The Gassaway Family

Jesus with Children, the Chalice, and the Sheave of Wheat

The largest of the stained glass windows is the one which takes up most of the wall that faces Church Street. Situated between the double wooden doors, the window may be appreciated best from inside the sanctuary looking back towards the doors. This window carries the Gassaway family name.

The inscription at the bottom of the center panel reads:
“Suffer Little Children To Come Unto Me”.

Those words recall Jesus’s welcoming of the children in Matthew 19:14; Mark 10:14; and Luke 18:16: “Let the children come to me, and do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”

This window memorializes James D. Gassaway and Mariah H. Gassaway. 
James D. Gassaway ~ March 13, 1813 to September 5, 1887
Mariah H. Gassaway ~ February 27, 1823 to May 22, 1890

The crest at the top of the window gives the installation year of 1921.

Walter L. Gassaway, who grew up in Central and cherished the church of his parents, made the original $50,000 donation toward construction of the church in 1923. That amount in 2024 dollars would be more than $900,000!
This window memorializes Walter’s parents, James D. Gassaway and Mariah Douthitt Gassaway. More information may be learned about the Gassaway family at Clemson Wiki.

The Chalice

At the Last Supper, Jesus told his followers, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:27-28). The chalice in this window is a reminder of that covenant Christ initiated with us and of his suffering and death on the cross.

This window also memorializes the Gassaway family. 

The Sheave of Wheat

Wheat appears throughout Scripture, with a variety of meanings that could all be reflected in this window. Wheat is a symbol of God’s provision and bounty (Psalm 147:14 says, “He grants peace within your borders; he fills you with the finest of wheat.”

The sheaves of wheat also conjure the words of Jesus in John 12:24: “Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain, but if it dies it bears much fruit.” These words both foretell Jesus’s death and resurrection and preview the point Jesus makes to his disciples in John 12:25: “Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

This window memorializes
W. L. Gassaway (1865-1930). The inscription under his name reads 
“Hither By Thy Help We’ve Come”.

The Grapes

Grapes call to mind several ideas from Scripture. They remind us of the biblical command of “fruitfulness.” Just as trees and vines are known by the fruits they bear, disciples of Jesus will be known “by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16).

Grapes also call to mind Jesus’s teaching that “no one puts new wine into old wineskins” (Mark 2:22). The church as a community of disciples is always called to discern how the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are guiding us to live in the midst of new and changing circumstances.

Finally, grapes harken back to Jesus’s teaching in John 15 that Jesus is the true vine. Just as grapes get their life and nourishment from the vine, our life and spiritual nourishment come from abiding in Christ.

This window memorializes 
Arthur Ramseur (1858-1913), who was a dispatcher on the Southern Railway
that ran through Central and his wife,  Elizabeth G. Ramseur (1860-1945). 

The Lamp

The lamp carries several meanings found in Scripture. It symbolizes the guiding wisdom and knowledge given by God. As the psalmist writes in Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

The lamp also reminds us of Jesus’s call for his followers to let their light shine from Matthew 5:15: “People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.”

Finally, the lamp reminds us of our need to be ready to welcome Christ, like in his Parable of the Bridesmaids in Matthew 25, where some were prepared to welcome the bridegroom with oil-filled lamps, but others were not.

This window memorializes the F. Burt Morgan family. Jeptha Morgan was a Central merchant whose daughters Jessie and Jennie were active in many ways during their lifetime at Mount Zion. Their home is now the Central History Museum which is located two houses down from the church. It is open to the public on Sunday afternoons.

The Pink Anemone

The anemone is a fairly ambiguous symbol. As some flowers have three leaves, some Christians have viewed it as a symbol of the Trinity. Species with petals that include red streaks have been viewed by some as reminiscent of the blood Jesus shed on the cross.

This window memorializes
the Morgan Family:  Francis B. Morgan,
Eugenia R. Morgan, Jeptha N. Morgan,
Minnie M. Morgan

The Easter Lily

Lilies are mentioned in the Bible, perhaps most famously in Matthew 6:28-29: “And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.”

While the lilies Jesus was talking about probably were not the Easter lilies we think of today, the image of the Easter lily still communicates something about Jesus. Their petals are white, the liturgical color of Easter, which reminds us of the cleansing power of God’s love and grace through Christ. Moreover, the lily’s blooming each spring following the death and dormancy of winter is an illustration of the Easter message: “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen” (Luke 24:5).

This window memorializes William Wallace and Bert H. Wallace and is dedicated “To The Glory of God” by the Wallace family. William W. Wallace came to Central in 1912 as Superintendent of Central’s High School. Later he became president of Cannon Mills.

The Open Bible

The Bible is a visual reminder of the primary role Scripture plays within the community of faith. As our United Methodist Book of Discipline states, “Scripture is the primary source and criterion for Christian doctrine,” and the Bible is “the source of all that is ‘necessary’ and ‘sufficient’ unto salvation’ and ‘is to be received through the Holy Spirit as the true rule and guide for faith and practice” (¶ 105).

This window memorializes the Gaines Family: Sallie Gaines, R. G. Gaines, and W. A. and Eloise H. Gaines. Several pioneer members of this family had a great part in organizing the early Mt. Zion church and descendants remain active to this day.

The Anchor

The Anchor is a symbol of hope. In the words of Hebrews 6:17-20, “when God desired to show even more clearly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it by an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God would prove false, we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered….”

This window memorializes John N. Sims (1879-1945).

The Cross within the Crown

The Cross within the Crown is a combination of two Christian symbols. Jesus was both crucified and “King of kings and Lord of lords.” Even as others mocked him on the way to the cross with jeers of “Hail, king of the Jews” (Matthew 27:29), that is, indeed, who he was and is: a king!

This window memorializes Ben and Ada Abercrombie. Mr. Ben F. Abercrombie served as Sunday School superintendent for 28 years.

The Ark of Noah

The Ark recalls the story of Noah, specifically the covenant between God and Noah: “When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth” (Genesis 9:16). God’s faithfulness continues to each of us today!

This window memorializes Faye Dobson, the 11-year-old daughter of Mollie Newston Dobson (1913-2007). Faye was born in 1937 and passed away in 1949.

The Ascension of Christ

The Ascension of Christ depicts the events of Luke 24:50-53 and Acts 1:6-11. As the church affirms in the Apostle’s Creed, “he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.”

This stained glass image is back lit and was given by Harold Wood in memory of his wife, Martha B. Wood. It was added in 1999 after the organ and pipes were removed from the chancel area.