provided to The Santiva Chronicle
St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church celebrated the reopening of their main building on Christmas weekend with six joy-filled worship services held over a three day period. The last time worship was held in the building was Sept. 25, 2022, the Sunday before Hurricane Ian struck and caused extensive damage with 5.5 feet of seawater inundating the buildings.
As the Rector, Rev. Bill Van Oss shared, “I don’t think I’ve been this excited about Christmas since I was a little boy, back then I anxiously waited to open gifts under the Christmas tree. This year my excitement was also centered on gifts. The gift of celebrating God’s coming into the world in Jesus, and the gift of being able to celebrate that miracle in our newly restored sanctuary.”
The church never closed while the buildings were restored, missing only one week of worshipping together after the hurricane, then moving into Peace Lutheran in Fort Myers who shared their space for ten months. In July, the church’s thrift shop building was repaired and opened as The Gathering Place so that church services could be held on island as well as offering space to several displaced nonprofit organizations.
Fr. Bill reports many miracles during the 15 month restoration period; “A capital campaign that exceeded its goal in three weeks, FP Property Restoration responded immediately with dedicated crews, the roof remained intact, none of the stained glass was broken, the organ survived several months without air conditioning, the bell tower fell on the porch roof but did not collapse it, the unceasing help of city leaders, and the list could go on and on.”
A formal reopening ceremony for the whole community will be held in March when the altar, pulpit and new bell tower arrives and final touch ups are completed. All are welcome to stop in and see the restoration, as well as attend worship services Saturdays at 5pm and Sundays at 8am and 10:30am. Noah’s Ark Thrift Shop is slated to open in October after the volunteer teams spend the next several months obtaining the shelving, racks and equipment needed. Donations are not being accepted at this time, please check the church website for updates
Fr. Bill states, “I’m grateful for the resilience and spirit of this community that was evident whether we were at Peace Church or The Gathering Place, grateful for all the ways God has guided and blessed us the past 15 months, and grateful that this church community will continue to be a beacon of Christ’s light and inclusive love for all on Sanibel and beyond for decades to come.”
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