Religion in brief SOUTH THOMASTON: GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY

The Finnish Congregational Church held an informal groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, July 16, to announce the start of construction of its building. The next step will be to lift and move the historic structure in order to put a modern cement foundation underneath the building. This will feature a “daylight wall” facing south, allowing ground-level access to the future fellowship hall, kitchen, bathrooms and furnace room. Church members, friends and neighbors have been working since February 2006 to raise $50,000 to finance this initial phase of expansion. The halfway mark was reached last November. Grants arrived in June from Finnish foundations in Brooklyn, N.Y., Pasadena, Calif., and Helsinki, Finland. Continued individual donations have pushed the total to $45,000, which has prompted the small congregation to start construction this summer. The hope is to have the work completed by the church’s 100th anniversary celebration on Oct. 21. The discovery of a nest of baby robins, living in a large lilac bush, delayed the removal of the shrubs in front of the church. One individual pledged an extra $500 to the project if the birds were allowed time to mature and leave the nest. Within hours, the word had spread, and five more members had added $100 each to this amount. The lilac bush and robin family remain undisturbed. Until further notice, worship services will be held at the Federated Church in Thomaston. Submitted by Art Jura