The members of Tyne Valley, just west of Summerside, P.E.I., returned to their pews on May 30 for a celebratory worship service. It was the first held in the church since an oil leak was discovered on church grounds on Feb. 3.
The culprit, an exterior tank that had developed a small hole, allowed hundreds of litres of oil to seep into the ground. The cleanup required the removal of more than 20 truckloads of contaminated soil; costs quickly outstripped the small congregation’s resources.
About a dozen local businesses, almost 30 churches and 140 individuals from across the country pitched in to help with the bills. Although a final figure had not been released by press time, the board of managers was confident the church could pay an expected $35,000.
“The Tyne Valley congregation has received such overwhelming, prayerful volunteer and financial support,” elder Edward MacLean wrote in a report to the Presbytery of Prince Edward Island. “Session, the Tyne Valley board of managers and members of the congregation have truly felt the presence of God during this crisis as such a positive outcome could not have occurred without the Holy Spirit being at work in our midst.”
The tank of heating oil, which formerly sat outside the 140-year-old church, has been moved inside.
Tyne Valley is a member of the Richmond Bay Pastoral Charge.
