Aldersgate remodel reveals second stained-glass dome

An illustration of the sanctuary on display at Aldersgate Church shows the original center balcony and stained-glass dome. The dome was covered when an addition was built in the 1960s. Courtesy illustration

by Elisa Sand – The Aberdeen Insider

Construction work at Aldersgate Church is opening a time capsule of sorts that has been hidden under insulation and covered by walls for nearly 60 years.

Dedicated in 1909, First United Methodist Church — now Aldersgate Church — has undergone two additions. One was in 1965, another in 2008. During those processes, features within the church were covered. They include a second stained-glass dome and a curved center balcony.

Today’s sanctuary entry features a lower ceiling and a rectangular balcony, but older pictures show the original balcony curved around the dome.

That changed with the construction of the 1965 addition, but Pastor Derek Baum, who has a passion for old buildings and original architecture, would love to see the dome again be a prominent feature in the sanctuary.

For now, though, the plan is simply to uncover and reveal the dome for people to see.

That work involves opening up the ceiling and removing the walls of upper-level classrooms no longer in use. In a tour of the space where work is in progress, Baum pointed to the ceiling where a portion of the second dome is visible. A full view is still obstructed by a classroom wall. But that space hasn’t been used since the 2008 expansion, he said.

A second dome in Aldersgate Church is more visible a few steps up a ladder. Aberdeen Insider photo by Elisa Sand

Though the balcony in the church was also modified, Baum said the original structure remains as the new balcony was built around it.

It’s as if, he said, church leadership in the 1960s intentionally hid the features, hoping a future generation would bring them back.

“They didn’t destroy it,” he said. “They preserved it.”

Aldersgate name a nod to Wesley’s faith

Baum has been pastor at Aldersgate for 10 years, navigating the church through its 2023 name change. Discussion about the new name came after the church voted to disaffiliate with the Methodist church.

Many other Methodist churches did the same as division grew within the denomination about issues of human sexuality.

The new name, Baum said, is a nod to Aldersgate, London, the place where John Wesley, the founder of the Wesleyan movement, first felt assurances of his faith.

It wasn’t long after his arrival in Aberdeen that Baum discovered the existence of the second dome.

Because he appreciates older buildings, Baum said one of the first things he did was explore the church attic space. It features a sprawling maze of wooden walkways navigating to stained-glass domes.

The Aldersgate Church sanctuary currently features a rectangular center balcony, which is much different from the original curved balcony. Aberdeen Insider photo by Elisa Sand

He said it’s taken time to get others excited about again making the second dome visible. His first opportunity to broach the topic came about seven or eight years ago during a church meeting during which a committee was discussing beautification projects and ways lighting could be improved.

While he was hesitant to raise the topic, he eventually told the group about the dome and balcony and said lighting would be less of an issue if they weren’t hidden.

“It was fun to see it become their idea,” Baum said.

That started the process, which has included plenty of conversations. One step, he said, was opening up the ceiling to reveal the dome. It was then examined to see if repairs are needed. Aside from a few panels of cracked glass, not many are, he said.

“I have yet to have anyone say this is a terrible idea,” Baum said. “When we tell people about it, they get excited.”

Work now is focused on revealing the dome. That’s happening two floors above the sanctuary. It should be done by Easter, though the dome won’t be visible from the sanctuary at that time. For that, Baum said, a much larger renovation project is needed, which would be subject to a congregation vote. Read the story on the Aberdeen Insider website.