Church plans dedication of rebuilt steeple

The church steeple is a focal point of the city's downtown.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- The completion of the yearlong steeple restoration project at the historic First Presbyterian Church on Mahoning Avenue Northwest represents a renewal for the downtown landmark.
The project, which is to be finished around the end of this month, will be dedicated at Sunday's 10 a.m. service, which will feature a video presentation concerning the restoration.
"We're going to dedicate not only the building, but also the congregation is going to have a rededication of themselves toward the ministry of the church," said the Rev. Burt McGlawn, church pastor.
The restoration, which the Rev. Mr. McGlawn said will cost more than $400,000, included rebuilding the steeple's brick base and reframing the bottom of the steeple. The work was done by Inspired Heights, a company out of Rockford, Ill.
Also included was replacement of the slate composite shingles with copper sheeting on both the 200-foot spire and an adjacent shorter one, rebuilding the tops of the spires, and replacement of interior wood or injection of the wood with plastic to strengthen it.
A standout
"We tell people, if you ever get lost in downtown Warren looking for our church, just look up and you can find it," Mr. McGlawn said.
"This spire stood as one of the central points of the community back when it was first built, and we want to make sure that the downtown area knows that this church is here to stay and is not going to be a museum," the pastor said.
The project was paid for through gifts from local individuals, a capital fund-raising effort among parishioners and the church's endowment. Services were held as usual in the 1875-vintage edifice at 256 Mahoning Ave., N.W., while the work was under way.
Because the Inspired Heights crew uses ropes and pulleys instead of erecting scaffolding, the church was able to achieve considerable cost savings on the project, Mr. McGlawn said.
Inspired Heights, a Christian-based company whose business is limited to church restoration, makes a special effort to train people who have struggled with alcohol or drug addiction or served prison time to be steeplejacks, said Tony Stratton, president of Inspired Heights.
Learn variety of skills
Through the company's on-the-job training program, apprentice steeplejacks learn to be jacks of all trades. The First Presbyterian job included metalwork, carpentry, painting, and wood and stone restoration.
"This was a good job for people to get a whole variety of work," Stratton observed, adding that steeplejacks are always learning new techniques.
The workers have been residing in a rented house in Cortland, where the company has paid for their room and board. Stratton has conducted daily Bible study and self-help classes for his crew members.
Twenty workers participated in the Warren project, with 10 to 12 on the job at any given time, Stratton said.