By Spencer Sterritt

P.A.’s oldest church gets a renovation rejuvenation

Nov 24, 2015 | 5:34 AM

Where it had once been set for demolition, the old St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church stands stronger than ever.

Restoration of the Prince Albert Baptist Church’s future home is nearly complete, with the grand unveiling set for Dec. 11.

The most major renovations were done to the roof, where cracks had formed in the main support beams. This pushed the walls outward, and put the roof in danger of collapsing.

 Now Beulah Land Baptist Church pastor David Webster says the roof will last for hundreds of years.

“Basically what we have here is a ship turned upside down,” Webster said.

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Standing in the attic certainly feels like being inside an old wooden ship, with trusses crisscrossing overhead.

To stabilize the building new trusses were laid over the old cracked one for support. The old beams were then sucked up to the new beams and attached, before support rods were put in place.

The roof is designed to shift and then return to its original spot to deal with stress, much like a ship. It would take a disaster of epic proportions to bring the church down.

For Webster the most amazing part of the renovation and construction has been the overwhelming support of the community.

“We have not paid one penny of labour to date,” Webster said. All of the labour was done by volunteers eager to help restore the historic church. Churchgoers from as far as Alberta visited the church to lend a hand.

Next week members of a US congregation will visit to help out.

“It’s like the old days of churches helping churches build churches.”

Money was spent on tradespeople as part of the renovation, but the total cost of the project will be well below the 1.5 million it was originally estimated at.

“For me it’s a miracle,” Webster said.

Much of the memorabilia from the church from the St. Paul’s days was donated to the P.A. Historical Museum, who have chosen to leave the items in the church.

Renovations are still underway, but nearly complete. New carpets are being installed, as well as an updated sound booth. Everything will get a thorough clean to make sure it looks brand new.

One small hole in the ceiling, where a workers foot fell through while working on the attic, still needs to be fixed.

Webster had been concerned about people hurting themselves while working on the roof and installing the insulation. Thankfully no one was hurt, and there was no major damage to building, beside two small holes from people putting their foot in the wrong place.

For him the best day of the whole project was when the last piece of insulation equipment was taken out of the attic and back to the ground.

The best might still be to come however.

The church has the space for a bell in the tower, but no bell has ever been installed. Webster has thought about installing a bell, as a final touch.

There is a possibility that a bell from Prince Albert’s past might be the one.

Webster has been on the lookout for the bell used by Reverend Nesbit, the Presbyterian minister who first named Prince Albert in 1866. The bell had been lost to history, or so Webster thought.

Just last week a pastor from Big River called him, claiming to have located the original bell.

After making some calls, and consulting with the Prince Albert historical society, Webster is sure he’s found the original bell.

It’s tucked inside an Anglican church at Whitefish Lake First Nation, Alberta.

It would certainly be difficult to move the bell from Whitefish Lake to Prince Albert, but Webster is eager to see if it can be done.

“I don’t want to take it away if it means a lot to them, but obviously it would be a very special day to bring that bell here and put it in this church.”

He said he’s been in contact with the Whitefish Lake Anglican Church, and is trying to work out a deal where he would replace their bell. “I only want to do it the right way…I’ll do whatever I can.”

The St. Paul’s Presbyterian congregation, who currently worship across the road at Wesley United Church, are pleased to see the building still standing.

“I think there’s a great deal of gratitude and even relief from a few number of our folks,” interim reverend Ted Hicks said. “It’s hard to let go, but it’s good to know it continues to be there and will be looked after.”

On Dec. 11 the church will unveil their complete renovations for the first time with a Christmas musical. Everyone who took part in the process will be recognized.  Webster said everyone is welcome to attend.

ssterritt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit