A building serving the Elbridge community for the last 189 years needs a little bit of love.
The Elbridge Community Church on Main Street in the village needs structural and roof repair. Inspired by the snowfall-related collapse of multiple area church roofs last year, church officials have decided to reinforce the structure and replace the roof.
“If we don’t address it, the building won’t continue to stand,” said Rev. Jim Stone. “Evaluations have told us, if we had more than a foot of snow on the roof to not use the building until it was cleared.”
They expect to need $200,000 for the repairs.
“We need to get the work done as soon as possible, we’ll push ahead with that,” Stone said. “We’re trying to raise as much as quickly as we can.”
The building was built in 1823 as a congregational church, but the church later merged with the brick church down the road to create the community church. The white building is a fellowship hall, kitchen, preschool and thrift shop. The brick church is used for worship, Stone said.
“It’s used by the community as well as the church. It has become a community center through the years as well as a landmark,” he said.
Once the repairs are done, Stone hopes to see the church be used even more by the community, boasting a nice place for community events to take place.
“The church has had a strong connection with the community through the years, probably stronger than any other church I’ve been involved with,” Stone said. “The [community] looks to the church as their church in a lot of ways.”
The church is actively seeking donations to help reach the $200,000 needed for repairs. To donate, contact the Elbridge Community Church at 315-689-3012. Learn more about the church online by searching “Elbridge Community Church” on Facebook.
