St. Andrew's Fire Repair Fund
Donation protected
Last Saturday (11/12/16) morning around 5am in Encinitas, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church’s preschool building was set on fire. The person who did this apparently broke a window to gain access. A few weeks ago the same church's "Friendship House" was gutted by fire. This was the original farmhouse on the property, and although investigations continue, it’s clear that it wasn’t an electrical fire. Suspiciously, the first fire occurred exactly one week before the administration building at Oakcrest Middle School—just up the street from St. Andrew's—was destroyed by fire. Bethlehem Lutheran, in the same neighborhood, has also been a recent victim of vandalism in the wee hours of a Saturday morning.
My children attended preschool at St. Andrew’s, and I assume a number of residents viewing this post are either parishioners or have also had their children attend preschool at St. Andrew's. The people of this parish are loving and kind. You can imagine how devastated they are now that they are without one of their preschool buildings and the "Friendship House”, which was home to their youth group, due to what appears to be an arsonist.
As a community, it would be great for us to come together to show support to this church. Not only are they reeling, their many outreach services have been burdened. For example, because preschool activities had to be moved to their parish hall, their weekly food pantry has to be set up outside, and the Friday Lunch they do for the homeless has to be sack lunches instead of the more dignified, served/sit-down lunch they usually do. There are tons of groups who use their space and are deeply impacted by these nasty fires including a Boy Scout troop, about 13 recovery groups a week, and a Parkinson’s singing troupe, just to name a few.
Of course they have insurance, but that won’t cover the full cost of replacing/repairing these buildings at today’s rates. They need assistance to get back on their feet quickly. Here’s a note from The Reverend Brenda Sol, the rector (head priest/pastor) at St. Andrew's: "Please be assured that when you donate to the church, your funds will be shared with the preschool as well. In addition to our replacement costs, we will likely be installing brighter lighting in the parking lot and some type of surveillance system, so your contributions will also go toward that. Please pray for our neighbors, for the instigator who is clearly in need of help, and that this person is apprehended before anyone is hurt."
Thank you for being a supportive community!
Any questions can be addressed directly to
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church
Thank you for your support.
My children attended preschool at St. Andrew’s, and I assume a number of residents viewing this post are either parishioners or have also had their children attend preschool at St. Andrew's. The people of this parish are loving and kind. You can imagine how devastated they are now that they are without one of their preschool buildings and the "Friendship House”, which was home to their youth group, due to what appears to be an arsonist.
As a community, it would be great for us to come together to show support to this church. Not only are they reeling, their many outreach services have been burdened. For example, because preschool activities had to be moved to their parish hall, their weekly food pantry has to be set up outside, and the Friday Lunch they do for the homeless has to be sack lunches instead of the more dignified, served/sit-down lunch they usually do. There are tons of groups who use their space and are deeply impacted by these nasty fires including a Boy Scout troop, about 13 recovery groups a week, and a Parkinson’s singing troupe, just to name a few.
Of course they have insurance, but that won’t cover the full cost of replacing/repairing these buildings at today’s rates. They need assistance to get back on their feet quickly. Here’s a note from The Reverend Brenda Sol, the rector (head priest/pastor) at St. Andrew's: "Please be assured that when you donate to the church, your funds will be shared with the preschool as well. In addition to our replacement costs, we will likely be installing brighter lighting in the parking lot and some type of surveillance system, so your contributions will also go toward that. Please pray for our neighbors, for the instigator who is clearly in need of help, and that this person is apprehended before anyone is hurt."
Thank you for being a supportive community!
Any questions can be addressed directly to
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church
Thank you for your support.
Organizer and beneficiary
Heidi Lee
Organizer
Encinitas, CA
Gillian Campbell
Beneficiary
