“It took a combination of good sense, courage, and faith in each other as a community to get to where we are, and I am proud to be a member of our congregation.” – Wendy Dennis, President of the Wakefield UU Board of Management.
After gracing the Wakefield skyline for just about 150 years, the spire of the Wakefield Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 326 Main Street, was removed today, October 7, 2008.
“On one hand, it was an easy decision,” said Wendy Dennis, President of the Board of Management. We had a serious safety issue and we could not afford to do an “in-place, all at once” restoration of the entire tower, belfry, and spire structure. The only choice we had, regardless of next steps and future plans, was to remove the spire.”
The congregation still needs more information as to the condition of the tower and belfry, but the current plan is to repair the tower and belfry, place a cupola on the belfry, and put the weathervane, which is believed to have been manufactured by the Burrage Yale Tin Shop of Wakefield, on the new cupola.
However, the outcome depends on the condition of the current structure and the funds available for repairs and restoration. The cost of ongoing maintenance will also come into play as the congregation makes plans for major repairs and restoration. The Wakefield Historical Commission is being kept appraised of details.
“A new spire would be lovely,” Dennis commented, “But we don’t want to burden the congregation with the cost of painting and maintaining a wooden spire, and even if we had the funds for either a wooden spire or a fiberglass replica, I think the money could go to better use by our congregation and in the larger community.”
Beyond any major restoration, next steps include structural repairs to stop leaking, insulating the walls to save energy costs, getting a new roof, and painting the building. Being a small congregation with limited funds, the stewardship of this historic building will be a challenge.
While it is difficult to find funding sources for church buildings, the congregation’s “Group A” fundraising committee has already raised over $12,000 in funds dedicated to the repair and restoration of the building. As noted in a recent grant letter to potential funders, “The goal is to provide a safe place for our congregation to worship and provide religious education for the children and adults of our congregation. In addition, keeping our building in good repair will also ensure that we will remain a valuable resource to the many community, dance, and musical groups who use our building on a regular basis.”
The congregation may not have a lot of money, but it has been able to contribute to the larger community by donating the use of the building to the Laugh Club, Wakefield Climate Action Project, and a number of fundraising concerts put on by Wakefield High School students and recent alums that have raised at least a few thousand dollars for Darfur, breast cancer research, and the Wakefield Interfaith Food Pantry since January 2006. Small arts-based businesses and organizations also enjoy using the building for a very reasonable cost-sharing fee.
If you would like to help defray the cost of the upcoming repair and restoration projects, donations from the community are most welcome. You can send a check made out to the Wakefield UU Church with “building fund” on the memo line to PO Box 529, Wakefield MA 01880. In addition, the congregation has two major fundraising events coming up: the Annual Auction on the evening of November 8 and its Annual Craft Fair on December 6. In addition, if you have any shopping to do on Amazon.com, start by going to www.wakefielduu.org and enter Amazon.com via the link on the church website. As an affiliate, the congregation will earn a percentage of all purchases made after entering from its website.
Unitarian Universalism is a progressive religious movement with its roots in the Christian and Jewish traditions. Rather than being based on a creed, it is guided by embracing peace, love, and respect for the amazing diversity of lifestyles and religious questions. To contact church staff or volunteers, please call 781-245-4632 or email admin@wakefielduu.org. For additional information about the church, please visit www.wakefielduu.org.
The blue-green graphic in the middle of the banner was originally created by Essential Services, Inc., for the UU Web Template project, funded in part by the Fund for Unitarian Universalism, and is also supported by the Prairie Star District of the Unitarian Universalist Association. The project was managed by Diana Allen at the First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis, MN.
Photos on the left and right sides of the banner and throughout this website were taken by members of the congregation.
