🌈 Light Through Glass: The Stories in Our Windows

When you step inside Christ Episcopal Church on Bay Street, the first thing many notice is the light. It filters in not as plain sunlight, but as color, story, and symbol—through the stained-glass windows that line our sanctuary.

More Than Decoration

Stained glass has been part of Christian worship spaces for centuries. It’s not only beautiful—it teaches, inspires, and surrounds worship with a sense of the holy. At Christ Church, our windows remind us that faith is not something abstract but something you can see, touch, and be surrounded by.

🌟 Did You Know?

Teaching Tools: In the Middle Ages, stained glass was sometimes called “the poor person’s Bible,”
because it told the stories of Scripture through pictures.

Local Connection: Our stained-glass windows were among the first pieces installed after the 1897 fire,
a sign of hope and beauty at a time of loss.

Ever-Changing: The colors shift throughout the day—morning light makes them
glow differently than the warm tones of late afternoon.

A History in Color

The current stone church was completed in 1897, and ever since, stained glass has filled the sanctuary with light and story. Each window was carefully chosen to reflect not just biblical truth, but the resilience of a congregation that had just survived a devastating fire earlier that same year.

Some windows feature traditional Christian symbols—crosses, lilies, doves—while others depict biblical scenes that have offered comfort and guidance to generations who have worshiped here.

For those who grew up in Chippewa Falls, these windows may feel like old friends—always present at baptisms, weddings, funerals, and Christmas Eve candlelight. They don’t just tell ancient stories. They tell our story.

Why Stained Glass Still Matters

In an age of screens and bright LED lights, stained glass has a unique power. It slows us down. It invites us to look carefully, to wonder, and to notice how light transforms when it passes through something shaped by human hands.

The windows remind us that God’s light, too, often comes refracted—through stories, through people, through a community that holds together.

Come See for Yourself

If you haven’t stepped inside Christ Church in a while, come on a Sunday morning at 10:30 AM—or just stop by during the week when the doors are open. Let the light fall around you. Look closely. Find the story waiting in the glass.

In every beam of light through stained glass, there is both history and hope. And in every window, there’s a reminder: faith is not just told, it’s illuminated.