Stained Glass Images
Click on the image below to open welsstainedglass.org, a website featuring the stained glass of churches in the Wisconsin Lutheran Synod.
Some notes on the stained glass found on this site
The art of stained glass started many years ago, even before it was used in churches. Here it became popular in the Middle Ages when the Catholic church began building its massive cathedrals.
This site contains examples of remarkable stained glass windows found in WELS churches. Some of them are found in second and third generation churches, where no expense was spared to picture Bible scenes and the symbols of the Christian faith.
The stained glass in many churches is more humble, but no less beautiful. Some churches contain stained glass designed and made by members.
Stained glass both teaches the truths of our faith and helps us meditate on the gospel. This is especially true of the stained glass found in Lutheran churches.
Stained Glass Photography
Tips on photographing stained glass
Click on the link below to access some tips on taking pictures of stained glass windows in churches.
A work in progress
When I started the stained glass site, I realized it would always be a work in progress. Several people have taken pictures of the stained glass in their WELS church and sent the them to me for inclusion the site. WELS and ELS members are welcome to do that.
Services of the Word In Stained Glass and Song
Song Samples
Click on the links below to view .mp4 samples of the songs that combine stained glass, songs, and God’s Word. The files are stored on Youtube.
Extending the boundaries
Stained glass enriches the worship service in many ways. Congregation members use them to meditate on the stories and truths of our faith. Many pastors have preached sermon series on the stained glass windows in their churches.
But could stained glass be used as part of the worship service itself? This section explains an attempt to that. Over the past years I’ve developed four worship services that combine God’s Word with stained glass and song. I’ve used them in numerous churches and in a number nursing homes as .an evangelism tool.
The links on the left will let you access samples of the songs and the service folders. The worship service folders below will give you an idea of the nature of the service. All the elements of the service use stained glass. (The services start automatically. Use your browser’s back arrow to return to this page.)
These files are not meant to be shared, only to give you an idea of something else that can be done with stained glass. Perhaps they will generate additional ideas.
Technical Notes: The services are not something I can share. Why? They were created in Flash when Flash was still the go-to program for creating animations. Flash created .swf files and .swf files were played by the “Flash player,” which used to be included in nearly all computer operating systems. This is no longer the case. (Adobe does provide a .exe Flash player, but it is somewhat buried on their web site.)
Flash is a “timeline” program that allows a person to synchronize the music to the images and text as they fade in and out. There are other timeline programs available that do not need a special player, but rather produce code in HTML5, the current web developer software. Adobe Animate is one such program.
The elements in the worship services are all linked to an .swf file, a main menu, that is projected on the screen in front of the congregation. From that screen I access all the elements of the service and work through them with mouse clicks.
Thanks to Tom Kuster from the Christ in Media Institute and Amanda Quist at Bethany Lutheran College, Mankato, Minnesota, for converting these four pieces into .mp4 files for viewing here.