A River Ran Through It
So, I know the women from the Prayer and Memorial Garden committee wanted a water feature added to the garden, but this was a little overkill. The 18 inch water main that broke on Thursday, July 8 under Knott Road sent a river of water flooding through the Food Forest, into the sanctuary, kitchen, and fellowship hall and all the way down into the Prayer and Memorial Garden. In places the water was over 2 feet deep.
Lots of helping hands…
Thankfully, many members, sheriff’s deputies, search and rescue crews, at least one mail man, and a jogger or two pitched in to save much of the furniture, instruments, and sound system. The major damage was to carpet, the first few feet of drywall and planting boxes in the orchard.
The Real Damage…
Many community service projects are based out of Nativity such as the now damaged Food Forest and our Food Pantry that feeds over 500 people a month. Insurance will allow us to rebuild the building, but our ability to serve our community has been greatly challenged. Families who have recently lost jobs, are trying to get by each month, and need a helping hand are the people who really suffer when something like this happens. There’s no insurance when unemployment runs out or state services are being cut.
The Good News…
While it is going to be a challenge in the short term, the Nativity community has never been about a building. We are about serving the community by advocating for justice and inclusion for the marginalized in society. That can’t be washed away or damaged by water. We will do our best to make sure that the ministries of Nativity are able to continue and that those who count on our community for help and partnership will not be left out in the cold.
What’s Next…
This Sunday, and for the foreseeable future, we will worship at Trinity Episcopal Church in downtown Bend in St. Helen’s Hall. Worship will be at 9:30 am and the choir will meet at 8:30 am to rehearse and prepare their piece for the service. The Circle will not meet this week. We are working on getting the office number transfered to a cell phone so that we can answer questions and concerns.
More to come…
As details are worked out this weekend, we will update you via the Web site and facebook. For now, the only volunteer work needed is in the Food Forest and Memorial Garden. Volunteers will gather Saturday morning to work in those places. A professional disaster cleanup company is doing the work inside. The timeline being talked about today was 6 weeks. As staff and council talk and make plans, we will update the Web site. If you know someone who doesn’t access the internet or regularly check church emails, please take the initiative to call them and keep them up to date. We’re counting on you all to help keep communication healthy and thorough during this time. Thanks and keep tuned in…
-Bjorn, Assistant for Communications
c.bjorn.peterson@gmail.com
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