Marian Shearer
At 3 p.m. last Thursday, May 10, as thunderstorms swept across the St. Lawrence seaboard, lightning struck Emmanuel Congregational United Church of Christ in Massena, partially destroying the building and causing the roof to collapse.
At 10:30 a.m. Sunday, a member donned a bathrobe over her dress, and boots on her feet to avoid ashes and debris, and climbed the bell tower (which had been declared safe), to ring the church bell as has been done every Sunday.
At 11 a.m., 75 people gathered across the street in the sanctuary of Temple Adath Israel, which was Emmanuel's worship building until the 1920s. In a joyful and tearful worship service, student pastor Judith van Kennen led the congregation in singing from hymnals lent by one United Methodist church, offering communion from a chalice and plate lent by another, accompanied by a keyboard lent by the New Testament church, reading from bulletins copied at St. John's Episcopal. Judy wore a prayer shawl (Tallith) that had been given her, and pronounced the benediction in Hebrew, to honor the hospitality of Adath Israel. Word, sacrament, tears, hugs, and a blessing for a seven-week old baby, were all shared in abundance.
It was a celebration indeed, with joy and thankfulness amidst the sorrow. Church members are relieved to have a place to worship indefinitely, and thrilled that it is their own ancestral home. Insurance adjusters have already made preliminary assessments and delivered a $5,000 emergency advance, and their engineers will be on the scene this week and will conduct a question-and-answer session with the congregation Monday evening. Synagogue members, who use the building only rarely, are thrilled to have a faith community worshipping there, and have given permission to Emmanuel to make use of any place in the building it needs. In return, Emmanuel members will keep the memorial bulbs lighted in the deceased synagogue members' memorial plaque, and Pastor Judy has promised to teach a new Hebrew word every week. This week's was "Shabbat Shalom"--"Peaceful sabbath to you."
When reporters assailed Judy on Thursday as the church was still burning, asking whether there were plans to rebuild, Judy told them it wasn't up to her. "We will be waiting on God's direction; we are a church that believes that 'God is still speaking,' " she told them.
Moderator Mark Crosby has been keeping in touch with members by email. On Friday he wrote:
"Emmanuel stands as strong today as it has ever been. Now is the time to give praise to God. We are so blessed. There were no serious injuries sustained in the fire and we give thanks for that. The community stepped forward to support us and we give thanks for that. The firefighters were nothing short of amazing, going back into the church to bring out what they could and always offering to go back in again. We give thanks for that. And when the flames were finally out, one of the firemen, without being asked, went back in and rang the church bells. Those of us standing there, wept. But they were tears of gratitude … gratitude that we knew that we will not only survive this, we will become stronger because of it."
The church's weekly peace vigil will be held as usual on Friday, on the church steps "or as close as we can get to them." Church office functions have been moved to the manse, not occupied right now as they are between called pastors.
Upstate regional conference minister Marian Shearer was present at the end of worship to convey the greetings and prayers of the New York Conference churches, and especially those of neighboring First Congregational UCC in Malone, where she had been helping celebrate their 200th anniversary. Church members expressed appreciation for the prayers--"We can feel them," said one. "It is clear, we're connected."
We thank Marian Shearer, with whom I share staff coverage for the Upstate Region of the Conference, for her updated.
Please keep our sister UCC congregation and their gracious hosts from Adath Israel in your prayers.
Blessings,
Rick Cowles
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