'A beacon for the community': Chambersburg's Central Presbyterian Church fixes steeple

Chambersburg's tallest building, Central Presbyterian Church in the center of town, is getting a face-lift. 

After a number of delays due to COVID-19, the 186-feet copper steeple is completely under renovation. The project, made possible by generous memorial donations, will cost an estimated $235,000.

Rachel Kern, President of Trustees, said they noticed water damage in the steeple last year. There were discussions within the church as to whether or not it was worth having it fixed, but ultimately, they decided it was an integral part of the church's identity. 

"It was really important for us to keep the steeple," she said. "Being the tallest building, we're a beacon and our doors are always open. There's usually someone always here; our pastors are great about being on call all the time. We've had people in emergency situations that need to come in, we had a homeless family that lived in the church while they were getting back on their feet and that's just what we're here for."

A steeple steeped in history

The sanctuary and bell tower are all fairly original, Kern explained, the tower itself is original, but the sanctuary did get destroyed by fire in 1938. Steps leading upward into the bell tower were constructed in 1986.

The church itself was originally constructed from 1868-1871.

In 1871, Sarah Wellstone, one of the founders of Wilson College, paid a large portion for the steeple to be built, as she was a regular attendant to sermons there.

"Her friends were very critical and said, 'It's a phallic symbol, why are you constructing a phallic symbol to the glory of God?' Her response was, 'if God doesn't like it, he'll bring it down,'" Kern said. "Through fire and water damage, it's still standing."

The copper pineal, 90 feet from the bell tower to the very top, has an interesting story as well, regarding a large dent near the top.

"Legend has it that a goose flew into it and dented it," Kern said.

Midstate Roofing, a company from Belleville, is under contract to complete the project, hopefully by the end of September. 

"They've done a lot of work with historic colleges like Penn State, Villanova, so they were familiar," she said. "They've been just wonderful people."

Rare gems framed in the church

Central Presbyterian isn't just proud of its classic architecture. There is also a story behind its elaborate stained glass windows throughout the building. 

In 1907, Central Presbyterian paid Tiffany & Co., the famous jeweler, to install 37 "Favrile" glass windows, a unique method that incorporates a myriad of colors within each sheet of glass. The effect creates more realistic scenes. Johnston McLanahan, the daughter of one of the original founders of the church, donated the funds for the windows. 

In the fire of 1938, 10 windows were destroyed; 27 remain in the church to this day. The windows are now quite rare to come by. 

"I didn't realize how popular they were," Kern said. "We actually have people that are Tiffany enthusiasts that will drive here from across the country to see them."

A growing congregation

Central Presbyterian, with a little over 100 members, has seen an increase in attendance and donations have remained steady despite COVID-19. A new tech booth was installed in order to meet the needs of streaming services online.

"We started noticing our metrics online and we'd have people watching from Colorado, from Texas," Kern said. "It's just been incredible to see how far-reaching our pastors' sermons are getting. I feel like we've had an increase in attendance, although it's not been physical."

The steeple project is funded partially through a large donation from a former member of the church.

"One of our members, unfortunately, passed away and left us a substantial bequest," Kern explained. "We were able to use that money and invest it and a large part of that is going to pay for the steeple and another larger part of it is going to go back into the church missions."

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Jean Gisreal was a life-long teacher in the area.

"She just really had a love for community and giving back and we just felt so blessed and truly blindsided, to be honest," Kern said. "We just feel so incredibly touched that she would think of us."

Carley Bonk is a Watchdog Reporter for the USA Today Network - Pennsylvania. Her coverage spans across the southcentral region of Pennsylvania. She can be reached at cbonk@publicopinionnews.com or on Twitter at @carls_marie.