287 677366 
 B95s 
 
 Paul Burt 
 
 Syn±)oiism m StLone and 
 
 Glass in Wesley Methodist Church, 
 U. of I., Urbana, IL (1962r>) 
 
'lOT'OlS HISTORICAL SmVFf 
 
Wesley 
 Methodist 
 Church 
 
 CHUIVCH OF THK 
 
 WESLEY FOUNDATION 
 
 AT THE 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 
 URBANA, ILLINOIS 
 

 o 
 
L 
 
 Symbolism in Stone and Glass 
 
 IN 
 
 WESLEY METHODIST CHURCH 
 
 Church of the Wesley Foundation 
 
 AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 
 URBANA, ILLINOIS 
 
 The very piling up of stone upon stone, forming the 
 structure of the church, is itself a symbol of a people's felt 
 need and desire to worship God together, to hove some place 
 wherein oil the transient vicissitudes of their common life may 
 be brought into the presence of the Eternal, celebrating again 
 oil the benefactions of his creation and providence, and find- 
 ing his strength for all of life's demands. 
 
 Though contemporary in its accent of simplicity, Wesley 
 Church has the architectural proportions of the Gothic tra- 
 dition and so preserves the hallowed feeling and symbolism 
 associated with it. A part of this tradition, shared with 
 other architectural periods, is the construction of the church 
 in the form of a cross. The stem of the cross forms the main 
 body of the church and is called the "nave", from the Latin 
 word for ship, thus symbolizing the ark of salvation. The 
 cross arms are known as the "transept", and the head of the 
 cross forms the "chancel", which includes "choir" and "sanc- 
 tuary", and is so named after the "cancellum" or "gate," 
 once separating the clergy from the laity. The entrance, 
 which is the base of the cross, is known as the "narthex". 
 
 All of these elements are found in Wesley Church, 
 though in modified form. The transept is not so apparent 
 as in the traditional cruciform church, since by a series of 
 steps the nave widens until it almost meets the transept line 
 marked by the two east and west windows. The chancel, on 
 the other hand, is proportionately deep, providing for on 
 organ and choir of one hundred, and a free-standing Com- 
 munion Table with a Communion rail and kneeler all the way 
 around it. 
 
 One 
 
 ILUMOSS HISTORICAL SURVEY! 
 
Since a part of each service is conducted from the Com- 
 munion Table, with the minister facing the congregation, the 
 minister and people are symbolically gathered about the 
 Lord's Table, whether at Holy Communion or at any other 
 time. 
 
 Wesley Church was designed by Mr. Harold E. Wagoner, 
 of Philadelphia, who served as consulting architect through- 
 out its construction. Mr. Wagoner is one of the most distin- 
 guished church architects of our time and has built churches 
 in all parts of the United States. He has served as one of 
 the founders and presidents of the Church Architects' Guild. 
 His creative skill is especially shown in his design of Wesley 
 Church by the way in which he has related the new sanctu- 
 ary and educational unit to the earlier social center building 
 of the Wesley Foundation, designed by Holabird and Roche 
 in 1921. This social center building has been called one of 
 the finest reproductions of Jacobean architecture in America, 
 a style deliberately chosen as reminiscent of John Wesley's 
 Oxford. Constructed of the same regional Indiana limestone 
 and slate roofing, the two buildings are made to blend and 
 complement each other. Whereas the older building finds 
 its significance in richness of detail not now reproducible, 
 the new sanctuary finds its significance in a chaste simplicity, 
 which makes it belong to the modern scene, but also, and 
 especially, in the upward thrust of the 104 foot stone tower, 
 surmounted by a 85 foot spire and cross. 
 
 The walnut pews and chancel furnishings were all spe- 
 cially designed for Wesley Church, and make their own con- 
 tribution to the symbolism of the sanctuary. The tester, high 
 above the pulpit, bears the carved inscription which serves 
 both as the church's central affirmation of faith and pledge 
 of loyalty: "Jesus Christ is Lord." Two bands of carved 
 lettering on the James C. Baker pulpit spell out the words 
 from the office of ordination: "Take thou authority to preach 
 the Word of God." The lectern, the gift of Mrs. Jennie 
 Spaeth Wallace and the Spaeth family, in memory of Stan- 
 ley Spaeth, is signed with a Chi Rho in polished brass. The 
 carved legend around the Communion Table, the gift of the 
 Reverend and Mrs. Ralph G. Dunlop, reminds those who gath- 
 er about it of the Eternal Presence in the words: "Lo, I am 
 with you always, even unto the end of the world." 
 
 The stone carvings at various points of the building were 
 designed in Mr. Wagoner's office. In some cases, casts were 
 first made in Philadelphia and the sculpturing done by the 
 Indiana Limestone Company. In other cases, the sculpturing 
 was done directly from Ihe drawings. 
 
 Two 
 
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 1 
 
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 Above the norlh entrance to the church stand the words 
 "Worship in Spirit and Truth". These words from John 4:24 
 are both cm invitation and an admonition to all who ap- 
 proach the sanctuary: An invilation to seek the Lord, who is 
 ->ur only hope and peace; and yet an admonition to seek 
 him not for material gain nor to sustain comfortable preju- 
 dice, but for his own sake and in utter loyalty to truth from 
 whatever source it dawns upon us. These words also reflect 
 the seal of the Wesley Foundation which bears the Greek 
 words: En Pneumati Kai Aletheiai. 
 
 On either side of the north main entrance are carved 
 the names of the two organizations which cooperated in 
 erecting this sanctuary to the glory of God and now use it in 
 his service: "Wesley Methodist Church" and "The Wesley 
 Foundation". 
 
 At the northeast corner will be seen the cornerstone in- 
 scribed with the date and the cross cut into the corner itself. 
 The form of the cross chosen is that commonly known as the 
 Maltese cross. This ties in with the seal of the Wesley Foun- 
 dation, which bears a Maltese cross, at one time the emblem 
 of the Epworth League of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 and now of the Methodist Youth Fellowship of the Metho- 
 dist Church. 
 
 Three 
 
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 Just to the west of the north door- 
 way, between the sanctuary and the 
 educational building, in a splayed 
 panel, the full height of the door, 
 bearing Christ's great commandments 
 as given in Matthew 22:37-40. This 
 carving is rich with incidental symbol- 
 ism — the wheat, the vine, the ship, the 
 fish, the Alpha and Omega, the crown, 
 and innumerable crosses. 
 
 Just west of the large panel 
 are three smaller panels portray- 
 ing the three purposes to which 
 the Church School, or for that 
 matter the entire church, is dedi- 
 cated: Worship, Study and Ser- 
 vice. 
 
 2. The panel representing 
 Study depicts the Bible and the 
 lighted lamp of knowledge. 
 
 1. The jbanel representing 
 Worship portrays, praying hands, 
 together with the cross and 
 crown. 
 
 3. The panel representing 
 Service portrays the cruet and 
 jars of ointment, traditionally as- 
 sociated with the merciful minis- 
 try of the Good Samaritan. 
 
 Four 
 
^^Ai 
 
 High up on the four corners of the church stand panels 
 with the traditional representations of the four Evangelists. 
 These are in order, counter-clockwise, beginning with the 
 northwest corner: 
 
 1. Matthew, a young winged man. 
 
 2. Mark, a winged lion. 
 
 3. Luke, a winged bull. 
 
 4. John, an eagle. 
 
 The remaining panels of carved stone are all in sets 
 of three. 
 
 Five 
 
OVER THE EAST TRANSEPT WINDOWS 
 
 The center panel is basically a Chi Rho, which was one 
 of the earliest monograms used for Christ, taken from the first 
 two letters of the word Christ when spelled in ancient Greek 
 capitals XPICTOC. But other symbols are introduced such 
 as: The anchor for hope; the crown for victory; the lamp for 
 the Word of God (Psalm 119:105); the waves which stand 
 either for the sea of life or the water of baptism; the fish, 
 a very ancient Christian symbol, since the Greek word for 
 fish furnished the initial letters for the phrase which trans- 
 lated reads: "Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Savior". IHS 
 is another monogram representing the first three letters of the 
 Greek form of Jesus. 
 
 The panel at the left depicts the Tree of Knowledge and 
 symbolizes for us the University and the scholarly disciplines 
 to which we are called. 
 
 The panel on the right portrays two hands clasped 
 across the world, symbolizing the World Community, a token 
 of which we do actually find on this campus and which we 
 are dedicated to make more real throughout the world. On 
 the lower right, we see the trefoil, symbol both of the Trin- 
 ity and of cooperation, the theological and practical founda- 
 tions of World Community. 
 
 Thus it is the purpose of this church to keep the truth 
 revealed in Christ at the center of all pursuit of knowledge 
 and human understanding. 
 
 
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OVER THE WEST TRANSEPT WINDOWS 
 
 The center panel shows an Alpha and Omega, a fre- 
 quent monogram symbol for the Eternal God, taken from 
 Revelation 1:8, but enriched with other symbolism: A crown 
 as emblem of our Lord's kingly office, a cross made up of 
 four Tau crosses and known as a "Cross potent" symbolizing 
 the Savior's power to heal the bodies and souls of men. 
 
 The panel to the left portrays John Wesley, the founder 
 of Methodism, and for whom this church and Foundation are 
 named. In the upper right hand corner is the coat of arms 
 of the Wesley family. 
 
 The panel to the right depicts a Methodist circuit rider 
 on horseback and the name "Wesley Foundation", two of 
 the Methodist developments out of the Illinois prairie. 
 
 Thus in this church the Methodist heritage coming from 
 overseas and from Illinois combine to serve the kingdom of 
 God. 
 
 Seven 
 
OVER THE EAST CHANCEL WINDOWS 
 
 Three of the great 
 doctrines of the Christian 
 faith: 
 
 1. The Incarnation, re- 
 presented by the griffin, 
 a mythical animal with 
 the wings and beak of 
 an eagle and the body 
 of a lion, symbolizing 
 the divine and human 
 natures of Christ. 
 
 2. The Atonement, repre- 
 sented by the pelican, 
 which reputedly tears at her 
 breast to feed her young 
 with her own flesh and 
 blood, thereby saving them 
 by her own death. 
 
 3. The Resurrection, re- 
 presented by the peacock, 
 which is transformed from 
 an indifferent bird into a 
 glorious creature by its re- 
 splendent spread of plum- 
 age. 
 
 Eight 
 
OVER THE WEST CHANCEL WINDOWS 
 
 Three Sacraments of the 
 Church: 
 
 1. The Sacrament of the Word, 
 symbolized by the open Bible. In- 
 scribed on the open book are the 
 letters VDMA, the initials of the 
 phrase "Verbum Dei Manet (in) 
 Aeternum" (The Word of God re- 
 mains forever). The addition of 
 an Alpha and Omega forms a 
 vertical Alpha-Mu-Omega mean- 
 ing "the beginning — the pres- 
 ent — the end". 
 
 2. The Sacrament of Baptism, 
 represented by a scallop shell, 
 which was believed to have been 
 used to pour water on Christ's 
 head at his baptism. The water 
 is represented by the drops under 
 the shell and the waves that form 
 the background. 
 
 3. The Sacrament of Holy 
 Communion, represented by 
 a sheaf of wheat and a 
 bunch of grapes. 
 
 Nine 
 
AT THE EAST CHANCEL ENTRANCE 
 
 The Trinity, by which this 
 congregation was previous- 
 ly known (Trinity Church, 
 1906-1956): 
 
 1. A triangle with the 
 all-seeing eye symbolizing 
 God, the Eternal Father 
 (Psalm 33:18). 
 
 2. The Lamb of God on the 
 Book of the Seven Seals referred 
 to in Revelation 5 and symboliz- 
 ing Jesus Christ, the Son. The 
 INRI are the initials of the Latin 
 legend said to have been on 
 Christ's cross: "Jesus of Nazareth, 
 King of the Jews." 
 
 3. The descending dove, prob- 
 ably the most universal symbol 
 of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3: 
 16). 
 
 Ten 
 
AT THE WEST CHANCEL ENTRANCE 
 
 
 Faith, Hope and Love (I 
 Corinthians 13:13): 
 
 1. Faith symbolized by a 
 Maltese cross and this quo- 
 tation from Habakkuk 2:4: 
 "The righteous shall live by 
 his faith." 
 
 2. Hope represented by an 
 anchor, a very ancient symbol of 
 hope as revealed in Hebrews 6: 
 19: "Hope we have as an anchor 
 of the soul." 
 
 3. Love symbolized by the 
 heart and this quotation from I 
 John 4:16: "He who dwelleth in 
 love dwelleth in God." 
 
 Eli 
 
THE CHRIST WINDOW 
 
 The architect so planned the interior of the church that 
 the eye of the worshipper is carri^ along in climactic man- 
 ner to the tall, single lancet chancel window. Its very pro- 
 portions are striking.- three feet four inches wide, and forty- 
 two feet high, reaching from the chancel floor to the ceiling. 
 
 For this unique setting, the Willet Stained Glass Studios, 
 of Philadelphia and Ardmore, Pennsylvania, designed and 
 executed this Christ Window, which is a growing inspiration 
 to all who worship in Wesley Church. 
 
 Mr. Henry Lee Willet, President of the Willet Stained 
 Glass Studios, originator of the special treatment exemplified 
 by his "gold" window, first tried out in the Westwood Com- 
 munity Methodist Church, Los Angeles, California, in 1950, 
 has this to say about the process: 
 
 "First and foremost, the artist has incorporated 
 those essential lessons taught him by the twelfth and 
 thirteenth century craftsmen who worked in the Cathe- 
 dral of Chartres, namely, that a window is always part 
 of the architecture, that it must be first a ministry of 
 color, always two-dimensional in character, with the 
 delineation of the figures, symbolism and ornament car- 
 ried out as much as possible by the use of strong lead 
 lines. 
 
 "This last precept has been followed one hundred 
 percent in these 'gold' windows. None of the detailing 
 or drawing is done with pigment painted on the glass. 
 The figures and symbolism are obtained by the use of 
 masses of sculptured sheet lead, so incised and arranged 
 as to let the full glory of the colored glass shine through 
 the narrow lead apertures, giving an effect of intense 
 brilliance coupled with great strength and virility. The 
 figures and details are neither archaic, grotesque nor 
 traditional, but are designed in a contemporary manner 
 suited to their architectural surroundings. 
 
 "The masses of sculptured lead were 'flown' with 
 gold leaf of various depths and shades, layer upon 
 layer, until they gleam beneath the spot-light's ray. 
 This makes possible three quite different, but equally 
 vital, effects for the focal center of the church, giving 
 round-the-clock visibility. At times when there is no 
 artificial light in the interior, when sunlight streams 
 through the colored glass of the lancets, an effect is 
 
 Twelve 
 
obtained much like that in the jeweled windows in the 
 church of Sainte Chapelle in Paris. At night when spot- 
 lights play on the interior surface of the window, there 
 is revealed the startlingly beautiful effect of a lacy 
 gold reredos. Still a third effect is possible in the day- 
 time, when the daylight from outside is enhanced by 
 artificial light from within the church (as during the 
 morning worship service), and a jeweled vibrancy will 
 be noticed plus a certain amount of reflection from the 
 gold of the sculptured lead, all of which produces an 
 effect quite unique and original in stained glass." 
 
 It is the subject matter of the window that gives signifi- 
 cance to its name. Twelve approximately square panels 
 make up the window. The first ten panels, from bottom to 
 top, depict events in the life of Christ: The nativity, Jesus 
 learning in the temple, Jesus in the carpenter shop, the bap- 
 tism at the hands of John, the sermon on the mount, Jesus 
 healing the daughter of Jairus, the feeding of the 5,000, the 
 lost supper, the crucifixion, and the resurrection. The two 
 top panels show a figure of Jesus Christ as the hope of the 
 world. The ornamental background is composed of grape 
 vines and leaves, for Jesus said, "I am the vine, ye are the 
 branches", making the window reminiscent of the great Jesse 
 Tree window in the Cathedral of Chartres, which has inspired 
 countless individuals down through the centuries. The sub- 
 jects of the panels, discussed further in the next section, were 
 all chosen because of their special relevance to a church 
 serving a university community. 
 
 The glass in the panel is of many colors. Blue and red 
 predominate. The pieces, of different thicknesses, are held 
 together by the leaded forms. Some of the glass was im- 
 ported from France. Some was made by the Blenko Glass 
 Works of West Virginia. The lead sculpturing of some of the 
 tracery and less important figures and shapes is coated with 
 palladium, a malleable silver-white metal of the platinum 
 group. 
 
 The window is the gift of Dr. and Mrs. A. L. Whiting, 
 for many years residents of Urbana and members of Wesley 
 Methodist Church. 
 
 The inscription will include these words from II Corin- 
 thians 4:6: "It is the God who said 'let light shine out of 
 darkness', who has shined in our hearts to give us the light 
 of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Christ." 
 This was also the texl of the first sermon in the new sanc- 
 tuary of Wesley Church, December 13, 1959, when the Christ 
 Window was dedicated. 
 
 Thirteen 
 
PANELS OF THE 
 
 CHRIST WINDOW 
 
 1. "The Nativity", symbolizing our faith in the incar- 
 nation, God's revelation of himself in terms of human life 
 and his identification of himself with man and history. 
 
 Fourteen 
 
2. "The visit of the 
 boy Jesus to the Tem- 
 ple", symbolizing the 
 process of education 
 by which, qs he grew 
 in stature, he grew al- 
 so "in wisdom and in 
 favor with God and 
 man", which process 
 is also a chief concern 
 of this church. (The 
 small figures are those 
 of Joseph and Mary 
 looking for their son.) 
 
 3. "The boy Jesus 
 with his father in the 
 carpenter shop", 
 v/here he learned to 
 work, as we must all 
 learn to work to meet 
 the necessities of life, 
 not only for ourselves, 
 but for the world. 
 (The small figure on 
 the right is that of 
 Mary "pondering all 
 these things in her 
 heart". ) 
 
 Fifti 
 
4. "The Baptism of 
 Jesus in the Jordan", 
 symbolizing his ac- 
 ceptance of his voca- 
 tion, and the vocation 
 we hope this church 
 will help everyone 
 who worships here to 
 know, the sense of 
 being called of God 
 to make the most of 
 his or her life for the 
 sake of God's king- 
 dom in the world. 
 (The small figure rep- 
 resents the tempta- 
 tions of Jesus.) 
 
 5. "The Sermon on 
 the Mount", symbol- 
 izing Christ's teaching 
 as the true way of 
 life, and reminding all 
 teachers who worship 
 here that they must 
 first learn of him. 
 (The small figures de- 
 pict the parables: on 
 the left that of the 
 Sower, on the right 
 that of the Prodigal 
 Son.) 
 
 Sixteen 
 
6. "The healing of 
 J a i r u s' daughter," 
 symbolizing not only 
 Christ's healing minis- 
 try, but his and the 
 church's concern with 
 health of body, mind 
 and spirit. (The small 
 figures are those of 
 the parents watch- 
 ing.) 
 
 7. "The boy with 
 the loaves and fish- 
 es", symbolizing the 
 fact that, if we share 
 whatever we have, 
 miracles are bound to 
 happen. (The small 
 figures in the back- 
 ground represent the 
 multitude. ) 
 
 Seventeen 
 
8. "The Last Sup- 
 per", reminding us 
 that when we gather 
 here we are gathered 
 about the Lord's table 
 to be fed by him with 
 the bread of life. (The 
 small figure on the 
 right represents Jesus' 
 triumphal entrance in- 
 to Jerusalem, and that 
 on the left, Judas 
 leaving t h e Upper 
 Room.) 
 
 9. "T h e Crucifix- 
 ion" revealing the in- 
 expressible length 
 and depth of God's 
 love. (Small figure 
 on the left is that of 
 Jesus in Gethsema- 
 ne.) 
 
 Eighteen 
 
10. "The Resurrection" as told in the story of the Em- 
 maus road, symbolizing for us in Christ's church his eternal 
 presence and companionship, if we walk down the dusty 
 roads of God's purpose and man's need. (In the right bor- 
 der we see an empty tomb with a Chi Rho emanating from 
 it.) 
 
 Nineteen 
 
11 and 12. "Christ, the Hope of the World" with his 
 hands outstretched in blessing over the two hemispheres. At 
 the top is shown the descending dove symbolizing the Holy 
 Spirit. 
 
 Twenty 
 
PHOTOGRAPHS 
 
 Cover by Robert McCandlesa of Urbana 
 
 Inside Cover and Stone Carvings by Gliessman Studios of Champaign 
 
 Window hy Custom Studios of New York 
 
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