PORT McNEILL—St. John Gualbert Anglican Church is getting a new roof this summer, but the distinctive A-frame construction will remain once the $120,000 project is completed.
After hosting a series of fund-raisers and tearing out the rotting breezeway connecting the nearly 50-year-old church to the adjacent A-Frame Bookstore, members of the church society have a construction crew on site rebuilding an expanded breezeway and making plans for a brand new cedar-shake roof on the church.
The refurbished church, which welcomed new pastor Wade Allen on June 1, will also feature new electrical wiring and heating.
"It's a whole new program," said Craig Murray, who has helped spearhead the project. "We want to get people comfortable with it again."
The church was originally built in 1963 and has become a historical marker for the town, having hosted numerous weddings, christenings and other memorable events for residents.
The new shake roof will cover the existing rafter system, and will be enhanced by a pair of new crosses, one on each side.
The church property includes a garden and a companion building with offices, a kitchen and the bookstore, which doubles as a bible study room for children's lessons. A new breezeway, with an expanded addition, is currently under construction, with work on the church roof slated to begin in July.
The bookstore remains open during construction, from noon-4 p.m. from Tuesday through Saturday, with an evening opening each Monday from 6-8 p.m.