Many rallied to offset flood damage to Holy Ghost Orthodox Church
By Deb Dawson, Special Writer
MANVILLE — The 50 families of Holy Ghost Orthodox Church at the corner of Roosevelt and 6th Avenue had more than one reason to celebrate St. Nicholas Day.
They were back in their own church after being displaced for several months by Hurricane Irene.
According to financial secretary Sheila Smart, the facility suffered about $220,000 worth of damage.
With the help of volunteers from the town, friends, other individuals and members, Holy Ghost was able to rebuild in time to celebrate Christmas in the church. Father Kenneth Ellis served the first liturgy back in the church Dec. 18.
Weather services gave ample warning. The church had been flooded twice before so parishioners thought they could minimize what was coming. They were ready.
The basement was emptied as best a possible and contents taken up to the choir loft in anticipation of the worst. Parishioners emptied the freezers and dispersed among members the “loan” of pirohi stocked for the upcoming Manville Street Fair. In the end, the kitchen had to be replaced anyway.
”Of course, we did not anticipate that so many homes would be without power for as much as a week and the church without power for three months,” Ms. Smart said.
In the end, the church flooded even more than it did during Hurricane Floyd in September 1999.
”The basement filled up like a giant fish bowl, soaking the electrical panels, kitchen, office and hall,” Ms. Smart said. “The ceiling tiles were turned to mush. To our dismay, 18 inches of water filled our church proper.
”Thankfully, our icon screen and altar are on a raised dais and remained untouched. Our pews, having been in the church over 40 years and two floods, could no longer be salvaged, and the carpeting was soaked. Even the rectory sustained significant water damage on the first floor.”
A dismal sight, but many came to the rescue.
”The help we received was just tremendous,” she said. “Insurance won’t cover contents of a basement. Because of everyone’s help, we were able to get everything back together, including a new kitchen, and get back in by Christmas.”
She added, “The township picked up all the debris we had to throw out. When we called to say we were ready to get rid of our pews, they brought a Dumpster over.”
An electrician, Frank Chupinka, donated his time for the electrical repairs and only charged the church for parts. Several companies offered the church discounts of 10 to 15 percent for anything they had to buy.
Bishop Antony Scharba of St. Sophia’s Chapel in South Bound Brook allowed the parishioners to use his church from September through December.
”With the help of volunteers from the town, friends, other individuals and members of Holy Ghost, we were able to rebuild in time to celebrate Christmas in our church . . . we are very grateful to everyone,” she said.
The insurance company provided about $156,000, and the remainder of the $220,000 came from outside donations.
”We had just enough to take care of it,” Ms. Smart said.
The church hall is ready to be rented and host events. The congregation will offer Lenten soups every Friday throughout Lent, Feb. 24 through April 6. Members will commence the making of pirohi soon.
A “flapjack fundraiser” is planned for 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at Applebee’s restaurant, 640 Promenade Blvd., Bridgewater. Tickets cost $10 for adults and $6 for children and can be purchased at the door.
For information, contact Ms. Smart at 908-281-2176 or Cyndi Ellis at 732-406-2064.