Hopes and Dreams of Alaskan Church Go Up in Flames
Episcopal News Service. December 5, 1996 [96-1644B]
(ENS) A dozen years of dreams and work on the completion of a sanctuary for Holy Spirit Church in Eagle River, Alaska, went up in flames during the early house of November 22. The new sanctuary was about 95 percent complete and the first service was scheduled for Christmas Eve. Firemen suspect that the fire started in the boiler room. The fire did not reach the sacristy so church members were able to retrieve Eucharistic vessels. Going through the building later, they found other items that were part of the church's history -- a Bible given to a member when she was a child. But they also discovered that choir robes and vestments were lost, as well as all church records, Sunday school materials and furniture. Smoke and water damage to the sanctuary were more serious than the actual fire. The contents of the food pantry, worth about $20,000, were regarded as a "devastating" loss the week before Thanksgiving. In spite of temperatures hovering near zero, about 80 members gathered at a park facility on the 24th for a worship service. "Being who we are, tested by many obstacles in the past and with faith in the Holy Spirit, we will continue with our plan to rebuild the church," said Ed Thielen in a story for the diocesan newspaper.