Choosing a heating option for your church’s baptistery can be confusing and time consuming. Here, we will look at several popular options to fulfill your church’s needs and help explain which type is more suitable for your baptistery.

One of the first things you will notice while shopping for a baptistery heater is that different voltages are available within certain models. Please note that 120 volt heaters are only made for small baptisteries that hold 100-200 gallons. Please make sure that you are familiar with the number of gallons you are attempting to heat.

Another very important factor to note is that GFCI is necessary whenever electricity is used with baptistery heaters. If the heater you purchase does not include a built-in GFCI, make sure that it is plugged into a GFCI outlet. A ground fault circuit interrupter is vital in ensuring your church members’ safety.

A classic and standard in the baptistery heater market is a basic circulation heater that is permanently affixed to the side of the baptistery. An 11.5kw model will raise the temperature 30 degrees Fahrenheit in a 750-gallon pool at a rate of about 115 gallons per hour. Water is imported through the lower inlet assembly, heated, and then exported through the upper outlet assembly. This type of heater is likely available with an adjustable thermostat and circulation kit and should always be professionally installed. A 6kw model of this type of heater will usually heat 100 gallons per hour to a 20 degree Fahrenheit rise in a 500-gallon baptistery, meaning it will take approximately 5 hours to heat a 500-gallon pool from 70 degrees to 90 degrees. Similar models are also available that can be installed and controlled away from the baptistery.

Immersion heaters are becoming more and more popular because a professional installation is not required and because they are portable and easy to handle. You might be familiar with the basic immersion heater that sets in the bottom of the pool. This model is usually a 120-volt model that is only meant to heat very small amounts of water – typically up to 150 gallons. But the portability of the model and the convenient set up makes this one a favorite for those looking to heat a small baptistery. This model is also used on many farms during winter months to prevent watering troughs from freezing.

Immersion heaters that are held to the side of the pool with a bracket can also be instrumental for the church that does not want a permanent heating fixture. This type of heater might be available in both 120 volt and 240 volt, with or without GFCI. A 120-volt model will typically heat up to 200 gallons in 5-8 hours at a rate of 25 gallons per hour for a 30 degree Fahrenheit temperature rise. A 240-volt model will typically heat a 750-gallon baptistery in 9-11 hours at a rate of 90 gallons per hour for a 30 degree Fahrenheit rise.

With so many options available, there is a baptistery heater that will work well for heating your baptistery. Remember that ambient room temperature will affect rates of heating. You might also want to consider a baptistery spa-style cover to help keep heat in your pool.

Many contemporary churches are adopting a style of minimalism in the stage area, where the podium or pulpit is placed. Sometimes a water table or flower table or two can be seen in direct proximity to the podium, and possibly a communion table, but usually not much more. In less contemporary churches that follow a traditional look, the full pulpit furniture series is usually found, which might

include 5 or more pieces.

Pulpit

The pulpit that a church chooses for their sanctuary literally sets the stage for the entire room and will help determine the other pieces – if any – that are used in conjunction in the pulpit area. The pulpit is the focal point, and might be simple and elegant or bold and detailed. Pulpits come in a wide variety of styles and can usually be customized to your liking if manufactured on site.

Communion Table

The communion table is traditionally set directly in front of the pulpit and is used for placing communion ware for occasions in which the church partakes of communion. The frequency that a church takes communion might dictate whether or not a communion table is used at all in the pulpit area. Communion tables usually closely match the pulpit, mirroring the same style, details, and stain.

Offering Table

Offering plates are placed on the offering table until time to collect offering during the worship service. Some churches choose to set the offering table in front of the pulpit or sometimes even in front of the communion table, especially when the pulpit area is set on multi-height tiers. You might also find the offering table set to the side, but still generally within the pulpit area. Like the communion table, the offering table is usually made to match the design of the pulpit.

Minister’s Chairs

In more traditional churches, the Pastor and members of the clergy might sit in chairs that are set up behind the pulpit. Sometimes you will see a chair that is slightly taller than the others, which is often placed in between clergy chairs. This chair is reserved for the Pastor. If wood chairs are used, they are generally made to fit the style of the other pulpit furniture. Minister’s chairs and clergy chairs that are upholstered might use a fabric that coordinates with any seating used for the congregation.

Side Tables

Side tables can be used to hold all kinds of items - things that will be used during a worship service or decorative items. Flower tables and water tables might be placed directly beside the pulpit or communion table, beside minister’s chairs or might be placed at the far corners of the pulpit area.

There are no rules for how your church should place furniture in the sanctuary, but be sure that it is set up to complement the worship service and that all potential needs are met. Of course church members want to see an aesthetically pleasing sanctuary, but the main goal is to glorify God and to have a space to worship.

The exact origin of stained glass is not known, but we do know that the earliest stained glass window that is still intact is from St. Paul’s Monastery in Jarrow, England and dates back to approximately 680 AD. But evidence shows that ancient Egyptians and Romans also likely created stained glass.

The Egyptian village of Qantir shows evidence of an ancient glass-making factory. Ancient Egyptian materials that were uncovered show that these artisans would combine crushed quartz with the remains of burned plants. This was then heated in clay jars, ground into a powder, and then combined with chemicals to produce a red or blue color.

In the Medieval Period in Europe, stained glass window-making began to flourish and peaked during the Gothic Period. This trend remained strong across the countries of Europe well into the Renaissance Period, before its popularity began to decline.

During this period in America, stained glass was in its infancy. Glass-making was the first American industry, founded in 1608 in Jamestown, Virginia. However, early Christians in America would meet in houses instead of new church buildings to worship and any new church buildings were usually adorned with shutters instead of windows.

Evert Duyckingh opened a glass-window business in New Amsterdam (present-day New York City) in 1637 or 1638. One of his specialties was creating family coats of arms in windows. He eventually hired an apprentice named Cornelius Jansen who is on record requesting payment from a church in 1656 that had purchased his glass windows.

In 1654, Jan Smeedes had a glass business in Manhattan that began manufacturing roundels. A roundel is a circular glass window that often contains emblems. Several centuries passed before William Gibson opened a glass manufacturing operation in 1834 in New York City. This first attempt was not successful, but Gibson attempted the business once more later in the 19^th century, during which he proclaimed himself to be the “father of glass painting”. It was at this time that Harry Horwood began to work for Gibson.

Horwood worked for Gibson during the 1870s and it was during this time that he restored the stained glass windows at the famous Vanderbilt Mansion in New York City. Shortly after, in 1876, he opened his own stained glass business in Ottawa. He eventually opened a second office in New York City, when he created the stained glass for the Ogdensburg Opera House in Ogdensburg, New York.

Robert Bolton came to New York from England and created the first known American-made figural window in 1843 for the Nativity for Christ Church in Pelham, New York. He returned to England and opened a stained-glass business. His brother, John, also made stained glass in America.

The trade was slow to get off the ground in the U.S. and struggled until the end of the 19^th century. In 1880, John LaFarge, a famous American muralist, invented opalescent stained glass windows. He and Louis Tiffany, whose family started the famous Tiffany and Company, fought over who was the true inventor. Information on the subject is inconclusive, but apparently, both claim to be the first to utilize opalescent sheets in windows. Tiffany went on to start the Tiffany Glass Company, which produced thousands of windows. LaFarge and Tiffany also utilized the confetti, drapery, and ridged styles in stained glass windows.

Other major artists came onto the scene creating stained glass and incorporating it into larger projects. Well-known architect and interior designer, Frank Lloyd Wright, was also a creator of stained glass windows and used them in many of his major projects, including Robie House in Chicago.

Gothic-style stained glass windows were now gaining popularity in America and in Europe, renewing the styles from the Medieval Period. Stained glass in multiple styles was being seen across the country in several different church denominations. This revived interest ran strong until the depression hit in the 1930s and 1940s.

Today, stained glass is gaining in popularity again and is offered in many different styles. Options and looks are seemingly endless, especially when the manufacturer takes on custom orders. Stained glass is being incorporated into residential décor, businesses and churches across the country.