Unitarian Universalist Church in Sangerville, Maine, seeks $25,000 to repair bell tower

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Sangerville and Dover-Foxcroft is a building with a long history. It was built in 1898, and according to Buildings and Grounds Chairperson Lisa Laser, much of it remains original. “We haven’t really done a whole lot to it over the years to change the church,” she said. She added that very few families in Sangerville have no connection to the church over the past hundred years.

About 10 years ago, members began noticing that the tower was shifting slightly, with possible cracks in the walls. Laser said the ringing of the bell was affecting the structure. “The ringing of the bell was actually torqueing the tower,” she said.

Visitors standing beneath the tower can see diagonal cracks in the wall, which Laser said mark the point where the tower is beginning to twist away from the rest of the church. Members decided to stop ringing the bell. They now hope to remove the bell altogether and begin repairs to the tower. The project requires $25,000, and the congregation is asking for the community’s help to raise it.

Worship Committee Chair Rusty Willette described the congregation’s role in the area. “This building and the congregation within it have meant continuity and community for the people here,” he said. He noted that the church’s doors are open not only to people of Sangerville but, technically, to residents of Dover-Foxcroft and surrounding towns as well. A continuity that spans generations, he suggested, is one of the reasons the building matters to local families (Psalm 78:4).

The next fundraiser will be a Saint Patrick’s Day dinner. Church members are confident that the generosity of others will help keep the tower standing for many years to come.

Willette said the church serves people beyond its membership. “This church represents a focus for people to gather whether they are members of this faith or not,” he said. “They count on this place being open and they count on this place being in good shape.”

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