SPENCER – Members of a congregation in Massachusetts on Sunday commemorated one year since their church burned down after a year lightning strike by preparing for a new home.
A staple in the community
A year ago, the First Congregational Church of Spencer was destroyed after being struck by lightning. On Sunday, dozens of people gathered for a service to commemorate what happened.
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“A year ago, I think, lightning struck right around 2 o’clock, so that’s why we decided to do it today at 2 o’clock,” said parishioner Jennifer Anderson. The service was held on the basketball court right next to the church.
“It’s been in the community since 1744,” said moderator Harold Carlson. “Yes, it has already been burned down once and then rebuilt.”
The church was an important part of the community. A gathering place for AA meetings and Girl Scout meetings and of course weekly services. Through song and prayer, the parishioners happily returned.
“This is a day of hope”
“This is a day of hope. The Spencer Church feels called to be involved in the mission in this community. There are things that we did and even more things that I think would be here to help people in the community help,” said interim pastor Rev. .Bruce MacLeod.
This past year, parishioners gathered at the First Congregational Church of Leicester. It’s a church they worked with before the fire, but now they say it’s been a year and it’s time to look to the future.
“We’re still here, we’re still a beacon on the hill for the community and we’re moving forward,” Anderson said.
Church officials are working with architects to come up with a new design and cost for the new church, which will have a community-oriented focus.
“We do have some insurance money, but I’m not sure it will cover everything and so we hope that people will be able and willing to make whatever contributions they can to help,” MacLeod said.
