By The Revd. Linda LaGroix
I have come to learn that St. Alban’s Church came into being because of the vision of the Anglican and Ashcroft communities and their recognition that a church building was needed in Ashcroft. Together the community felled the trees, had the wood milled, and built the church.
Now, as I step into the leadership role at St. Alban’s, we are looking toward the future, and we want to ensure that this church that was lovingly built by the Ashcroft community in 1891 withstands the storms of Ashcroft’s environment. I am also inviting everyone to join us to celebrate 131 years of service to the community, as we could not celebrate our 130th anniversary due to COVID restrictions.
To this end, we have established that the roof on the church proper, as well as the steeple, needs to be replaced, and this project provides us with the reason for the dual celebration! Within our maintenance funds, we have enough money to cover the materials, so we are calling all members of the community to provide the labour for a roof-raising early this fall, before the rains start. We will couple this with a joyous celebration of our 131 years of activity and outreach here in Ashcroft and the surrounding area.
When the new roof was completed on the church hall in 2019, the crew that installed it was of an age where they should not really have been up on the roof. An observer of the hall project commented that there was more than 260 years of life experience on the roof between the five volunteers who completed the project.
READ MORE: Historic 19th century Ashcroft church gets very modern addition
This time around, their wives “will allow them” to support this project from the ground, providing guidance in the installation of the same metal roofing system that is on the hall.
We are seeking the support of the “younger” community members to join us in this project. As the new priest here, I am excited to invite the community’s support to work together and then celebrate the new roof and the anniversary.
The congregation of St. Alban’s will provide food and refreshments and use this time to bring us all together to celebrate these two accomplishments!
The opportunity to bring the community together continues to support the underlying foundation of St. Alban’s being a community church, celebrating its deep roots here as we grow into a bright future. More details will come as we draw the plans and materials together.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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