CHEBOGUE - The giant pot of hot mulled apple cider next to shortbreads and other assorted treats is definitely something to look forward to at the annual Christmas service at the Congregational Church of Chebogue.
But the experience of being together with many others in the unheated church, with music by the Yarmouth Bell Ringers, the Yarmouth Shantymen and Accidental Consort (recorders) also helps provide warmth.
Church trustee Stephen Sollows says the building has had no renovations since being built in 1860, so services are limited to non-electric instruments and candlelight for light.
“It’s turned out to be a real blessing over the years as it’s an opportunity for the community to gather its “unplugged” musicians to provide the music for our programs,” said Sollows.
The Christmas services have been held since 2000. This year’s was held Dec. 9.
“I find many of the same people come to this service year after year, and for many it does make Christmas. It does for me too,” said Sollows.
Saving the church
The church typically holds three services annually: an Easter sunrise service, a thanksgiving or, alternatively, a service of remembering and reflecting on the history of the arrival of English settlers in Yarmouth in 1761, in addition to the Christmas service.
When threatened with closure, community leader Francelia Nagle decided that HER church would not be closed or taken from the community. Each summer she held a service of remembering, telling the story of the early settlers and how their faith helped keep them alive in the early years of settlement.
“I remember the passion she showed then telling this story. She also, I believe, personally paid for the upkeep of the church until her death in the 1990s,” said Sollows.
A summer student keeps the church open for tourists to visit in July and August.
History
Sollows says history plays a big part in the church and organization.
Some summers, a group of members get into 1761 costume and perform a tour through the Old Chebogue Burying Ground, telling stories of the community and those long departed.
“Some would say that the ghosts of those passed even show up, have arguments or are heard laughing in this early cemetery,” says Sollows.
“It can be a very grounding history lesson, particularly if you happen to be born in Yarmouth, as many are rooted in this very ground. Many don’t even know that. In conversations with those in the know, after the tour, guests may suddenly find out that yes their earliest relatives are in fact right beneath their feet.”
Funding
Funds raised through the three annual services help provide seed money for restoration work performed on the old building. In the past year the trustees were able to have the roof re-shingled. This year the church was granted provincial heritage status, which makes it eligible to apply for additional funding towards the maintenance. “There seems to be continued interest within the community to save this church,” says Sollows.
“This is in part due to the history of the church and a deep respect for those who came before us. With so many of these old buildings disappearing, it seems the right thing to do, to save some of them for future generations to see, use and hear of the history of the church and the community that supported it and why.”
More about the Congregational Church of Chebogue
The present church was built in 1860 and closed around 1968. The church, located at the corner of Town Point Road and Chebogue Road, lost its steeple in the 1950s in a lightning strike.
David Sollows, Stephen Sollows, Gary and Judi Archibald, and Pat and Bill McKenzie are all trustees of the Congregational Church of Chebogue Preservation Society
