Stories told through stained-glass windows shine through in Topeka church

Evert Nelson, Topeka Capital-Journal
·3 min read
A triptych of stained-glass windows on the north side of Lowman Methodist Church sanctuary feature mid-20th century designs by artist Robert Harmon, of Arcadia, Missouri. Each part of the panels represent aspects of the Methodist religion with the center panel featuring an open Bible with the Greek word "logos" which translates to the Word of God.
A triptych of stained-glass windows on the north side of Lowman Methodist Church sanctuary feature mid-20th century designs by artist Robert Harmon, of Arcadia, Missouri. Each part of the panels represent aspects of the Methodist religion with the center panel featuring an open Bible with the Greek word "logos" which translates to the Word of God.
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Established in 1885, the Lowman United Methodist Church in Topeka has seen many changes through the years.

The original building was constructed in an undeveloped area west of Topeka known as Lowman Hill on the corner of S.W. Jewell and S.W. Munson St. By the 1920s, the church had moved its congregation to a larger building at 1135 S.W. College Ave., the site of the current Topeka Bible Church.

Finally in 1983, the construction of a new church was completed at 4101 S.W. 15th St. where members continue to congregate today. From first stepping foot in the church, visitors may start to notice all the unique stained-glass windows bringing light and color into the space.

When they make it to the sanctuary, the windows start to tell the whole story.

Robert Harmon was chosen as the designer and craftsman of the stained-glass windows. Harmon, a graduate of Washburn University, was well-known for his work with the Emil Frei Co. out of St. Louis in the late 1930s where a signature style from the collaboration was first developed following World War II.

Key details within the window panes portray the artist's style and interpretation of Christ and Methodism.

Elements like a fishing net, like those used on the Sea of Galilee, fishes and a basket of bread loaves tell the biblical story of the boy who shared his bounty with Jesus, who then was able to feed thousands. The story is told in a panel on the south side of Lowman United Methodist Church's sanctuary.
Elements like a fishing net, like those used on the Sea of Galilee, fishes and a basket of bread loaves tell the biblical story of the boy who shared his bounty with Jesus, who then was able to feed thousands. The story is told in a panel on the south side of Lowman United Methodist Church's sanctuary.

At the center of each panel is the symbol of Christ. The first two letters of the Greek word for Christ, Xristox, is created using Chi, which looks like an "X," is turned to horizontal and vertical lines along with Rho, which looks like the English letter "P," with an added loop to become the Eye of God.

One side is darker, to give the impression of far away, while the other is lighter, to show nearness, representing that God is everywhere, near and far.

Balls of fire portrayed in the main section represent the Pentecost and prairie fires spreading rapidly. This is also representative of Methodism spreading across the prairie by the circuit riders in the 1700s.

Even the details of color used were carefully chosen to provide meaning and continuity.

The gray at the top of each window flows into the gray of the next, just as smoke from multiple fires will blend together. Blues of the sky, below the gray, also flows across the windows while the background color of brown, representing earth or soil, are representative of the natural materials used when the sanctuary was built.

A stained-glass window inside the hallway leading to the sanctuary at Lowman United Methodist Church is known as the Narthex Window. It features art-deco styling from artist Robert Harmon, who designed and crafted the stained glass windows throughout the sanctuary.
A stained-glass window inside the hallway leading to the sanctuary at Lowman United Methodist Church is known as the Narthex Window. It features art-deco styling from artist Robert Harmon, who designed and crafted the stained glass windows throughout the sanctuary.

Harmon described his process of work during an interview for a documentary on the St. George Chapel in St. Louis.

"As an artist, I have a certain idea in mind. I have to work with architecture, in the sense that what I do blends and is compatible with it. And at the same time, I get excited about mythological and theological patterns. And I let them ... begin to shape the designs that I do. I feel that I get a vitality from that."

During the time he designed Lowman's stained-glass, Harmon was working out of his company in Arcadia, Missouri. He died in 1999 at the age of 84.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: A closer look at Lowman United Methodist Church stained glass