EASTHAMPTON — In 1940, Fran Root’s parents were married at the Easthampton Congregational Church on Main Street. Two years later, Root was baptized there.
He knows about its history. In 1852, when the current church building was being constructed, it caught fire — twice, Root said. Twenty years later, the steeple collapsed. It was no surprise, then, that following a messy ceiling collapse earlier this year in the next-door Fellowship Hall, members would rebuild. On Sunday, about 50 people gathered to mark the reopening of the repaired building.
In April, about 80 to 100 church members had gathered in the Fellowship Hall for refreshments following service. They filtered out, and sometime afterward, the ceiling in the hall collapsed.
A custodian discovered the damage the next day, and the Rev. Sherry Tucker got a call.
“I had a mental picture of maybe one little corner being cut and torn down,” she said, “and then when I saw it with my own eyes, I could barely believe it.”
Pictures show four feet of insulation piled high, and Tucker said there was dust everywhere.
“I think the overwhelming emotion here at the church was just very thankful that it happened when no one was here,” she said.
After the incident, the community responded. The following Sunday, the First Congregational Church of Southampton hosted a joint service, and the entire offering that day went to Easthampton, Tucker said.
In the months that followed, members were more concerned about getting the Fellowship Hall reopened than looking back, Tucker said.
“Our members have been very determined that we were going to rebuild and that it was going to be better than ever,” Tucker said. “I didn’t find people being ‘oh, we should’ve done this; we should’ve done that’. It was very ‘who are we going to get to fix it and how are we going to get it fixed?’ It’s kind of a can-do type church.”
Tucker wouldn’t say what led up to the incident, saying only the cause wasn’t neglect on the church’s part. She said the church is still going back-and-forth with insurers. Kirby Detmers, a church trustee, was hesitant to put a dollar figure on the damage, but said several church members donated time to its repair.
Easthampton Electrical Service completed the electrical work in the Fellowship Hall, waiving about $17,000 in labor costs, Tucker said.
So on Sunday, the smell of fresh yellow paint hit visitors as they walked through the doors. New ceiling tiles, light fixtures and crown molding define the revamped space.
Tucker spoke to the 50 people who had gathered in the hall.
“Our congregation is full of grit, determination and an unshakable belief that with God’s help, we could bring this hall back to life,” she said. “Today we celebrate the fact that this vision has come to reality.”
She said the Fellowship Hall is back in business, where members will host community meals, its monster tag sale, chili dinners and more.
“So much can go on in this hall,” Tucker said.
As for Fran Root, he said that while he had a life-long connection to the church, he had strayed away at points. A few years ago, the 74-year-old started coming back, he said.
“I’ve found it much more welcoming to everybody,” Root said. “That sign out front saying everyone is welcome — that’s true.”
Services are held at 10 a.m. every Sunday.