How We Got Started  -  What Were We Doing 100 Years Ago?
Our Pastors  -  Our Church Buildings - Music History - Stained-Glass Windows

The History of our Beautiful Stained-Glassed Windows

The first recorded notes of our church's stained-glass windows begin in July of 1918. It was at this month's business meeting, that with the construction of the new church building nearing completion, a motion was made and carried by the church members that there be no memorial windows installed in the new church. The only exception made by the congregation was one window for the founder and first pastor of the church, Rev. A Webb, and another window in honor of our men who are serving their country in the Great War.

Construction of the building was proceeding well about then. The congregation building had purchased a large tent, which they pitched in the Pavilion Park through the months of May and June of 1918. It was noted from the church records that our Sunday School and Church services were well attended in spite of the heat and other inconveniences. By July though, the services were held in the almost complete building.

An interesting side note is our church architect was Henry Starbuck of Fresno. He was a well-known architect who has dotted the Central Valley horizon with a long list of churches. The Madera Presbyterian Church (1914), the Clovis Presbyterian Church (1914), the German Free Evangelical Lutheran Congregational Church (1914), the Fowler Baptist Church (1916), the Danish Lutheran Church (1917), a Methodist church in Ceres (1922), the Biola Lutheran Congregational Church (1922), the Bethel African Methodist Church (1923) and the Cumberland Church (1924).

In the Tulare Register of October 5, 1918, a reporter wrote of his tour of the new Baptist Church given by Rev. Drexler, and part of his article noted the 18 stained glass windows. He wrote that all the windows in the auditorium of the church are of stained glass, with green being the predominating color. Midway of the East side is the memorial window inscribed "In honor of the men of this congregations who served their country in the Great War. Toward the west is one in the memoriam of "Our first pastor, Rev Ambrose W. Webb" with the dates of his birth and death 1850-1890. In fact it had been a month earlier that the Governor of California, Wm. D. Stephens had made Tulare First Baptist the last of five stops that day through the valley in his promotion of war bonds for the United States treasury. The end of World War I was still two months away. He made an address and formal dedication before a large audience of the church's beautiful memorial window that were inscribed in honor of those church members in the Great War.

When the new property at Cherry and Cross Sts., where our congregation meets now, was purchased and the construction started in the 1960's of what is now the activity center, the old church building and property was sold. The requirement from the new owner was that the structure be torn down, and so it was and the brick was sold for salvage value. The old windows were removed and placed in storage by those who had the foresight to know their sentimental and intrinsic value to our fellowship. And remained under their care for almost 30 years.

In 1993 the new sanctuary building was nearing completion. Members of the building committee had seen some work in Bakersfield that an artist from Glendale in Southern California, named Doug Gibbs had done. He was brought in to provide stained glass work for our new 13,000 sq ft Worship Center building. At first Doug submitted Good Shepherd and contemporary designs that didn't involve the old glass. But two members of our church, Joni Gist and Wava Myers, involved in this part of the new building, felt it was lacking. They heard of the old windows and then Gibbs saw them. "They're worth a fortune" the artist was remembered saying. Not that the glass was in top form. It had been stored in a chicken shed first at Joe Hill's ranch and then outdoors and under another shed on the Perry property off of Tulare Avenue east of town for all those years. But Doug Gibbs had learned to work with stained glass in Canterbury, England after World War II, re-installing and repairing church windows removed for safe keeping or repaired after the war.

Because of its poor condition, Gibbs' wife, Rita, washed and re-leaded each and every piece of the old glass for the new church when it was removed to his shop in Glendale, where he still does this same work today. Using a combination of old and other glass, it took Gibbs a year to make the ten side windows and the huge 10 X 20-foot window over the baptistery. Gibbs, who learned his craft repairing war-damaged stained glass, was challenged finding new glass to pair with the old. New stained glass tends to be much more transparent. The old glass has a milkier look, more opaque such that the large new window over the baptistery filters the sunlight to a soft glow. Gibbs had false starts in supplying the 11 windows for the project. He made several complete windows, using a combination of the old glass and the other glass before he hit on what was felt was the right combination. In the end, only a small bag of old glass was left. Wava Myers feels that it was God's way of showing us that He was in control and planned the size and materials for these windows, with only enough needed to complete His work. A separate clear, tempered glass protects each window outdoors. A shade can be drawn between the side outer window and stained glass to darken the church for special programs. To get a real appreciation for them you need to get up close, to enjoy not only the colors but also the history behind them. I recommend you do.