John Sumner and Flo Withers combined their talents to replace the regular windows in the sanctuary at United Methodist Church in Shawano with six stained glass windows.
Some of the stained glass was purchased and some was donated from area churches and members of the congregation.
Each window has a center medallion handcrafted by Terry Alexander, of Huntsville, Ala., and paid for by sponsors. Each medallion shows an event in the life of Jesus.
Sumner was born in upper New York state, graduating from Clyde High School. He earned a degree in animal husbandry from Colorado State University. Sumner’s first job was a herdsman in Michigan. He then worked in sales at Genex in Shawano, retiring five years ago. Sumner and his wife of 49 years, Paulette, have three children and five grandchildren. They live in the town of Waukechon.
Withers was born in Berlin, graduating from Redgranite High School. She married and raised six children and was a Scout leader for boys and girls troops. In 1980 she moved to Gillett and worked as a certified nursing assistant at Maple Lane, then retired. She has nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Withers is the coordinator at the Shawano Area Food Pantry and Resource Center. Several years ago she took a course in stained glass from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College and continues the hobby to make items for her family and friends.
Q How did the window project get started?
A Sumner: “I think the idea came up that some members wanted to make the area look more like a sanctuary. I took a couple of stained glass classes at NWTC. I said I would only do it if Flo would be in charge. After you get started you look at a lot of church windows.”
Withers: “Somebody said something to me about doing it, and I said I would help. One of the food pantry volunteers went on the Internet and found some patterns. I hadn’t done anything that big before.”
Q How did you decide to do it?
A Sumner: “We started out with the first couple of windows. We asked for sponsors to pay for windows. We wanted a variety of stories in the medallions. The donors picked the medallions. Flo made the overall designs.”
Withers: “It gave us something to do. We couldn’t have done it without the donors. God gave us something to do, and we did it.”
Q How long did it take?
A Sumner: “We starred planning in April. We worked on it at church. It was good to do it in a Wisconsin winter. It was enjoyable to see the pleasure the members got out of it.”
Withers: “We started (making them) in August and finished in March. We had several observers who said it was too much patience for them to do.”
Q How do you feel about the finished product?
A Sumner: “It’s a satisfying feeling that people take pleasure in how they look.”
Withers: “When I walk in it feels like a church. Before it didn’t. It’s a totally different atmosphere. It‘s humbling to have people think what we did is good. ”
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