Faith is never in vane

SHARON — The Congregational Church concluded its four-year renovation project on Tuesday, April 27, with the placement of a new weather vane atop  the church’s steeple, 106 feet high in the sky.

The weather vane is a re-creation of the 106-year-old original that was on the church up until three years ago, according to Kevin McCarthy, Prudential Board co-chair for the church.

“When we started on the painting project, part of the renovation three years ago, we took down the old weather vane and noticed it was too far gone,� McCarthy said.

“We’re still in possession of it, but it has deteriorated quite a bit. It was struck by lightning at least once. Plus, after being on the church for 106 years, it has a lot of rust on it. It’s pretty worn down.

“But it was hard to tell that because it was 106 feet up in the air on top of the steeple.�

Local volunteers, including several who are not members of the congregation, stepped in to help recreate the weather vane.

Blacksmith William Trowbridge of Sharon and welder  John Haas of Amenia crafted the weather vane. Evelyn Bhumgara of Sharon applied gold leaf to the surface. K and S Powder Coating from Poughkeepsie finished the star at the top, and Scott Monroe helped to obtain the services of DBL Industries in Torrington to lift the new weather vane (and Trowbridge and Haas) to the top.

The vane will be buffeted by breezes, rain, snow and more, over time. But the decorative finish on its surface is expected to last for years. Gold leafing is extremely delicate, painstaking work, Bhumgara noted.

“It can’t be too warm, too dry, or too wet,� she said. “It’s a very fine leaf, so you put varnish down on it first, then you wait 24 hours to apply the gold on top.�

But, she said, it will last a very long time.

“It was a pleasure to do this for them,� she added.

McCarthy said he is happy with the way the project came together.

“Not only did members of the church volunteer on the project, but also people from outside the church community came in to help us with a project that is quite special,� he said.

The fish on the weather vane is called an ichthus, he said. It was a symbol of followers of Jesus Christ even before the cross became the universally accepted symbol.

“Under the early persecution of believers they would use the fish symbol, many times by just drawing it in the dirt,� McCarthy said. “If it was recognized by people, they knew they were among fellow believers and among friends.�