“You’re gonna fix it, aren’t you?” the Rev. Mauri Peaco said people would ask her about the interior water damage at St. Paul United Church of Christ.

The church recently finished renovations on its interior, Church Council moderator Mike Kelso said. Renovations included fixing water damage to the roof and plaster on the walls, as well as maintaining the stained glass windows.

“The windows, when we got those all done, it kind of made a very drastic difference in the appearance of the inside of the church,” member Joe Pruitt said.

The renovation was planned because the church began having issues with a leaky roof. The church would patch up the damage, but it would recur every time it rained.

“And knowing that with the new roof and that work in there that we’re set for a while,” Kelso said. “Barring disaster, which we know can hit at any time.”

The renovation has been in the works for about two and a half years after hail damaged the church, Kelso said.

Seeing the work finished was “just kind of a big weight lifted off,” Pruitt said.

The project, which cost about $28,000, was funded through church donations and fundraisers, such as concerts, suppers and quilt raffles.

The interior plasterwork was paid for with memorial money honoring Esther “Cherry” McCabria, Mike Kelso’s mother-in-law. 

St. Paul United Church of Christ originally opened its doors in 1868, with its current sanctuary opening in 1913, Kelso said. 

The two designs on the church’s stained glass are not unique to the church itself. Kelso said that the design is found in many churches built around the same as St. Paul.

“We’ve had ministers that have come here and said, ‘That was in the church I grew up in,’” Kelso said.

The 20 to 30 member congregation saw the completed renovations for the first time last week, Kelso said. 

The renovations made a drastic difference in the appearance of the church, Pruitt said.

“I mean, all the colors came through a lot more vibrant. And just, you know, it made it a much more uplifting place,” Pruitt said.

Despite having a smaller congregation than in the past, the church is “open and alive,” Kelso said.

Pruitt shared a similar sentiment. 

“We’re still here. We’re still able to get stuff done, and we’re kind of turning a new direction after things like that, trying to get everything back on its feet again,” Pruitt said.

Reach reporter Caroline Zimmerman at [email protected].

***This story has been corrected to clarify how the church was damaged.

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