By Marilyn Miller
When Gary Taylor of Baton Rouge made the decision to attend Legacy Sunday, “a gathering of old and new friends to celebrate 180 years of God’s faithfulness“ to First Baptist Church on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, he also thought it would be a good time to donate something back to his hometown of Minden, Louisiana.
That “something” was a 32”x28.5” stained glass window in a wood frame.
“This was one of the original windows from the third house of worship of the First Baptist Church Minden, 1925 until 1978,” Gary explained. The building was torn down when the new sanctuary was built. The windows were auctioned off to help pay for the new building.
“My parents, Travis and Agnes Taylor, members of First Baptist Church for many years, bought four windows and gave one to each of their children,” Gary continued. “I recall many church services sitting on a pew as the sun shown through the many colors.”
“My wife and I had a nice place to display the window when we lived in Texas,” he shared. “At one time it was on an easel with light behind it. When we built our last house in Texas, we had a big non-operating window installed at the top of the staircase, and the window was placed against it to where the sun shown on it from outside.”
Unfortunately, the Taylors could not find an appropriate place in their new home in Baton Rouge, since they were downsizing.
“I decided to return the window to my hometown of Minden for someone else to enjoy,” he remarked.
Gary made the donation to Laura Hollingsworth, co-chairman of the Minden St. Jude Auction, in memory of his parents, Travis and Agnes Taylor, on Saturday, Sept. 28, immediately following a rehearsal of the FBC Teentone Choir, of which Gary was a member. The Teentoners had gathered for a reunion and to take part in Legacy Sunday.
“This is just the kind of donation we look for, because it means something to people,” Laura commented, upon seeing the window displayed among the other memorabilia in The Commons of the First Baptist Church. “We thank you so much.”
The stained glass window will be auctioned during the next Minden St. Jude Auction in February of 2025.