New preservation fund set up to protect iconic Red Church and … – Union Democrat

St. James Episcopal Church, the architectural icon and tourism magnet at the top of North Washington Street in Sonora, underwent more than $250,000 in upgrades completed in 2019 and it was money well-spent.

The Red Church came through this past winters storms with minimal damage thanks to its upgraded steeple, roof tiles, and repainted exterior walls. But all that work was paid for by private donations.

Regular upkeep, maintenance, and repairs on the church building, which dates to 1860, and the parish hall, which dates to the early 1900s, and the church grounds, can run to $3,000 to $4,000 a month.

So, the nonprofit church has partnered with the Sonora Area Foundation to create a new Historic Red Church and Parish Hall Preservation Fund to defray those costs.

The church and foundation are coordinating with the Sonora Chamber of Commerce and Visit Tuolumne County to help promote public understanding of the need for preserving one of the most recognizable buildings in the city and Tuolumne County.

Mary Lynn Ashburn, who oversees the churchs business side as bishops warden, took time on April 21 to show some of the most glaring examples of unrepaired damage and deterioration of the churchs parish hall.

The hall hosts weekly events that benefit homeless individuals and low-income families, as well as annual Christmas events for the needy and for the entire community.

Ashburn pointed out rotting wood and peeling paint on the underside of the hall portico on Snell Street, which she said is pervasive on the portico structure and its support pillars. She pointed out where pieces of tree limbs and other debris are still on a part of the halls roof, remnants of recent winter storms.

On the Wyckoff Street side of the building, Ashburn pointed to more rotting wood and peeling paint on a corner of the halls roof, and more repairs needed on the side that faces North Washington Street, including roof work, roof paint, and replacement of an exterior stairway thats been condemned since before 2013.

Ashburn also showed where a retaining wall and a heavy, metal safety railing on another end of the hall deteriorated and fell in 2015. The railing is still on the ground, and broken edges of concrete are unrepaired.

While upgrades to the churchs steeple, roof, and exterior walls helped protect it from this winters storms, the powerful, bomb cyclone storms of March took out a historic lamp fixture outside the church. Replacing the lamp will cost a minimum estimated $1,500 and because the church and its grounds are historic properties under strict preservation requirements, the loss of the storm-damaged lamp may require replacement of two other undamaged lamps, for a total cost approaching $5,000 or more.

Inside the hall, Ashburn exchanged hugs with Theresa Bowers, 66, who comes to the Red Church some Fridays for prayers and food offerings provided by the nonprofit Lighthouse Ministries. With support from the church and other nonprofits, Bowers has recently transitioned from unstable housing situations, including a series of trailers, to a new apartment for seniors.

At a table in the hall, Bobby Richey, Kathy Fascilla and Lani Farley held hands in a prayer circle with Pastor Don Sullivant of Lighthouse Ministries.

This building has been such a blessing to help heal this community, Sullivant said. Thats what this church is all about, and thats what Lighthouse Ministries is all about. Helping and healing.

June Nielsen, a volunteer for 11 years with Lighthouse Ministries, helped out in the hall on April 21 making coffee, soup and sandwiches for the homeless, low-income families, and anyone else in need.

Nielsen also opened the Lighthouse Ministries food pantry in the hall for people who need help.

The Historic Red Church and Parish Hall Preservation Fund will allow the church to pay for repairs, maintenance, and general upkeep of church property without dipping into the churchs general operating account, which is extremely limited, Ashburn said.

The Sonora Chamber of Commerce will help the church raise the initial $5,000 required to open the Historic Red Church and Parish Hall Preservation Fund, and it will ask chamber members to contribute, Ashburn said. The church will need to actively fundraise and promote the existence of the new fund.

The Red Church is also considering letting the public know more about how its an active church by publishing and promoting its events and times of religious services.

We believe that having our community events better publicized will let people know that we are active and in the long term will attract new membership, Ashburn said in a recent report to a church committee. We often hear people say they didnt know there were services in the Red Church. If our name is more familiar, people should pay more attention to our religious events as well.

Other groups that use the hall and grounds include the nonprofit Give Someone a Chance, which brings a shower bus for homeless individuals in a church parking lot every Friday.

Give Someone a Chance will soon offer a laundry bus, Ashburn said. As many as 30 people a week come out for the shower bus during warmer months.

In addition, Tuolumne County members of the National Association of Mental Illness hold monthly meetings at the hall that draw 20 to 30 people each time, Ashburn said.

Sonora High School seniors are planning an art exhibit in the hall May 7. A popular Poetry Out Loud event was staged there in February. Other events at the church include Sonoras annual Christmas Caroling and Tree Lighting.

Given that so many people in need already rely on the Red Church and its properties at North Washington and Snell streets, and that so many tourism-oriented businesses in downtown Sonora already rely on the widely recognized building, Ashburn hopes the new Historic Red Church and Parish Hall Preservation Fund will help it remain an icon for future generations of residents and visitors.

I pray that this will be a way to ensure that our beloved church building will be an active part of the Sonora community as the light on the hill for many years, Ashburn said.

For more information about St. James Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin visit http://www.diosanjoaquin.org.

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New preservation fund set up to protect iconic Red Church and ... - Union Democrat