A Lesson in Giving
How God’s Spirit is working to restore, renew and rebuild in Girard, Pennsylvania
Written by Marsha MacKinnon, Webmaster for the Presbytery of Lake Erie
Losing a treasured church is devastating, yet the people of the First Presbyterian Church of Girard are moving forward. It’s been over a year since the historic church building, built in 1892, was leveled by fire. At the time, fire investigators were doubtful that a definite cause of the fire could be determined. This is a congregation where generation after generation from the same families support this church as its faithful. Those faithful servants continue to seek God’s will as they move from catastrophic loss to recovery. They are committed to rebuilding a new Presbyterian church in Girard.
On Sunday, July 21, 2019 – the one year anniversary of the fire – some neighbor’s attended the Girard worship service including Karen Potocki of Wayside Presbyterian Church. Her father – Keith Sundberg – is the Associate Pastor at Wayside. Karen is a regular Sunday School and Vacation Bible School teacher. Another connection is that Malinda, the wife of the Rev. Nicola Vitiello, who is the Pastor of the Girard church, and Karen became friends many years ago when they both attended Grove City College. Karen was her RA and they have kept in touch through the years. There’s another connection: Keith Sundberg was Rev. Nicola Vitiello’s mentor when he began his ministry at Girard Presbyterian.
Potocki delivered the children’s sermon on July 21 and told a wonderful story of how many children from Wayside Presbyterian Church, as well as people from five other states, have contributed numerous books for the re-creation of a children’s library for the Girard church following the fire. The book ‘The Giving Tree‘ by Shel Silverstein, first published in 1964, is a favorite among Christian educators because it teaches the lesson of generosity. It was one of the first books selected by the children to give to the children of Girard. The following includes a Q & A conversation with Karen about the book donations from the children of Wayside to the children of Girard and a Q & A with the Rev. Nicola Vitielo of Girard about the future of the Girard church:
How did the children of Wayside become involved in helping to recreate and rebuild the children’s library at Girard?
“The idea to donate children’s books to Girard Presbyterian came from my dad, Keith Sundberg. He suggested the idea to Wayside and invited the families with children to submit their favorite children’s book suggestions. The idea spread quickly. The Girard church had been listed in the prayer requests, and we had mentioned them every week in church. I think everyone in our congregation was eager to do something because the folks from Girard had been heavy on our hearts and minds. So, many jumped at this opportunity to help. The children of Wayside contribute to a Sunday School offering each week, and they voted to have the offering this year go toward buying children’s books for the Girard Presbyterian Church.”
“On a personal note, my own children and I had been searching for a way to help since the fire occurred. It happened on a Saturday night/ Sunday morning as we were gearing up for Vacation Bible School, and my kids and I drove out to the site first thing Monday morning before the start of VBS, thinking we might be able to gather some of the rubble (bricks or pieces of wood) and do a craft project during VBS to present to the Girard church, but inspectors were currently on the premises, and they said that no one was allowed (on the property because of the ongoing fire investigation). So, we had to abandon the idea of a craft project.
When Dad suggested this book project a few months later, my kids turned to me and eagerly started listing books we should suggest. My daughter insisted that they needed the book, The Giving Tree, which we went home and ordered almost immediately. We also chose to order and donate the book, What’s Wrong with Timmy? by Maria Shriver. This is a book that I first learned about because it was in our Wayside library, and I have a son who has special needs, and I read that book to his classmates at the beginning of each school year. My kids and I had felt so much pain for Girard as we sat in the parking lot looking at the wreckage that Monday morning in July of 2018, and they commented about it every time we were in Girard. We were just so eager to do something for the Girard folks.”
This project went beyond Wayside; explain what happened and how those connections came to support the Girard church?
“As I mentioned, even visitors to Wayside were so moved that they brought in donations. In addition, Keith shared the story of this project with his friends at the Eastern Association of Presbyterian Church Educators, which has members from 5 states plus the District of Colombia, and many of the folks from that group sent in donated books.”
Describe how the children felt about being able to help replace the books lost in the fire at Girard a year ago?
“Many of the children were like my own children who were just so excited to take action on behalf of this congregation that we had been thinking about and praying for every week. One young boy eagerly suggested his favorite prayer books, the books he read with his parents each night. The kids new they wanted to share the books that meant something to them. They wanted the children at Girard to also be able to have those special experiences of sharing a story with someone you love. They wanted their favorite stories to be shared with the children of Girard Presbyterian. Each week, our Sunday School starts with story time, and if the kids really liked a book that Keith had selected for story time one week, their first thought was that it should be a book that we give to the Girard children with the donations that had been collected.”
What was it like for the children of Wayside to actually help select the books?
“Keith plans a few special Sunday School events each year to which the whole family is invited, and the lessons are pertinent to faith in the family and how to develop and maintain faithful traditions and how those traditions and practices can be meaningful to the whole family. At one such family-oriented Sunday School lesson, Keith set out descriptions and/or examples of the books that had been suggested for purchase. Then kids and parents were all invited to put stickers on the cards of the books they would vote for. Which ones did they most want to purchase for Girard? There was a lot of excitement and eagerness about the voting, and people were happy to explain why they had suggested one book or another. The book that got the most votes, quite handily, is called ‘Be Kind.’ This is the book I read when presenting the books to the children of the Girard church on the one-year anniversary of the fire. Kids get it. As adults, we spend a lot of time and energy discussing the intricacies of our faith and worrying about so much stuff. The kids know that at the end of the day, the most important message to pass on is to be kind. Also, it is important to note that one of the Wayside Elders, Tracey Bowes, is the owner of the local bookstore, Pressed, and she offered to order the books at a discount that allowed us to order almost all of the books that had been suggested.”
What did the children of Girard think about these gifts?
“We presented the books during the children’s sermon at the Girard worship service that marked the one-year anniversary of the fire. It was an emotional service. A lot of the emotions for the congregation came back to the surface as they re-lived the pain and joy of the last year. It was very exciting to see the the faces of the children when I surprised them with the gift from our children. When I announced that we had hoped to purchase 15-20 books but instead ended up with over 70 books to donate, there was an audible gasp, followed by many smiles and tears throughout the congregation.”
“After the service, one of the members from Girard came up to me to express her gratitude to our church for this gift. She introduced herself as the “superintendent of Sunday School.” She explained that she had been concerned about gathering resources for Sunday School, and she had been looking for books to purchase. In her Amazon cart, she had two books that she wanted to purchase, but she hadn’t done so yet because of the cost. The two books she was waiting to purchase were Be Kind, which is the one I read during the children’s sermon, and another one called ‘Maybe God is Like that Too,’ which is the other book I had held up because it too had gotten a lot of votes after we read it during our Sunday School.”
What lessons can be learned from the children’s efforts at Wayside?
“People appreciate when they can do something. We prayed for Girard each week, but our folks jumped at a call to action, a chance to give and do something meaningful and memorable. We said that we hoped Wayside’s favorite stories became Girard’s favorite stories. We hoped this would be a gift that would keep on giving.”
What about the joy of receiving these gifts?
“Immediately following the service, one of the members came up to look through the books and talk to me about the gifts. She said she hadn’t realized that other churches were continuing to talk about and pray for them every week. Dr. Oyler, Head Presbyter for the Presbytery of Lake Erie, had greeted the congregation during that service and mentioned that he talks about the Girard church at nearly every church he visits, and I had mentioned during the children’s sermon that we continue to offer them up during our Prayers of the Congregation every week.”
“We talked about how it felt weird for her congregation to be receiving so much over the last year. I explained that I have a child who was very sick for a time, and we were given a lot during that time by people from our congregation and beyond, and it was difficult for me as well to be the receiver of so much, but I kept telling myself to allow others the joy of giving, and I promised that I would do my best to pay it forward some day. She said that she has noticed that her congregation has changed over the last year, and that they will most certainly be a congregation of action, of doing things for others more so than before the fire. They too will be paying it forward for years to come. She is sure of it. They are forever changed.”
What is the message to all?
“Stories are powerful. The sharing of stories builds bridges and makes connections. Pay attention when there is a call to action, when you have a chance to act. When that action involves making connections to others, even better. In the immediate aftermath of a tragedy, people are eager to act immediately, but sometimes it is valuable to wait for an opportunity that comes later when an idea comes up that will have a lasting impact.”
The following is a Q & A with the Pastor of the Girard church, Rev. Nicola Vittelo:
What is your take-away from the children’s efforts to support the Girard Church?
“It’s a touching example of generosity, especially as the idea came from youth. In our digital age it’s nice to still see a value on picture books.”
Can you describe what this past year has been like for you?
“It’s very challenging to do all that I normally do as a pastor in conjunction with all that’s happened. Nearly every day there is an e-mail or call that in some way is a result of the fire and so it’s something I have to think about and figure out what to do with that info/request. My stress level has thankfully come down. It’s still odd to drive by the church grounds and see nothing there.”
Explain the process of moving forward after such a devastating fire?
“Thanks to the generosity of Lake City Presbyterian and local funeral director Dan Edder the church was given a temporary home and an office space. It took awhile to become operational in a new church building and office and to figure out how to do the programs/activities we had done before in a new space. In some cases, we have utilized other church buildings that have offered space for church events. After interviewing a few contractors, the Session hired BSI to do the project. A Building Team of 6 church members was created to meet with BSI regularly and work on a design of the new building. Sub-committees of the Building Team were formed for various areas in the church and they had and will continue to have input into those areas when the Building Team tells them input is needed on something.”
What is the status for rebuilding the Girard church?
“The overall plan of the new building is coming together. It’s had to be shrunk to lower costs and effort is still going on to do that to bring the final cost more in line with what insurance will pay and what’s been fund-raised. Soil testing continues on the grounds and the engineers from BSI are evaluating that. There was hope there would be a ground-breaking this fall but that will not occur. Too much still has to be done and there would not be enough time before winter to get all that done and start construction. This is such a unique opportunity and we want to take the time to do this right.”
What are the biggest challenges that you face?
“One is the need for patience as church members and those in the community keep asking “when will construction start?” I have reminded the congregation of 2 PCUSA churches near where I grew up which both had fires. One took 4 years to rebuild and the other is still in the process which they estimate will be 4 years. A second is continuing to try to lower the cost while also making sure we can build what we need. A third is the yielding to representative government in the sense of the Session and Building Team making many of the decisions. Everyone in the congregation cannot have input on every single aspect of the new building and that’s hard because everyone has their own idea of what it should look like, what’s important, etc…”
What can the community do to support the Girard church?
“Beyond prayer, financial contributions continue to be needed to help cover what insurance won’t. Checks can be mailed to PO Box 106, Girard, PA 16417. A Go Fund Me page for the church can be accessed from the church website girardpc.org
How is the Spirit working within this congregation and its community to move into the future?
“The church developed a mission statement and is going to start having conversations about how to implement it. The elders and I have been reading ‘Canoeing the Mountains,’ a book that talks about Christian leadership in uncharted territory. We’ve had conversations about what is our purpose, what is the new building for, and how can it be an aid to the community.”
As the Girard church and community continue to make progress on rebuilding a new house of worship, Rev. Vitiello is concerned the actual cause of the fire will never be known because of the intensity of the fire and that too is a challenge in not having closure. But what truly surprises Rev. Vitiello most, is the on-going generosity of others. “The generosity from so many people and groups and the fact that this continues more than a year after the fire,” said Vitiello. “It’s the kind of generosity that has a lasting impact.”
From the pages of a most beloved book, not only did the children of Wayside Presbyterian listen to the lesson on generosity found in ‘The Giving Tree,’ they put it into action. With support from others including children, the Girard church is benefiting from those with generous hearts. Giving the people of the Girard congregation support and encouragement to help them move forward in faith.
