Page 19 - Presbyterian Connection

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SUMMER 2023
A Voyage of Faith in Elmira
The Rev. Linda Bell dedicated the land in 2008 and used ribbon to symbolically connect everyone to the project.
By Kim Denstedt and Lee Coulman, co-chairs of the Board of Managers, Gale Presbyterian Church in Elmira, Ont.
Gale Presbyterian Church in Elmi- ra, Ont., had a fire in its sanctuary February 26, but the congregation was applauding, not running for the exits!
The congregation watched as trustees and a past finance repre- sentative torched a copy of what had been a $400,000 mortgage. As young people looked on in awe, the Rev. Reuben St. Louis encouraged them to approach the front, noting this is something they may never see again.
The burning of a church mort- gage may be a rare event, and it is an exciting event when it happens, but Gale achieved this milestone after just 11 years. The congre- gation moved into its new church on Barnswallow Drive in 2012, following an eight-year planning and building phase dubbed the “Voyage of Discovery” and later the “Voyage of Faith.”
There have been a lot of changes over those 19 years,
Even the youngest members of the church became involved in making and selling apple pies at Gale.
including two search commit- tees for new ministers, gradu- ation ceremonies, the awe of baptisms, the sorrow of funerals, the welcoming of new members and, most recently, the fear of a global pandemic. Of course, the most frequent comment heard after members watched a visual presentation of pictures from throughout the years—“Wow, did we look young!”
The Rev. Linda Bell was Gale’s minister in 2003 when the con- gregation received an exciting offer: If members felt it was time to build a new church, a gift of $1 million was available from an anonymous donor. In response, the Session of the day launched a year-long study in which mem- bers were invited to explore:
• What role should our church play in our community?
• How should we live our mis- sion and demonstrate our faith?
• What did we see for Gale in the future?
The congregation was in an older building, built in 1868, with no room for parking or land for youth activities. But the building held a lot of memories, and emo- tional ties to the little church on Cross St. were strong. There were years of famine when congrega- tions held it together, and years of feast when a new addition was built on the back, and a new pipe organ installed.
During the year of reflection, Gale members also researched township demographics and population projections, the avail- ability of land, church growth and specific options that would be an alternative to moving.
The result of the exploration, led by a consulting firm, was a report that said members “have a high desire to be in a place that is attractive to new people and meet their needs.” The report summarized that the church had “poor visibility in the community (and) its present site seems un- suitable for expansion.” Finally, it said the church facilities “...while adequate and comfortable for the immediate needs of the congre- gation, will likely impede the or- ganization’s ability to grow much beyond its present numbers.”
The next step was writing a business report to assess if the congregation could afford to build a new church.
The congregation developed a
vision with key points:
• A newly designed space-
efficient church.
• An easy-to-find location vis-
ible to a growing population
in Elmira.
• A mission that includes both
the local community and the
global community.
• A church that meets the faith
development needs for all
ages and stages.
• A welcoming faith commu-
nity for people regardless of where they are on their spir- itual journey.
The Waterloo-Wellington Pres- bytery approved the congrega- tion’s decision in 2004 to move, and a steering committee was launched. The committee was broken into sub-committees of Land Purchase, Building Design, Program Needs, Finance and Fun- draising, and Communication.
It took four long years before land was secured. In October of 2007, the land on the corner of Church St. and Barnswallow Drive became Gale’s. The congre- gation was looking at a total price tag of $3.5 million for land and building—a far cry from the $450 spent in 1868 for the church on Cross Street! The land was dedi- cated under sunny skies in 2008.
Fundraising continued through- out the process. Apple pies be- came a huge success, and the community still supports this fundraiser, which sells more than 1,000 unbaked pies every year. A little more than $224,000 has been raised over the years through the sale of over 24,000 pies. Many events, including a pool-side gala, publishing a cookbook and selling gift cards were supported; members also pledged donations. Approval to sell the church manse came after determining more ministers were wanting to invest in home owner- ship rather than live in a manse.
Final financing was accom- plished through a variety of means, including an anonymous loan (which forgave the interest when payment deadlines were met), a presbytery loan and the bank mortgage. The presbytery loan of $70,000 is the only debt remaining at this time.
The sod-turning event took place under rainy skies in May of 2011, and a little more than a year later the congregation moved into its new building. A very mov- ing final service at 2 Cross Street
Trustees Graham Parsons (left) and John Kendall (right) watch as Bob Soeh- ner (centre) lights a copy of the bank mortgage during a special service at Gale Presbyterian Church in Elmira. Bob was a finance representative on the Steering Committee that guided the building project of a new church.
Making apple pies at Gale has involved many volunteers over many years. More than $224,000 has been raised in the 17 years since the fundraiser was launched.
Gale’s sod turning took place under rainy skies about one year before the new church was completed. Bob Soehner, pictured in the white coat and hat, had the honour of burning the copy of the mortgage recently.
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involved various members tasked with the responsibility of carry- ing church artifacts into the new space at 10 Barnswallow Drive, where the first service was cel- ebrated on April 22, 2012.
The Rev. Bell remained with the congregation for another year be- fore retiring. The Rev. Scott Sin- clair became minister in 2014 and saw members through the worst months of the global pandemic in 2020 and 2021 before retiring. The Rev. Reuben St. Louis came to Gale in 2022.
At the mortgage burning ser- vice, the Rev. St. Louis noted the action of burning the mortgage has a sacramental quality because it is a symbol of something larger. He explained to the youth that the mortgage paper is a symbol of all the gifts, including time, talent and money offered over the years to reach this day. In the ancient tra- dition of our church, he said, we burn the paper as “our offering to
God” to thank God for those gifts. The flame, he said, is repre- sentative of God’s spirit with us, reminding us it is God’s spirit that led us to this day, and the light is a promise God will remain with us into the future. The ashes that re- main after the paper is burned re- mind us that without God, we are but dust. “So, in great humility we celebrate today acknowledging
we did this with God’s grace.” The smoke that is generated from the burning is a symbol, he noted, of transformation for the congregation, as we shift from paying for the past and focusing
on the future.
In 2023, Gale looks to the fu-
ture with excitement and humil- ity, recognizing the sacrifices of not only the past 20 years, but the history of 155 years of many congregations praising within its church walls and walking toward the future, trusting in God’s spirit. God is good.