“
People have
done things that we
didn’t even ask for.
It shows people are
thinking and caring
about us.
”
fund can send donations to the church at P.O. Box 106,
Girard, PA 16417.
A NEW BEGINNING
Although no final plans for the new church building
have been determined, the church is planning to
rebuild on the same site according to Vitiello, but the
congregation is approaching the project thoughtfully
and prayerfully.
“It’s a rare opportunity to get to rebuild a church—to
think through and come up with a plan,” he explains.
“It’s a church that will serve present and future
congregations and the community, and hopefully will
be there for a long time. It’s a lot to think about.”
The church leadership is planning to hold
congregational listening sessions on specific topics
within the planning process to give the congregation
the opportunity to provide input on the project. The
Board of Elders will then consider the input along
with other factors to make decisions that will guide the
project. Vitiello says the church will have a building
team that assists with the Board of Elders, working
directly with contractors on the day-to-day details
of the building project. The immediate need is to
complete demolition and clean up before winter.
Although there is still much to do, as Vitiello looks
back over the weeks since July 22, the congregation has
already made a great deal of progress.
“At some level, it can be overwhelming, but
we’ve done a lot in two months,” he says. “It’s like a
1,000-piece puzzle that you work on a little each day.” n
12
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