It’s over 400 ft’ tall, beautiful, historic, empty and leaky. Lafayette Ave. Presbyterian Church‘s tower never really served a purpose other than looking good, and now it is causing us a headache. Setting up scaffolding and doing the repairs will cost around $30,000. This is may be a small amount of money for some organizations, but it is not for us.
Our status as a National Historic Landmark should help–eventually. It has allowed us to apply for and receive a preservation grant from the state’s environmental protection fund, as well as historic tax credits. All of these monies, of course, require other monies to be spent. While we are hopeful that the contingencies attached to these monies can soon be set, at the moment our historic designation has only served to slow down the permitting process, not to provide cash for tower.
We’re not the only ones with this headache, mind you. Our friends at First Presbyterian Church have had to put a lot of time and money into their tower, which had begun losing bricks. Their repair was much more expensive.
If you were a decision maker at our church, what would you do? As a commenter on my facebook page pointed out, the money we spend could build a playground in a Buffalo neighborhood that lacks one. It could be used for the one on our property, which certainly would benefit from the attention. Money like that could build a home, dig a well, buy medicine, or launch a small business.
Of course the reality is that if the leak is not fixed, the damage can quickly go from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands.
Are we experiencing Karma? Though the the word is not often used in the Christian tradition, the idea is still there: Paul wrote: “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow.” (Galatians 6:7) Certainly, the people who built this tower could not have imagined it would be impermeable forever. If I am going to receive the blessings that comes from that history (and I do) I should also be willing to receive the responsibility that goes with them.
We’re going to fix the leak, and find a way to pay for it. You should see the scaffolding soon. We’re also going to keep loving poor people, and clean up our playground.
If I had a time machine, the church would have made many different choices, leaving us with more money for the neighborhood, and less tower to leak. That said, all of us do the best we can in the situations we find ourselves in. Suppose you were in our shoes: What would you do, and why?
Finally, two quick plugs. In addition to my usual Sunday gigs, at 10am and 6pm, on the corner of Lafayette and Elmwood, I will also be preaching at the Community observance of Memorial Day on Colonial Circle, 10am on Monday.
And finally, if you want to make a contribution to a tower, a playground, or any other ministry of Lafayette Church, you can give online through our website.