Page 30 - Presbyterian Connection, Spring 2020

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PRESBYTERIAN
SPRING 2020
presbyterian.ca
Connection
NEWS
The Church is on Fire:
Words No Congregation Ever Thinks It Will Hear
Fire Chief Vince MacKenzie took this picture when he arrived on the scene soon after the fire was reported.
Firefighters remained in full gear until the fire was declared out.
miliar hymn books. Our clothesline and food box, destroyed in the fire, have been replaced by baskets and they were filled with 30 pairs of un- derwear, 27 pairs of socks and two pairs of gloves for the Salvation Army and 79 non-perishables and $70 in cash for the Food Bank.
The congregation has responded in a time of adversity, which reared its ugly head again in December when St. Matthew’s was broken into not once but twice. Expensive tools belonging to one of the volunteer workers were stolen the first time and furnace oil was siphoned from the tank. We assume the same person expected to find the tools replaced and waiting for him/her the second time, but they weren’t. We continue to keep the church as secure as possible, but when people are deter- mined to break into a building, locks aren’t enough.
St. Matthew’s has traditionally held a Christmas morning service, led by members of the congregation, and no one wanted that to change. We probably needed it more than any other year. It took place in Memo- rial United, bringing us together once again along with some visiting family members. Our January service was held in a third venue after we were in- vited to use the chapel of the former Presentation Sisters renewal centre. That building will undergo renova- tions later in the year to become a 10-bed hospice. The Rev. David Sturtevant, our interim moderator, drove the 860-kilometre round trip from St. John’s to conduct the ser- vice and administer Communion.
While the last quarter of 2019 was
By Lynne Allan, Treasurer,
St. Matthew’s Presbyterian Church in Grand Falls–Windsor, N.L.
The church is on fire. These are words no congregation ever thinks it will hear. But on Oct. 18, 2019, at approximately 9:00 p.m., a fire inside St. Matthew’s Presbyterian Church in Grand Falls–Windsor, N.L., was reported by two passersby, and those words became reality. Several hours later the fire was declared out, the sanctuary destroyed by flames, smoke and water. The rest of the building, including the basement hall, kitchen and washroom, was badly damaged by smoke and water. The congregation of St. Matthew’s faced its greatest challenge since the church was built in 1910.
That night, as we watched from across the street while the fire de- partment did its job, members of the congregation shook their heads and expressed disbelief. Tears were shed. One of our oldest members realized the next morning she had cracked a tooth and believes it was a result of clenching her teeth while watching the scene unfold.
One of the onlookers that night was the Rev. Kim Waite of Memo- rial United Church, located right next door, who offered her church’s suppor t. “Whatever you need,” she said. “A place to worship, a room for a meeting, whatever you need.” During the next few days other churches in town offered their sup- por t. It was a comfor ting example of Christian unity.
There was never any question about restoring the church. Before
the fire, it was the only surviving building of the original churches in Grand Falls–Windsor. After the fire, it was still standing and struc- turally sound. All we needed was a plan. That came about a week later when St. Matthew’s received an of- fer of free labour from the owner of a local construction company. Since then, two people associated with the company have been leading a small group of church volunteers through the process of undoing the damage the fire left behind. By the end of De- cember, the interior of the church had been stripped back to the studs, fire- damaged wood replaced and paint sealant applied. Work on spraying in foam insulation and rewiring has been completed. We can now focus on restoration of both the building and contents. No completion date has been set.
The fire left members of St. Mat- thew’s in shock, but we are noth- ing if not resilient. With our monthly service, which was scheduled only nine days after the fire, we accepted our neighbour church’s offer of help and gathered in Memorial United. We were joined by several members of other denominations in the commu- nity, which was another example of unity in Christ.
We didn’t collect for our Com- munity Clothesline and Food Bank outreach projects at the October service, but we did put out the call for donations in November when we met in the chapel of Holy Trinity An- glican Church. It was an attempt to keep things as “normal” as possible while holding services in churches of other denominations and using unfa-
A view from the front of the sanctuary before the fire.
A view from the front of the sanctuary after some cleanup.
difficult, St. Matthew’s looks for- ward to what 2020 will bring. It will be some time before the church is fully restored, but the congregation hopes to be back in our sanctuary before the summer break in July and August. We have already expanded our community outreach program. In January, members of the Thistle Club, the church’s women’s group, attended the local in-gathering ser- vice of the Fellowship of the Least Coin and made a donation. The club was also represented at the most recent meetings of the Canadian Bi- ble Society’s local branch. We took part in its annual Festival of Praise in February and will be involved in other events throughout the year. We have found working with a larger group makes for effective community outreach and relieves the pressure a small group may feel when undertak- ing projects.
St. Matthew’s gives hear tfelt thanks to those who have shown suppor t for our congregation since the break-ins and fire, the cause of which cannot be determined. The
Less than two weeks after the fire, the steeple was removed by men associated with a local construction/renovation company. They have volunteered to lead the restoration process. Repairs to the steeple will be made on the ground.
church community, individuals and companies from near and far have made it possible for us to not only face the long road we must follow to get our building back, but to con- tinue our community outreach along the way.