THE BOTTOM – Hurricane Irma left a number of churches on the island of Saba with structural damages. “Some government assistance was received but extra money is still needed. Once we receive material from government, we can speed up the process of fixing the roof”, says the Rev. Canon John Rohim of Christ Church.
Christ Church (Anglican) in the Bottom, organised their second flea market on Saturday. “This is the oldest building on Saba. It was built in 1780 and is also in need of repairs”, according to Will Johnson, author of The Saba Islander. Even though the church is the oldest building on the island, it is not a monument as of yet.
There are nineteen different nationalities within the congregation and the food sale is a part of showcasing different foods from those nationalities
The flea market is one of many projects which the church organises to generate funds to renovate the building, such as the roof. “We didn’t receive many damages however, due to the age of the building, leakages from the rain did occur. We will now be replacing the entire roof with zinc”, states Rev. Rohim. The roof renovation is in the plan to commence during lent season, once funds are received by the local government.
Pastor Vernon Liburd of the Wesleyan Holiness Church agrees, “We are still waiting for local government to receive funds to help us to rebuild. The roof on the western side, interior items such as the carpet and chairs got wet which got cleaned, the musical instruments got soaked resulting in some electrical issues. There is much to be done.”
