WASTE NOT, WANT NOT: Members of the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation prepare to drive their trailer of pews, donated by deconsecrated Anglican churches in the diocese of British Columbia, to Anglican churches in northern Saskatchewan. Photo: Terry Loehr
They say that every cloud has a silver lining. For the congregations of nine deconsecrated Anglican churches in Victoria, B.C., that silver lining has taken the form of the Pews for Saskatchewan project.
On April 23, after much activity behind the scenes, a large moving van from the diocese of British Columbia delivered 52 pews, along with vanity panels, an altar and other church furnishings, to Prince Albert, Sask. From there, the 12-foot pews made their way to the Church of St. Simeon and St. Anna on the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation, while 14 of the nine-foot pews went to St. Bartholomew’s Church in Pelican Narrows, part of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation. The rest of the pews went to St. Thomas’ Church in Shoal Lake Cree Nation, and the other items were dispersed among congregations in Little Red River Reserve and Montreal Lake Cree Nation.
The diocese of Saskatchewan is sending a big public thank-you to all involved in the diocese of British Columbia, and hopes the givers find some solace in knowing that their gifts are still being used for their original purpose.