Eulogy for a Kitchen

February 28, 2012

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

Last Sunday afternoon, I received the kind of phone call a minister never wants to get. A woman walking by the church campus called to tell me that the building was on fire.

After speeding over, I opened the west door and was immediately smothered by a dense, searing smoke. The fire department arrived within minutes, as did several alarmed church members. Within an hour, fire fighters had doused the flames and evacuated the smoke, and we were able to enter in and see the devastation for ourselves. The kitchen was a smoldering, melted mass of charred appliances and countertops, and the dining hall was scarred with burns from the infernal heat.

I’ve never written a eulogy for a kitchen before, let alone a room of any kind. But after surveying the damage, my immediate thoughts turned to the innumerable instances that these sacred spaces had served the kingdom of God throughout their lifetimes. The kitchen and dining hall were first built in 1917, when the current sanctuary was built, and then they went through a full renovation in 1979. There’s no way to gauge how many individuals, families, and community groups have passed through those doors, for countless funerals, fellowship dinners, after worship coffees, wedding receptions, fundraisers, and charitable events.

You and I will always have our favorite memories of that space. Among mine will be our annual fall tradition of watching the church “Pie Ladies” (and select “Pie Men!”) turn the kitchen into a three-week pie-making factory, churning out apple pies and crisps with the efficiency of a GM assembly line, along with the comical levity of Lucy and Ethel. I think especially about Esther Bleakly, our long-time funeral luncheon coordinator and pie lady emeritus, whose life we celebrated last October. And I think of the many lovely, committed church members whose faithful stewardship of that space has allowed it to put God’s love into action for nearly one hundred years.

The last official event in our kitchen and dining hall was last Tuesday, when we served hundreds of people at our annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper. Following yet another grand, successful pancake race and worship service, the community gathered together, hungrily devouring stacks of delicious pancakes, and hearty helpings of sausage and scrambled eggs. In all, Cherokee raised $1,105, one of the biggest totals ever, for the two local food pantries. I have to say, if I’m going to live as long as our 95-year old kitchen, I hope to go out making a difference like that!

The kitchen will be a total loss. The dining hall has been severely damaged by heat and smoke, and will require extensive renovation. The Feller Lounge was largely spared, as was the sanctuary. However, there is clear evidence of smoke damage in both of those areas due to the invisible layer of soot that covers every surface. The fire marshall completed his work yesterday, and our insurance adjuster will be coming today, and between them we’ll have a better idea of the exact cause of the fire. For now, the official word is that the cause is “under investigation,” but we can safely say that the fire started in the kitchen, and that foul play is not a suspect.

Even in the midst of our grief, we claim signs of hope. The seasons of Lent and Easter remind us that new life can emerge from the ashes, and we can therefore be grateful for many reasons.

• We give thanks for Amber Harper, a regular attendee of St. Paul’s, who happened to be walking past the church campus and noticed the unusual smoke from the kitchen. Had the fire gone even one more hour unreported, we may have lost the sanctuary, too.
  

• We give thanks for the amazing work of our Cherokee Fire Department. They responded quickly and responsibly, putting the fire out and removing the smoke. They also related to those of us observing helplessly on the sidelines with both concern for our safety and an attentiveness to our feelings. Keith Willis would be proud. And, in a way, I believe he is.
  

• We give thanks that no one was in the church when the fire started, and that no one was injured in putting it out.
  

• We give thanks that you all maintain the discipline of shutting all the doors to all the rooms when you leave for the day. That prevented more oxygen from feeding the fire and spreading it to other rooms throughout the campus.
  

• We give thanks that we are fully insured, with church member Ken Slater serving as our local agent. He was on the ball first thing Monday morning, clicking the insurance process into gear for us to move quickly toward assessment and recovery.
  

• We give thanks that this wonderful Cherokee community has already expressed its concern and support for St. Paul’s. Dr. John Chalstrom has offered the Washington High School auditorium for our use should we deem it necessary to worship there while the soot is cleaned from the sanctuary. And Rev. Ethan Sayler has offered the use of Memorial Presbyterian’s kitchen and fellowship hall whenever we need it, especially for funeral luncheons.
  

• We give thanks that this congregation has already agreed on a clear path toward what the new kitchen and dining hall will look like. As part of our recent capital campaign, we went through a comprehensive process working with our architect to draw up plans for a new kitchen, with state-of-the-art appliances, along with a new beverage service area and dish return / washing station. We will revisit those plans and make necessary adjustments, buoyed by the knowledge that our insurance money will allow us to make those drawings an imminent reality. “The vision awaits the time,” the prophet Habakkuk says. And now is the time to give future generations of this church a kitchen and dining hall that will put God’s love into action for decades to come.
  

One of the first pieces that the fire fighters recovered was a picture of Rev. and Mrs. Schuldt. Victor was the pastor of this church during the 1960s, and is as cherished a pastor in the collective memory of this congregation as J.E. Feller, his predecessor. It is in his memory that the Schuldt Dining Hall was renamed during its renovation in 1979.

I spent some time looking at that picture of the Shuldts yesterday. The glass is broken, the matte singed, but the picture is essentially preserved, save for a few soot marks. I said to the picture, “Well, Victor, I never knew you. But I’m sure privileged to follow in your footsteps. And guess what? You’re going to get a new dining hall soon!”

Do you want to know the thing I’m grateful for the most coming out of Sunday? It’s the unbridled spirit of optimism and grit that so many of you have displayed over the past 24 hours. So many of you have called and stopped by, ready to work, itchy to clear out the debris, and ready to put the tragedy behind us. In due time, we’ll get to work. The Trustees and Building Committee will meet very soon to craft a strategy for moving forward. And when we do, I know we’ll all be in lock-step together, claiming God’s promise to us in Isaiah 43:

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

Grace and Peace,

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
Email: mdevega@sp-umc.org




SHARE WITH ME YOUR FAVORITE DINING HALL MEMORIES
As part of the sermon this Sunday, I would like to share many of your favorite memories of the kitchen and dining hall. Your stories will help us grieve our loss, and anticipate brighter days ahead. Please email them to me at mdevega@sp-umc.org.

POSSIBLE CHANGE OF VENUE THIS SUNDAY
We hope to hear word by Wednesday from Service Masters whether or not our sanctuary will be cleaned and ready for worship this Sunday. If not, we will be worshipping in the high school auditorium at our regular time. Should we make that change, we will announce it via email, radio, and voicemail recording on the church office phone. We will make that determination by late Thursday morning.

NO SUNDAY SCHOOL THIS SUNDAY
Because the smoke was channeled through the education wing in order to evacuate it from the building, the classrooms have soot on the surfaces. There will therefore be no Sunday school this Sunday, for the safety of our children.