Botwood church congregation comes together to help with window restoration

The stained-glass windows of Trinity United Church in Botwood shine from inside the sanctuary. 
The glow from the ceiling lights fill the frames and let parishioners clearly see the images and dedications of each window. They were donated by families in the memory of loved ones and they deserve to be seen. 
Some of the windows date back to the early 1980s. 
From the inside, the windows are fine. It is the view from the outside that has the church looking to restore the frames and plexiglass that sits in front of them. 
“The plexiglass has gone milky and you can’t see the windows at all from outside the church,” said board chairman Tony Sceviour. “The frames were made from local pine and they’re past their prime. It is time for those things to be changed.” 
The plan is to replace them with modern materials and the church figured it would be a six- to seven-year process. 
However, things happened more rapidly than anticipated and it looks like the restoration could be done this year, at the earliest. The replacements for the plexiglass and the frames are all ordered for the 11 windows that need restoring. 
In addition, the board is considering LED lighting to show off the windows at night. 
“They’re beautiful and they deserve to be seen and they’re not being seen right now,” said Sceviour. 
How exactly did the church get things rolling so quickly? 
They hosted the Corner Brook-based group UnCommon Praise at the church and decided to use it as an official kick-off for the necessary fundraising 
When the group heard this, they played for free and donated their earnings to the project. 
Since then, the response has been more than anyone could have expected. People have called to donate entire windows themselves, while others have called to donate money towards everything. 
That includes former members of the congregation who have moved away. 
“People are saying they want to be a part of this. It is very exciting,” said Sceviour. “It was a dream and now it has become a reality.”