Work to repair stained glass windows at The Rising Church in Arvada is underway. The process of removing the windows from their sills began on Dec. 8 and the repair work is expected to take two to three months, according to The Rising Pastor Stephen Byers.

The windows were damaged last spring when someone threw rocks through the glass. The vandalism broke portions of the panes which are estimated to be between 97 and 98 years old. Byers said that the vandalism incident was not a hate crime against the church, but rather that the vandal was “mentally ill.”

The church’s insurance covered most of the repairs, but the congregation is working to raise an additional $7,500 not covered by their policy, according to Byers. He added that their monthly insurance rate went up by $400.

The church has Centennial-Based window restoration company Scottish Glass doing the repairs.

“They said the repairs will take two months, so we’ll have plywood up for about two months, I believe. It could be three months. And what they do is they take them to their shop, and they make glass that looks like the original,” Byers said.

Byers added that the windows hold a great significance to the church community.

“The beauty of it, when you’re worshipping is what is does to this room in the mornings. The sun comes in from the east and it comes through that window. I don’t know, it’s just — the beauty is within the whole building,” Byers said.

Helping the homeless

The Rising offers a number of services to the local homeless population through its homeless ministry, which includes a day shelter, two daily hot meals, legal services, showers and other amenities.

Homeless people must attend an orientation to access the church’s programs. Byers said that over the past three months, the church has aided 575 individual clients and averages 50 clients per day.

Mark Bertheuson has been a client of The Rising’s homeless services for about a month. He said the church provides a place for him to go when he’s not working his night shifts at FedEx or IHOP.

“It’s nice. They feed you twice a day, they have lots of stuff out there as you can see when you walked in,” Bertheuson said. “It’s a nice place to be when you’re not working. You’re able to come here and take a nap.”

Byers said that the church works with homeless navigators and other outside agencies to provide a “one-stop shop” for the homeless community.

“We have the homeless navigators come in here and so we work in tandem with them. We work with the severe weather shelter, so we’re kind of a one-stop shop. We try to build relationships with some of the homeless community,” Byers said.

Bertheuson said he wished municipal governments provided more services to homeless populations.

“I wish there was more from the cities to be able to help the homeless than what they’re doing now,” Bertheuson said.

History repeats itself

The church and its stained glass have a storied history in Arvada.

The first church to be situated on the corner of Webster Street and 57th Avenue was a Methodist church, which later burned down but housed the windows that now adorn The Rising’s exterior.

Benjamin Wadsworth, widely regarded as the founder of Arvada and the town’s first postmaster, died while delivering the stained glass to the church after a similar vandalism incident.

“Mr. (Benjamin) Wadsworth, who started Arvada, was a Methodist, and some kids had thrown rocks through the windows - of that church, not the same as this one - and he was bringing the stained glass back with him in his buggy, and a dog jumped out and scared his horse and the horse reared up and Mr. Wadsworth hit his head and died, right out here on 57th,” Byers said.

Derek Espejo, Scottish Glass’ National Restoration and Business Development Specialist said he enjoys stained glass restoration because it allows him to learn about such history.

“I love it. I like learning about different architecture and history. It’s an industry unlike any other. The restoration industry hasn’t been around for too long. It’s starting to hit now in central and western parts of the United States. About every 100 years or so, windows will need to be restored,” Espejo said.

Espejo added that The Rising’s windows would have probably lasted a few more years if not for the vandalism.

“Unfortunately, these could have had some extra life in them, but they were vandalized. That’s what we’re here for…We’re just happy to help out Pastor Steve here. He’s doing a lot for the community here, so we’re happy to help them bring their windows up to a point where they can last another hundred years, plus, and also take precautions to help preserve them,” Espejo said.