Congregation comes together to repair roof

A handful of members of Amazonia United Methodist Church spent a recent Saturday repairing a significant structural problem involving the church’s rafters.

The problem came to light as people noticed the soffit under a section of the roof on the east side of the church had come loose. Closer investigation found that the rafters along about 20 feet of the roof had come loose from the east wall, leaving a gap between the rafters and the top plate of the wall. Had the gap continued to widen, the structural integrity of the entire roof might have been compromised.

Workers first cut a three-foot by 20-foot hole in the roof. Then, lag bolts were used to reconnect the rafters to the wall’s top plate, and bracing was added to reinforce the connection between rafters and wall.

Finally, new plywood closed the hole and was covered by new felt and shingles, and new soffit was installed.

From start to finish the job took about eight hours and cost nearly $500 in materials.

The church will eventually replace the entire roof, which is more than 30 years old, with a new metal roof. Concerns about funding that job were eased when a couple in the congregation donated $10,000 to support roof repairs and some electrical work.

Church Lay Leader Don Howard, a carpenter by trade, supervised the work. Two union carpenters who work with Don were joined by Tim Williams, another member of the congregation who has significant construction experience. Two other men in the congregation, Lynn Osborne and Josh Hubbard, also assisted in the repairs.

The church was built in 1882 and has an average attendance of about 24 people.