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SAVE OUR STEEPLE
Fundraising under way at landmark church
High winds damaged the bell tower at Ellsworth Presbyterian.
ELLSWORTH — A part of the community since it was chartered in 1818 and a landmark since it was built in 1833, Ellsworth Presbyterian Church has stood as a fixture in the township near the intersection of Ohio 45 and U.S. 224.
It’s a place of worship — offering solace in prayer and fellowship during its century-plus history. And on the Web site, www.sacredlandmarks.us/Mahoning, the church is described as Carpenter Gothic architectural style and as a village landmark church that played a role in the settlement of Ohio’s Western Reserve.
But now the church is sending out an SOS. Its bell tower was damaged in the high windstorm that hit the Mahoning Valley on Sept. 14, 2008. The tower has begun to lean and may be danger of collapsing.
The SOS is Save Our Steeple campaign that the church fund-raising committee has organized.
Recently, Sherry Weamer, church treasurer, and Kriss Yeager, board of session member, both co-chairs of the fund-raising committee; John Bates, a church trustee; and Pastor Bonnie Dutton met to discuss the church and tower predicament.
Weamer, Yeager and Bates noted that the slate roof is checked annually so that any problems can be repaired promptly. The roof did require repairs last year but there was no problem with the tower and it was not leaning.
That was until the high winds of last September. “We believe the winds caused the tower to shift,” Yeager said.
The church contacted its insurance company to no avail. “The company cited wear and tear,” Bates said, adding that the wind must have “wore and tore” the tower.
Now the 83 members of the church are faced with repair cost. The initial estimate was about $43,000, Weamer said. The architect and structural engineer have performed another check and Weamer said the cost will probably increase but they don’t know by how much.
So far, the church has raised $8,750. “We’ve raised that since March,” Yeager said. “I think that’s phenomenal for our congregation, which is not large.”
She and Weamer said the SOS committee has sent out letters to members, area businesses and individuals and organizations appraising them of the tower predicament and seeking a contribution. For those who donate $250 or more, the donors’ names will be inscribed on a plaque.
The church is taking out a loan to pay for the project. The committee is planning various fundraisers including dinners and a craft show.
Yeager said the SOS committee was told that the majority of the cost for steeple repair would be the dismantling of the original structure. The steeple towers an estimated 60 feet and a crane will be required in the project.
“We want to salvage as much as we can ... there’s slate to save,” Bates said, noting that “anything else worth saving has to be taken down carefully.”
Bates said there was discussion about making small wooden crosses as keepsakes from the wood from the tower. That also could be a part of the fund-raising effort.
The bell tower went up as part of the original structure built in 1833. On the ground floor of the tower is a small room, decorated with a stained-glass window. It also has a narrow passageway up the tower, accessible by climbing up wooden rungs. A heavy rope hangs nearby and it’s for the bell. Since the tower is in a precarious state, the bell, which is rung by hand, has been silenced.
“Huge beams can be seen,” Weamer said, citing the passage way. “You can see the rough-hewn timber ... some has bark on it,” Yeager added. Supports look like 12-by-12 beams.
The church has a carillon that signals every hour; and at noon and 6 p.m., three different selections are played at random. The carillon was donated in memory of Wayne Weingart by his wife, Doris, who now also is deceased, and family.
The church bell played a significant role in the community in years past, as it was used to summon volunteer firefighters. What now is the town hall, across the road from the church, once was the fire station.
The church underwent remodeling in the 1960s to include Sunday school classrooms and a basement. From a new entrance, people enter a foyer and to the left is the sanctuary and the right, classrooms. Now pulpit and altar have the dramatic and beautiful backdrop of a stained-glass window with a cross.
The church has a place in the community. It’s been the meeting place for Cub Scouts for some 52 years and the Ruritans, a men’s service organization, also met at the church.
The church sponsors Upward Basketball, a communitywide program that also features prayer and Scripture readings.
Kings Daughters, which Yeager and Weamer described as “going on forever,” involves women of the church in various fund-raising projects to benefit the church. These include making soup and kolachi.
The church also sponsors a Kids’ Klub, which meets on Wednesdays during the school year. The Bible-based program teaches children God’s word.
A men’s prayer breakfast is the third Sunday of the month with a speaker. An offering is donated to charities.
“We’ve also had a mother-daughter banquet for some 50 years,” Yeager said.
In conjunction with Ellsworth United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian church has a picnic in August.
“I think for a small church, we do a lot,” Yeager said. The members noted the church is helping an Amish family with medical bills for their son.
“The church responds to community needs,” said Pastor Dutton, who was installed at the church late in 2005. Pastor Dutton described herself as a “late in life pastor,” and she has found a good fit at Ellsworth Presbyterian. “There is a lot of laughter in this church.”
XFor information on the church fund-raising campaign, call Weamer at (330) 538-3771 and the church at (330) 547-2977.