Great Barrington — A biting cold crept in, but fires in the hearts swept it out.
That was the mood outside the Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church Friday afternoon, where a generosity economy group worked to throw a tarp over the leaking roof to keep the historic building from the destruction promised by one more winter without protection.
Saving the structure that held the first African American Church in Berkshire County has come together in roughly one month, and now the building is under contract for purchase, with the Friends of the Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church securing it for the winter, and starting to put together a board of trustees and committees to gather ideas for its new mission.
The circa 1870s building will in some way be transformed into a place to honor the area’s African American history, including its most famous native son, W.E.B. Du Bois, who at some point worshipped at this church founded by blacks who had left the south in the mid-1800s.
While Ed Abrahams and Beth Carlson got the whole effort off to a roaring start in October, and Phil Deely came on in November, the local Generosity Economy stepped in and helped with some nuts and bolts, especially in this first stage, and the Berkshires community opened their hearts and gave what they could, said the group’s Maia Conty.
“Giving and generosity creates momentum,” Conty said.
So while Sage Radachowsky carefully worked a lift donated by Taylor Rentals into the churchyard, Dave Halley and Steve MacLay organized and gathered materials donated by Herrington’s, and with Radachowsky tacked down the tarp.
There was hot soup. Amy Verebay and Kristin Grippo made it with vegetables “rescued” from rotting in a farm field, Conty said. Stewardship Farm in Stuyvesant, New York had a surplus that had to be harvested or else, and gave it to the Economy to pass around. The farm was also the source for bins of veggies like squash that were taken to the Oceti Sakowin Camp at Standing Rock, North Dakota, by local Robby Baier, who arrived there recently with a truckload of supplies for the winter entrenchment.
Taft Farm gave donuts and Fuel gave coffee. Berkshire Mountain Bakery gave bread.
And State Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli (D-Lenox) was there to say he would give, too, in any way possible.
“This is a living breathing piece of American history,” he said. “American history that we’re not being taught in our schools.”
Abrahams said Friends of A.M.E. Zion had collected or been promised around $30,000, and needs a total of $100,000 to buy the building.
Conty says people “delight” in giving. “The community heart is just wanting to make this happen.”
