No good deed goes unpunished, as the old saying goes. To their dismay, members of All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church on the corner of Hope and Main streets in downtown Greenfield experienced their own version of this maxim following well-intentioned efforts to bring in extra money by renovating church space for rental by an outside group.
All Souls is a social justice-oriented congregation with a small membership but a big presence in the community. In addition to Sunday services, its ministries include hosting AA groups, recitals and concerts, community forums, an annual anti-racism film festival, many economic and green justice initiatives, and the Stone Soup Cafe, which provides a weekly Saturday lunch to 90 to 150 guests on a pay-as-you-can basis, and caters the Free Harvest Supper in August.
The crisis began innocently. According to an All Souls Church press release in early September, “Acting with good intentions,” Kirsten Levitt, executive chef and director of the church’s Stone Soup Cafe, said, “a group of volunteers tried to renovate a small classroom in the basement, which had been damaged by water and mold. Typically, this type of work does not require a permit, as confirmed by Greenfield’s Building Inspector (Mark Snow).” Nonetheless, the inspector became involved when volunteers, using saws and tools, created smoke and dust that set off the fire alarm, triggering a sequence of events leading to closure of the structure due to the discovery of asbestos contamination.
As owners of older home learn when it comes time to sell, asbestos remediation is expensive and can only be undertaken by licensed contractors. Thus began All Souls’ crash course in local and state regulations. Older churches, take heed: Lessons learned include the sobering reminder that unseen hazards such as asbestos and lead paint need to be addressed ahead of planned re-uses of older buildings, a category that includes all historic churches, of which there are many in Franklin County.
Others lessons, happily, are more uplifting. The All Souls congregation was graced with generous support by the community. Thanks to the generosity of the Goldsher family, Sunday services were held at the Pushkin Art Gallery and the Stone Soup Cafe was hosted by Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center; AA meetings were held at the Grapevine. This is the kind of response Franklin County is famous for. When, in 1978, the Trinitarian Congregational Church of Northfield burned to the ground, Northfield Mount Hermon School immediately offered its Sage Chapel for services. Similarly, when the United Congregational Church of Conway was destroyed by a tornado in 2017, the congregation found a temporary home in the Conway Grammar School library.
Tragedies have a way of bringing out the best in people.
On Oct. 20, All Souls celebrated Homecoming Sunday as services re-commenced in their own sanctuary. But the threat is not over. Remediation costs came to around $32,000 — a huge figure on top of a budget so slim, its services are currently lay-led. Members are planning fundraisers to help the church pay back a $20,000 loan it had to obtain to pay for the costs of abatement and remediation. Currently, there is an online Faithify campaign that goes through Oct. 31. The goal is $17,000; to date, $6,475 has been raised — 38 percent of the goal. Supporters can make their donation at https://bit.ly/2kwQzMQ.
Additionally, a tag sale is set for today from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at All Souls Church.
We urge readers to come to All Souls’ aid in their time of great need.