Norfolk church to hold meeting on steeple repair

NORFOLK — The sanctuary of the Church of Christ Congregational, Norfolk, was built in 1813. The church steeple has been an icon of the town for more than 200 years. The chestnut support beams inside the clock tower and several of the exposed columns that support the steeple in the bell tier have serious wood rot and need to be replaced. To accomplish a replacement of these structures, the portion of the steeple above the clock tower, including the bell tier and bells, will have to be removed by a crane. Scaffolding will need to be erected and new beams and columns installed as repairs are made to the upper portion of the steeple while on the ground.

“This will be an unprecedented financial undertaking for our small church which hosts about 80-100 active families,” members said in a written statement. “A preliminary estimate of the cost to perform this work is in excess of $600,000.

“In the congregational faith tradition, all major decisions of the church are made at meetings of the church membership after discussion and a vote of members present. A simple majority is needed for a decision. However, as a community church, we understand that a decision as important as this should not be made without providing the opportunity to all members of the community to provide input and support.”

The Gifts & Finance team of the Church will host a series of informational meetings to review engineering drawings, repair options and cost estimates, and funding options. All interested members of the public are encouraged to attend. The first meeting will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. in the Battell Chapel Dining Room, 12 Village Green, Norfolk.