described the painstakingly detailed restoration process in greater detail. Once the windows arrived at the studios, Petersen said, the glass was placed in a chemical soaking solution to loosen the dust and grime on the windows and release the old cement that secured the glass to the lead.

Next, the glass was placed on butcher paper where rubbings were made to establish baselines of the windows’ shape before being disassembled from the old leading and tie bars. In the glazing room, Petersen said, the different pieces were reassembled and put back together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and new lead and tie bars were applied.

In the final phase, Petersen said, cement was added to fill in around the lead and tie bars to strengthen and waterproof the windows. Then the windows were repacked and returned to Tyler, he said.

The restoration company placed a cross bar across the windows to ensure the window frame is bolted to the rest of the building, preventing wind from moving the windows in the future.

The first restoration of the windows was in 1990. “That means the original glass had lasted 90 years. It’s amazing how long it lasted,” Giles said. He speculated the windows were handmade, although church archives do not disclose the origin of the windows.

In the approximately 30 years since the first restoration, the leading and sealing and materials for restoration of stained glass have improved.

Because of those improvements, Giles said, the church expects the current, second restoration project will last much longer than the first, maybe between 50 and 80 years, even though the guarantee is for 25 years.