New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Derby church finally gets new steeple
DERBY — The steeple on top of the Second Congregational Church was damaged when Hurricane Gloria swept through the city in 1985.
The church had to remove it, leaving behind a stubby base where it once stood.
But the church finally replaced the structure on Saturday, more than 35 years after the hurricane damaged it. The installation comes as the church emerges from another calamity in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pastor Larry Crasilli said the new steeple will inspire the faithful.
“The Bible calls about being a beacon. Jesus said we’re a light on the hill; well, that steeple is going to help us be just a little brighter,” Crasilli said.
The steeple is also indicative of how far the church has come over the decades and through the pandemic, he said.
The pastor said that when he started at the church around 10 years ago, the congregation only had six members. He admitted the church came close to shutting its doors. Now the church has around 30 parishioners. When the pandemic swept through the city, the church closed its doors for just two weeks.
While declining or static membership is a problem for many churches, Crasilli saw it as a blessing in disguise, making social distancing that much easier.
“We were blessed not to have 100 people in our church,” he said.
The new steeple is 40 feet high, according to Crasilli, and was shipped from Pennsylvania. Treasurer David Wilkinson said on Friday that the installation was expected to take an entire working day to finish, but that’s lightning fast compared to the time it took to get it replaced.
When the steeple was damaged by the hurricane in 1985, Wilkinson said he believes that a previous minister saved the insurance payout and invested it, where the funds grew until the church could use it to replace the structure.
Neither Crasilli or Wilkinson were involved with the church in 1985.
Wilkinson said that the congregation was finally ready to get it fixed. “We felt it was now time,” he said.
Wilkinson said he didn’t want fiberglass constructed steeples because he said the structure would clash with the aesthetics of the church. He declined to say how much the church paid for the steeple.
Mayor Rich Dziekan said he was glad the church will finally replace the structure.
“We’re happy to see the restoration of this beautiful steeple that was damaged in 1985 by Hurricane Gloria. The skyline overlooking the Derby Green is historically significant for so many reasons and this steeple will further contribute to its glory,” Dziekan said.
Crasilli said the restoration was proof that God heard the prayers of the congregation when the church struggled to stay afloat.
“I told the church when we were smaller, as it grew, you're going to see God's hand move, because we were small enough to see prayers answered,” Crasilli said.