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| images at Gethsemane Church, Proctorsville, VT |
A “sea-change” is defined by one dictionary as “a poetic
term meaning a marked transformation brought on by tragic circumstances in
which the form is retained but the substance is replaced,” and by another as “a
striking change, often for the better”. On
August 28, 2011, the congregation of Gethsemane Church in Proctorsville
experienced a sea-change. When Tropical
Storm “Irene” thundered through Vermont, most of the churches in our diocese
were spared. But not Gethsemane. This small parish lost their parish house and
nearly lost their church. Yet, small as
they were and daunting as the prospect of restoration was, they had the
fortitude—and the community support—to put Gethsemane back together again. But as usually happens with events such as
this, the renewed church looks familiar, but has made substantial changes.
A natural disaster like this will really show what people
and communities are made of. While the
congregation had a great deal to contend with themselves, they first looked to
their neighbors to see how they could help.
They had no place to distribute items people needed, but distribute,
they did! So when it came time to ask
for help in return, Proctorsville showed up.
And so did Vermont.
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| a tribute from El Salvadoran friends |
And so did
the world in the hands of our friends in El Salvador. A group of people from the congregation of
San Lucas, El Salvador came to Proctorsville to help with the rebuilding
process. They brought with them a number
of gifts that now appear throughout the church and parish hall—especially the
bathroom, which is was decorated in bright Salvadoran colors and Salvadoran
folk art. Those from San Lucas who could
not be there physically to help remained at home and prayed for Gethsemane,
dedicating the September 4, 2011 Holy Eucharist service to their brothers and
sisters in Proctorsville.
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| the new, the gifts, the renovations |
The community of Proctorsville also showed up. In fact, the town made absolutely clear how
vital they find this little Episcopal church to be. Much of the contracting and labor was
donated. One artistic friend of the
church reclaimed broken pieces of the colored glass windows and created a
beautiful stained glass window piece that now graces a window in the parish
hall. The rubble needed to be removed,
the foundation of the church was raised significantly, a whole new heating
system needed to be built and of course, the parish house needed to be
rebuilt. The lovely memorial garden was
completely destroyed and a new landscaping plan had to be drawn up. In all the plans, the church also needed to
meet FEMA codes and accessibility standards.
One of the most arduous tasks was building a ramp. Because of the flood plain, the ramp could
not enter the front door, which seemed at first to be so frustratingly
degrading and not at all what they wanted to convey. But they had little choice, so the ramp comes
in through the parish hall and into the church through the sanctuary. What started off as a disappointment turned
into a special grace, symbolizing God’s blessings upon these “last” who shall
be first. In another example of
community support, one parishioner offered to donate stones to provide
aesthetic appeal to the newly raised foundation, but needed someone else to
teach him how to lay the stones. He got
the help and the result is a lovely raised-bed flower garden. Of course, space is of a premium in a little
church like Gethsemane, so the tiny sacristy required special care. What to do about hanging those very large,
easily wrinkled vestments? Why use a
horse blanket rack and add extenders to each hanger so that you have as much
hanger as is needed. And the beauty of
the thing is that is folds back against the wall out of the way! These are the kind of ingenious gifts that
have been given to this recuperating church.
The sink for the disposal of Holy water and wine was also a gift—a Vermont
soapstone sink with a square of tin—probably from an old tin ceiling—to cover
it adds a special touch to the sacristy.
Regardless of all the necessary renovations and repairs,
life did go on. The congregation
continued to meet for worship and they continued in their community
outreach. One outreach event was the
Blessing of the Animals service on the town green, just down the street from
the church. A gentleman with serious and
significant physical impairments attended the service with his dog, a Labrador service
dog who was literally saved in the last moment from being euthanized. She was unstrapped from the table and sent to
Vermont where this gentleman received her.
She supports him as he leans against her to keep upright. To see his beloved Angel (the dog’s name) be
blessed so moved the man that he offered help such as he could give. The former carpenter helped out by doing some
of the sanding and other “unseen” carpentry work. There is love built into Gethsemane’s church!
Gethsemane Church opens its doors during the week to a
number of community programs. Twice a
week one can take a tai chi class or Pilates.
Monthly, a homeopathy class is offered.
A community theater group has used the space to put on a Shakespearean
play. Gethsemane presented a series of “Raise
the Roof” shows, beginning with a phenomenal African drummer and including a
lively show by the singing group “House Blend.”
During the winter, folks from the community come in out of the cold to
watch old black and white movies together.
The winter congregation is supplemented with transient folks from the
ski industry—both skiers and seasonal workers.
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landscaping work and restoring the memorial garden
remains to be done |
Though most of the building and interior work is done (there
are still a few things that need doing), Gethsemane still has a great deal of
work to do outside. A dream of the
congregation is to create a memorial garden that imitates a part of the Garden
of Gethsemane in Jerusalem. The possibility
of a labyrinth is also in the plans. Since
the congregation moved back into their church just a few months ago, in March
of 2013, they have had a baptism and two funerals, proving that as much as
things change, so they remain the same.
They are not a fiscally wealthy church, but goodness, how rich they are
in community, love and Spirit!
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