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Page 16 · F e b ru a ry 2002 oakville rem em bered The soldier's window in St. John's United Church THERE ARE TEN WINDOWS that beautify the sanctuary at St. John's United Church. They line the north and south sides of the sanctuary, five on each side. Above the bal cony, a decorative companion duad rises to the coffered ceiling and faces the chancel. The first three windows were installed in 1915 and the latest in 1980. One of them, known as "The Soldier's Window" is the most unusual. Instead of the conventional Biblical scene typically por trayed in stained-glass windows, it depicts contemporary man in what is otherwise a reliBY E L E A N O R B A L L gious setting. Located closest to the chancel on the north side, it was commissioned in 1919. The Unveiling Service and Dedication took place on July 25,1920, five years before Church Union in, what was then, Oakville Methodist Church. Many from this congrega tion had served overseas, and many had made the ultimate sacrifice, far from home on for eign soil. Seventeen, in fact, from this small congregation in, what was then, a very small town. Imagine the enormous void created by their loss -- and the comfort this memorial window must have provided. The cover of the church bulletin that sunny summer Sunday read: "Unveiling of the Memorial Window erected in loving memory of OUR HEROES who fell in the Great War... Greater love hath no man than this, that a many lay down his life for his friends. -John 15:13 " War, its till fresh losses, and the precious gift of peace, paid for at such a costly price, lay heavy on the hearts and minds of those present that day, resonating throughout every aspect of the service. The sermon, "Life and Sacrifice" was delivered by Capt. the Rev. J.W. Magwood; the dedicatory prayer by Capt. the Rev. W.B. Caswell. The choir anthem, There is a Green Hill Far Away, was followed later by a solo by Mrs. W.T. Merry entitled, God Shall Wipe Away All Tears from Their Eyes. The Ladies Octet sang Abide With Me. Staunch "old favourites" reverberated throughout the sanc tuary, including Thy Will Be Done, Lest We Forget, O God Our Help in Ages Past, and O Love That Will Not Let Me Go, its final verse, like all the musical offerings that day, particu larly poignant: 0 Crvss that liftest up my head, 1dare not as tofly from Thee I lay in dust life' s glory dead, And from the ground there blossoms red Life that shall endless be. The window, itself, pictures a solitary Canadian soldier (note the maple leaves on his collar and cap). He bears no visible military rank or insignia, underlining his Everyman quality. He carries only a bugle or small trum pet and a flag, which appears to be the Canadian Red Ensign, precursor of the present day Maple Leaf. The bars of the Union Jack in the flag's upper right-hand comer form a red cross which he appears to carry over his right shoulder, just as his Saviour behind him bore a similar burden. The bugle recalls Taps ...All is well, safely rest. God is nigh ... or the com manding trumpet call of God. Slightly above him and to the right, with one hand outstretched, over the soldier's head, as if in benediction, is the haloed Christ figure, both arms open as if to enfold or catch the man before Him, should he stagger or fall. The sol dier's stance is reluctant, pulling away from his ultimate fate. The promise of salvation is echoed in the scriptural reference at the bot tom of the window, "My grace is sufficient for thee. - 2 Corinthians 12:9." The choice of colours in the window is also symbolic. Gold, red, blue and white are predominant As sun streams through the win dow, the soldier's khaki uniform is trans formed into a burnished verdigrised gold, re echoed in the bugle, the flag's fringe, and Christ's halo. Gold represents something of great value and purity. Red, of course, sym bolizes the blood of life, sacrifice, loyalty, and our communion with God. It appears in the flag, which is draped around the soldier and within the flag, in the red cross of St. George, patron saint of England. (In the Middle Ages, legend claims that St George slew the Dragon, the embodi ment of all sin and evil in the world.) Blue is visible in the sky above the soldier (but not above Christ suggesting He is otherworldly) and in the right-hand comer of the flag, part of the cross of St. Andrew (patron saint of Scotland) a white x-shaped cross on a blue background. Blue, the ancient colour of puri ty, also symbolizes great courage and endurance. White, the ancient colour of mourning, enrobes Christ and also represents purity and innocence. Below the window is a brass plaque com memorating those members of St. John's United Church who died in the Great War of 1914-1918. To the left of the window, mount ed on the wall is another brass plaque, com memorating those who died in World War II. The cost of the window in 1919 was $210. Today its replacement value would be far in excess of $10,000. N a m e th a t p la c e CU& "The same Nten&'-njist Knc of exjxv'ssed 'iiu ctu it t> evHk`Ficeti at this Sutaun £>mceiunfXLv`' Kcavi ifai tuU struck Oft (Xbkv ^ archUcv`U»tv. f w *:U.r CVnxvth complete the s u m n *.m p^g-c I i <md n m ths-.Oukvi!kv Beaver toe chance is> wm a ixi/c ·j a wE a sy I to Baaam sl M ovie Projectors Movies were projected onto a screen in a darkened room to view. 50 years in th e business and we still have th e passion o f a kid playing w ith a tra in set. 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