Sangerville UU Church raising funds to save classic windows

Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    SANGERVILLE — The Unitarian Universalist Church of Sangerville and Dover-Foxcroft has literally been a pillar of the Sangerville community for the past 116 years.
    The building stands tall in the village, even though the congregation is relatively small.
    During the recent Sangerville Bicentennial, the church encouraged the public to visit and the highlight of the tour was to show the beautiful stained glass windows as well as the classic murals.

Observer photo/Mike Lange

    REPAIRS NEEDED — Barbara Wilbur shows a portion of one stained glass window that’s bowed in at the Sangerville Dover-Foxcroft Unitarian Universalist Church.

    But like the church building, some of the windows are starting to show their age. Recently, members voted to have the windows assessed for integrity and condition and the result was favorable for all but four windows. “Some of them are bowed in, some are showing cracks and some are starting to pull away from the casing,” said Barbara Wilbur, a church member. So the membership has embarked on a fundraising campaign.
    Samuel West, a well-known stained glass decorator of the time, created the windows that surround the sanctuary, the fellowship hall and the one located near the peak of the roof on the northeasterly side of the building.
    According to the church’s historical records, the original cost of all the windows was $1,143.13. “In today’s financial world, the cost to restore just four windows will be $18, 000,” Wilbur said.
    Church members are determined to save the windows, not just because of their historical value, but also because each one was given by donation from a local family in memory of their loved ones or a group within the church such as the Ladies Circle.
    Music Director Linda Hall noted the other historic aspects of the building. “The organ is as old as the church and cost less than $1,000. We have someone come up from Massachusetts once a year to tune it up. It’s priceless,” she said.
    The murals, some depicting Biblical characters in the foreground of Sangerville landmarks, were painted by renowned artist Harry H. Cochrane of Monmouth. The price for the work back then was $143.
    Over the years, the rich history of the church has experienced the good times and the low times of this community, but it still thrives. “We only have 42 members, but they are very dedicated,” Wilbur said. They share Pastor Scott Jones with the Unitarian Universalist Church in Dexter.
    The youth group is small but active. The food cupboard and fuel assistance programs help families in need. Other annual events include concerts, a Halloween party for children, a Procrastinator’s Christmas Fair and luncheons. Community groups also make use of the fellowship hall for gatherings.
    The church has also invested heavily in a new heating system, said Carol Ippoliti, president of the church council, and some major exterior work is underway. “The Building Committee, led by Steve Jackson, is doing an excellent job,” she said.
    Fundraising events to help toward the $18,000 window restoration goal include a food booth at the Blacksmith Shop Museum in Dover-Foxcroft on Sunday, July 12 and a harvest dinner at the East Sangerville Grange this fall in conjunction with a farmers’ market.
    Cash donations are also gratefully accepted, said Ippoliti.
    For more information, contact the church at 876-4926 on Wednesdays or Fridays or e-mail Ippoliti at pjiphd@gmail.com.
    Sunday services are at 9:30 a.m., child care is available and there is a coffee hour afterwards.
    (Barbara Wilbur also contributed to this article.)