The Inglis Historical Society, the group that looks after the little church, has just purchased the building and is currently looking to recruit new members in order to save it.
"We're trying to get members and sort of breathe life into the society, and look at new ways of using the building for the community," says society member Phaedra Charlton-Huskins. "It's a perfectly charming building that still has some life left in it. Right now it's not being used at all, and it is starting to deteriorate."
In order for the church to be used again, the building needs some work. A new roof is required, interior work is needed, as well as a composting toilet.
On a community level, Charlton-Huskins says she thinks it is an important part of Western Head. It's very engrained, and a lot of people have grown up with the church, she says. Charlton-Huskins also has a strong connection to the church through family.
"My husband's family several generations back actually donated this land so the church could be built. It has that personal connection," says Charlton-Huskins. " If there's a way that we can reuse it for something else that's a benefit to the community, then I say why not? Let's save what we can instead of continually tearing things down."
In order to save the church, what the society needs boils down to community support. Charlton-Huskins says if the community wants to see the church stand, she and other society members are going to need some help.
"Whether it's for five minutes or five months, or even just attend the events or donate money to help keep the building standing, and to help us transform it into something that can be used for the community," she says. "We can't just have a building sitting there, we need to open it up and do it justice by allowing the community to be able to use it."
A meeting will be held at the church Aug. 25 at 6 p.m. to see if the society can generate more interest. Before planning can move forward, a new director and treasurer are needed for the society.
Charlton-Huskins says she and her husband are new to the group and are looking for other enthusiastic individuals to be part of a reinvigoration of the historical society. She says she hopes the meeting will bring out new people, and assures any of those interested they will be "met with open arms essentially."
"We can't just have a building sitting there, we need to open it up and do it justice by allowing the community to be able to use it." - Phaedra Charlton-Huskins
"We have no preconceived notions of what has to be done and how it should be done, so we're just looking for enthusiasm," says Charlton-Huskins. "The next goal is to get as many people to come to the meeting as possible."
At the meeting Charlton-Huskins says the group will assess where to go from there. If they don't get as good a turnout as they hope, the group will address how to move forward. However, if the turnout is good, Charlton-Huskins has ambitious goals for the next year.
"Certainly within the next 12 months it is my hope that we can have work started and completed on the roof, and have the composting toilet facilities installed as well," she says. " By next summer, start using it for those events that I mentioned, start having concerts there. If Liverpool was successful in winning the Music Nova Scotia bid it could be offered up as a venue for that as well."
Although the purchase of the church was made with an agreement to be respectful of the original purpose of the space, Charlton-Huskins says that still allows for a wide range of possibilities for the building
"We couldn't have a nightclub for example. That being said, we can still have workshops, concerts, it could even be used for other denominations like if there was a Buddhist retreat or Catholic retreat," she says. "If someone wants to have a quilting workshop there, photography, use it as a temporary painting studio where people can go in and learn how to paint, you could do that as well. Pretty much wherever our imagination can take us."
With the county's strong artistic community, Charlton-Huskins says she thinks the church can be a vibrant centre in Western Head with the right support.
"I know Liverpool and Queens County is a very rich volunteer community and sometimes the volunteers can get overtaxed but we're happy to get five minutes of their time if that's all they can offer up," says Charlton-Huskins. "Even just declarations of support mean a lot."
Anyone interested in getting involved can join the Facebook group Grace Church (Inglis Historical Society) or email gracechurchliverpool@gmail.com for more information.
