Uniontown church provides The Journey with temporary destination after fire
Kelly Tunney | Herald-Standard
Wanda Yekel of Servpro, a fire and water restoration company, wipes smoke residue off a sign that reads “For where two or three gather in my name I am with them,” a quote from the book of Matthew. The Journey church was displaced from its usual home last week because of a fire next door and held services in the basement of Trinity United Presbyterian Church up the street.
The Journey church on West Fayette Street was displaced last week when a fire at the liquor store next door caused smoke damage.
Kelly Tunney | Herald-Standard
Trinity United Presbyterian pastor Jim Gear explains that his church welcomed the displaced congregation, disputing that the act of charity was noteworthy at all, as any church should have done the same.
Kelly Tunney | Herald-Standard
Meg Thompson (left), secretary of Trinity United Presbyterian Church and a member of The Journey, along with Jenna Gregor, the wife of The Journey’s pastor, connected the two churches.
Kelly Tunney | Herald-Standard
Thomas Provance cleans off the framework of the dropped ceiling in the sanctuary of The Journey, after the church was displaced by smoke damage because of a fire next door.
When members of one city church were displaced because of a fire, a neighboring church answered the call so that its congregants could continue to gather.
Those who attend The Journey, a nondenominational church on West Fayette Street, had no place to gather when a fire last week at the state liquor store building that houses their meeting area caused enough smoke damage to close the building indefinitely, said church secretary Jenna Smalley Gregor.
Neighboring Trinity United Presbyterian Church opened its doors, allowing members to use Trinity’s fellowship hall for Sunday morning services and inviting Journey members to a coffee social in its chapel at noon.
”It just showed us that (Trinity) wanted to see God’s work move forward in Uniontown even if it was maybe at the expense of their convenience a little bit,” Gregor said.
“What motivated us was that part of our mission here at Trinity is that we are more connected with churches and the community,” said Trinity Pastor Jim Gear. “And for us, it was a no-brainer. Here’s a way we can be connected with another church that’s very close to us.”
The fire appeared to start on a rear porch at about 11:15 p.m. on Feb. 22, and officials said Fine Wine & Good Spirits, which shares the building with The Journey, will be closed until mid-April. The Uniontown Fire Department said Tuesday that it has not yet been determined whether the fire was suspicious in nature. Gregor said Tuesday that Servpro restoration workers had indicated The Journey members might be allowed to return to the building for this Sunday’s services.
Trinity’s move to let The Journey members use its fellowship hall came courtesy of a unanimous vote by the Presbyterian church’s elders, who voted via email Saturday to accommodate The Journey, which Gregor said didn’t find out until Friday that its usual location would be off limits for weekend use until further notice.
“We feel like refugees that have been taken in,” Gregor said.
Trinity’s church secretary, Meg Thompson, attends The Journey and set Trinity’s offer into motion by notifying Gear of The Journey’s need for a place to hold services temporarily, asking if Trinity could help.
“I was thinking, of course, that’s what makes the most sense, and it didn’t even occur to me that this would be anything out of the ordinary,” Thompson said. “I thought, this is the way that it’s supposed to be, and when I mentioned it to the pastor, he also (felt) the same way.”
Thompson emphasized that the church missing even one Sunday morning service could be a spiritual disaster for current and prospective attendees alike.
“So often, you’ll hear stories about how this is one of the only things that’s getting somebody through something that’s really hard,” Thompson said.
“It means so much to us to know our church is not just a building,” Gregor said.
Following the fire, ServPro crew members have been tearing out the ceiling, scrubbing The Journey’s floors and walls.
The Journey was especially vulnerable to a fire-caused interruption in service because of its nondenominational background, Gregor said.
“We don’t have a mother church supporting us,” Gregor said.
The Journey started as a Bible study among Gregor, her husband, Pastor Jared Gregor, and four others, eventually gaining enough attendees to merit meeting at the South Union Volunteer Fire Company hall, putting away Bingo tables before services and reassembling them afterward. A year and a half ago, The Journey leased its current West Fayette Street location and convenes group sessions at the Gregor home, Thompson’s home and the home of The Journey member Donna Galderisi, also holding men’s and women’s breakfasts and Me Too, a support group for those who have experienced infertility or a miscarriage.
Around 80 people call the church home, Gregor said, with approximately 50 to 60 attending on Sundays. Roughly 40 to 50 came to The Journey’s relocated service Sunday, Gregor added.
”I love the fact that I can just walk two blocks down and go into The Journey and worship with them, or they can worship with us,” said Gear, who became pastor at Trinity late last year.
“Us working together is just the natural progression for what should happen,” Gregor said. “(The fire) just gave us the opportunity to do that.”