During worship on Sunday, March 30, 2025, Rev. Nancy Soukup and Chair of Stewardship Caroline Jacobus dedicated the memorial window plaques that have been installed on 9 of the 20 window sashes in the sanctuary. The happy coincidence of March 30th being both “Mothering Sunday” and the date of our Annual Meeting gave to this occasion the double significance of our gathering together to recognize the many roles that our church plays in our lives.
First Congregational Church in Bristol is our spiritual home and Mothering Sunday represented a celebration of our homecoming. So it was just the right day to be dedicating the memorial plaques, some in remembrance of beloved family members, some in celebration of our church family. And it was just the right day to recognize those families in our church who so kindly donated toward the preservation of these windows.
Many may remember the old windows in various shades of lavender and pale blue that used to grace the sanctuary walls – with the drafty winter winds blowing in, and the cracked glass, the panes falling out, and the wood dried to a gray brittleness. In 2021 we were fortunate to find New Outlook, a firm of expert historic window preservationists – and we launched a capital campaign which raised $158,000 to fund the restoration of the most damaged windows, those on the south side. Now these windows are weather-tight, the wood frames are sturdy, the glass is flawless. The light shines through to illuminate our lives and our minds, to bring in the nurturing warmth of the sun. Or, as one of our donor families decided to have engraved on their plaque: “May the blessing of light be upon you: light on the outside and light on the inside.”
As each family thought about the words they wanted engraved on their plaque, their hearts were moved to consider what was truly important, whose names did they want to send into the future for generations to see, what hope or message in their lives did they want to memorialize. And there was such variety in what they chose to celebrate: the birth of a grandchild, or the joy in relationships with their children, the appreciation that was felt for the love and support they had received from their parents.
Others celebrated the deep love and appreciation a husband feels for his wife.
Still other plaques call for us to celebrate our joy in preserving the history of our church – another simply celebrates the love that binds together all the members of our FCC family, to make a difference.
I invite all of you to take a tour of the memorial plaques the next time you are in the sanctuary. There are currently 7 plaques on the south facade and 2 plaques on the north facade. There are still 11 window sites remaining where a memorial plaque could be placed. If you feel inspired to create your own memorial plaque, just contact Rev. Soukup or Caroline Jacobus and we can make it happen.