In an act of selfless purpose, a dwindling congregation in Vermont has voted to sell its valuable stained glass Tiffany window so it can keep operating a homeless shelter. But if the needed funds were wondrously to appear, the church would gladly accept the miracle. Small gifts, including a ten dollar bill with a note that “you have given me hope”, have arrived since the vote was announced, the Reverend Suzanne Andrews, pastor of the church, told The Art Newspaper. In November, the membership of the First Baptist Church in Brattleboro, Vermont, voted 20 to 4 to sell the Tiffany work, which depicts St John the Divine, to raise funds for winter heating bills, the homeless shelter and repairs for a badly leaking slate roof. From December to March, the shelter gives 30 to 50 guests per night a hot meal, a sleeping bag and a warm place to sleep, said trustee Sylvia Seitz. The window, signed by Tiffany Studios and inscribed as a memorial to the son-in-law of a prominent church member, was installed in 1910. A Vermont auctioneer has cited a value of $100,000 to $120,000.
Originally appeared in The Art Newspaper as 'Church to sell window?'
