The Murray United Church group has raised about $115,000 of its $180,000 goal to rebuild the historic church that was set on fire last January (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

MURRAY UNITED CHURCH FIRE

Group working to rebuild Murray United Church in Merritt inching closer to fundraising goal

Jan 24, 2020 | 4:01 PM

KAMLOOPS — Images of the historic Murray United Church in Merritt burning down last January are still etched in people’s minds.

“The first two weeks after it burned down, it was anger and sadness,” said board chair of the Murray United Church Linda Baird.

The church was intentionally set in the early morning hours of Jan. 11, 2019 — one of three church blazes in the Merritt area set by an arsonist, according to Merritt RCMP. Evidence of the fire is still visible at the old church site today, including the bell that’s cracked and unsalvageable.

But since the fire, members of the church board like Baird have been working towards rebuilding. An architect has already sketched out a drawing of the new church, which will look almost identical to the old one with a few more bells and whistles.

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The church group has a goal of $180,000 and currently sits at about $115,000.

“It was slow-going at first because the GoFundMe page got started a little bit late,” said fundraising coordinator Christina Miller. “But then come fall, we picked up a little bit, and then we got our big $50,000 anonymous donation in November and that just seems to have sparked an onslaught of people, not only in Merritt but all over Canada contacting us to make donations.”

The group, which is associated with the Trinity United Church in downtown Merritt, is also raising funds by selling off pieces of the chimney from the 143-year-old church. They are calling it the ‘Buy A Brick’ program, requiring a minimum $50 donation.

“The chimney was the only thing standing after the church fire, and so once it crumbled in a windstorm one of the church members took all the bricks and had them stored in their yard,” noted Miller. “We thought it was a good idea to sell virtual brick as a way of fundraising in lieu of a Christmas gift.”

A plaque will then be put up in the new church in honour of a loved one. Beyond the $180,000 fundraising goal, the Murray United Church has secured commitments from volunteers to do some work.

“We have an electrician on board. People to do the stained glass,” said Baird. “We’ve already got an organ to replace the one that went up in fire, and pews.”

The Murray United Church, built in 1876, burned down Jan. 11, 2019 (Image Credit: Contributed)

The timeline of the rebuild at the old church site will all depend on how fast the donations come in. Board members are hoping shovels are in the ground in the next year with the church re-opening some time in 2021.

To make a donation towards the Murray United Church rebuild, you can visit the GoFundMe page here.