New windows to grace Millbrook church

MILLBROOK — Grace Church on Franklin Avenue will add two stained-glass windows to commemorate two heroes.The church, known for its beautiful stained glass windows, hasn’t had a new one since the 1960s.The Rev. Douglas Fisher said he suggested putting in new windows a couple years ago, and the plan is now starting to gain speed. The two new stained glass windows will be dedicated to Jonathan Daniels and Charles Johnson. Daniels was studying to be an Episcopal priest at Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass., in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. invited all of the Northern clergy to join him in the fight for civil rights in Selma, Ala., and march to Montgomery. Daniels responded to Kings’ plea and went to Alabama. His experience there inflamed his passion for civil rights. He spent extensive time in Alabama working in African-American communities and their churches, as well as registering voters, accessing funds for those in need, tutoring children and helping people receive aid. “On Aug. 13, 1965, he was with a group of people wanting to enter a diner in Alabama,” said Fisher. “A man with a shotgun (not the owner) said the African-American teenagers with them could not come in.”Fisher said that the man pointed the gun at a young African-American girl named Ruby Sales. Daniels instantly recognized that he was pulling the trigger and jumped in front of Sales. The gunshot killed Daniels, who was 26 years old. Sales later became an Episcopal priest. The second window will be dedicated to a local hero, Charles Johnson. Fisher said that Johnson was a member of Grace Church in the late 1940s and was confirmed at the church.“In May 1953 Johnson was serving in the Korean War,” said Fisher. ”One night his unit was overrun by the enemy. Everyone in his unit was killed or wounded.”Johnson carried nine wounded soldiers to safety while holding off the enemy for a night. By the time reinforcements arrived, Johnson had died. he was 20 years old. Johnson’s funeral was held at Grace Church, and he was buried at Nine Partners Cemetery. Johnson’s life was recently featured in the PBS documentary, “Hold At All Costs.”“Here is how the two windows are connected,” said Fisher. “Jonathan Daniels, a young white man, gave his life for an African-American girl. Charlie Johnson, an African-American man, gave his life saving the lives of nine white men.”The two windows will be tied together with the scripture, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”The windows are currently in development and the project is estimated to take six months. The stained glass windows will be funded through donations; the cost is estimated at $24,000. So far Grace Church has received around $17,500. Fisher said this project has been a long time coming. The heroic stories of Daniels and Johnson have been studied for the last 10 years by the church’s confirmation classes.Fisher said that members of Grace Church are excited about the project, which has been receiving great support from the Charles Johnson Foundation.“Grace Church is very intentional about reaching out and connecting people across racial, ethnic and economic divisions,” said Fisher. “Our immigrant ministry, in which we welcome immigrants to Millbrook and eastern Dutchess County, is a significant part of our mission. We also have a special dedication to our youth ministry. The two men honored in these windows are symbolic of these vital missions.”