East Lake Ainslie Presbyterian Church caught fire on Dec. 18th.
In the days leading up to Christmas, two historic churches in Cape Breton burned to the ground, leaving their small congregations to mourn their losses and discern their futures.
The 133 – year – old East Lake Ainslie Presbyterian Church caught fire the morning of Dec. 18, after its two – year – old furnace was turned on to warm the sanctuary. Volunteer firefighters were on the scene by 9 a.m., but flames poured out of the roof and the wood structure and all of its contents were beyond saving.
“It was like you were seeing it and it almost wasn’t real,” said Johnena MacLellan, clerk of session. “It’s so hard to explain. It’s like you didn’t believe it was really happening.”
Firefighters managed to save the nearby church hall, however, which was soon to host a Christmas meal.
Only eight days earlier, Victoria, Birch Grove, whose congregation was preparing to celebrate its centennial anniversary in 2012, was reduced to a blackened heap in the early hours of Dec. 10. That fire is thought to have been electrical, and likely began in the attic.
Officials are not considering either of the fires suspicious, and the towns are separated by a two and a half hour drive. No one was hurt in either case.
Rev. Lloyd Murdock, who preached at Victoria, said a few things survived the fire: the church’s bell, a plaque from the cornerstone, some silver cups, and one pew Bible that emerged from the ashes with only scorch marks. The congregation plans to donate the bell and plaque to a local museum.
“They [the congregants] have been through so much in life, they say ‘our building may be gone but our memory will live on with us,'” Murdock said the day after the congregation met to decide its future. “Thank heavens for memories. [Last night] they all spoke so highly of their previous ministers. We were a friendly, happy family. They were full of fun. It was a joy to be their minister.”
The members of the small, aging congregation plan to attend other churches now.
The congregation of East Lake Ainslie held a turkey dinner two days after their sanctuary was lost.
“That night we didn’t make any decisions,” said Rev. Louis Ihasz, the retired United Church minister who for the past five years has been filling the pulpits in the two – point charge of East Lake Ainslie and Farquharson Memorial, Middle River. “We thought it was too early and thought we’d give ourselves some time to do some mourning and crying.” But he said he sensed the congregation would like to rebuild.
“There has been a church there since 1833 and I thought it’s inconceivable that there would not be a Presbyterian congregation in that community.”
The building was the third to have stood on the site.
Ihasz said he had already been contacted with offers of support. St. Andrew’s in Lancaster, Ont., donated the money collected at their Christmas Eve service, which totaled about $2,400. Others have offered pulpits and church furniture, and a donated organ has been placed in the hall where the congregation of about 20 continues to worship.
