Stone Church in Saint John is one of 10 heritage places vying for $50,000 in a national contest.
Through the Next Great Save, the church is competing against other projects in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario and British Columbia.
Rev. Jasmine Chandra of Stone Church said the money will help them repair the church tower.
“Our building is almost 200 years old. The tower is original to 1824. As you can imagine, anything that old starts to break down and shift,” Chandra said.
A larger project involving the whole structure has been underway for nearly two years, she said.
“We have probably about $2 million worth of work to do, $50,000 will be a great start for that,” Chandra said.
Chandra said the congregation has been amazing and has helped contribute quite a bit of money to the project.
“They’ve put in so far close to $250,000 for work on the building. They’ve really done a lot. At some point, we have to get help from the broader community,” Chandra said.
A view of Saint John from the tower of Stone Church. The church will turn 200 next year. Image supplied by Stone Church.
Chandra said the congregation is slowly rebuilding following a dip in attendance during the pandemic.
“The congregation really sees the building as part of its ministry in the community. We are open every day of the week offering services. We have a free laundry program, we have community drop-ins,” Chandra said.
She said it’s about the congregation meeting but it’s also about the services they offer to the community Monday through Friday.
Voting for the Next Great Save starts on Friday and the winner will be announced on February 23rd. Stone Church has released voting information on its YouTube page.
In its initial application, the project also received letters of support letter from MLA Arlene Dunn and MP Wayne Long.
Chandra said a voting tally will be visible online when voting starts.
Stone Church is not the only New Brunswick project vying for the top prize. Swallowtail Lighthouse on Grand Manan Island is also one of the finalists.
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