August 1st posting to Facebook after receiving confirmation of images seen on July 24th.
It is heartbreaking to think of the loss of our sanctuary where we opened our doors for worship on a Sunday morning, and gathered for music concerts, special worship services, book studies, and Advent and Lent studies. It was the sacred space of remembering and celebrating the lives of those who had gone before us. It was for us at JUC a place of heaven on earth. The loss of the church is also the loss of the thrift store where there was always a special treasure waiting for all who entered, a community hub of volunteers and a place of hope for those in great need. The McCready Center, the first build of the new church, offered space for so much in the community – Embers and Girl Guides, shelter for so many school trips, family celebrations, teas and gatherings on Sunday morning following church. Jasper United Church was a place of welcome and community for all. The manse, that once stood beside the church, was also destroyed in the fire. It served to house those who were called to serve the church. It was a beautiful home with ample space and beautifully cared for by members of the church. The first year I was there, when the beautiful elk and deer wanted to feast on my small garden, in no time at all Wayne, Bob and Don (and a few others who came to lend a hand) had erected an extension on the fence to keep my garden safe. Then last summer Ann spent several days staining the deck and the fence, in her happy place of serving with a paintbrush in hand. I could tell so many stories and this would be just in the last three years. If the ashes could speak they would tell stories of a manse well cared for through the years because it mattered to the folks of Jasper United Church that their minister was well cared for. That's just who they are. Our hearts ache, not yet able to fully take it all in. As a people of faith, we turn to the God of our hope for strength and courage in the days, weeks and months to come. By this hope, we will find our way to being a place of community for all once again. But first, we take time to lament, we sit in the unknown of Holy Saturday trusting in the promise that is the Easter of our faith. From death, new life is given. |
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The rescue of hikers!
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Jasper’s church leaders reflect on their sense of devastation and loss in the wake of the wildfires — and on what gives them hope www.canadianaffairs.news/2024/08/11/pain-and-tears-jasper-loses-two-of-its-five-churches-in-wildfires/
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After posting about my tour of Jasper on the Evacuees FB page, I was invited for an interview with Jessica Ng from CBC radio-active segment on August 9th. You can listen here: www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-52-radio-active/clip/16086939-view-bus?share=true
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