Employees of Burke Roofing from West Gardiner work at Vassalboro United Methodist Church last fall, repairing the roof and removing the steeple. Submitted photo

VASSALBORO — The $40,000 price tag came as an unexpected shock to people at the Vassalboro United Methodist Church last fall when, in the middle of installing a new lift/elevator, they found major damage to their steeple and roof that required immediate attention.

While the $80,000 required for the lift installation had already been raised, another $40,000 felt insurmountable to church members at the time, according to a news release from Dale Potter-Clark.

Some of the church leadership team set a plan in motion — first to find a contractor who could do the job, then to get estimates and finally to identify and secure funding sources. The United Methodist Foundation of New England agreed to extend a three-year loan, during which time they could try to raise enough money to pay it off by 2027, when the balance would become a mortgage.

An anonymous donor set off fundraising efforts by issuing a $5,000 matching grant. Through individual donations and three special events the church raised what was needed, and it received the matching grant in February. To date, more than $13,000 has been raised and $10,000 applied to the loan principle. The rest has been retained to make the interest payments. More will be applied to the principle when sufficient funds have been accumulated with the goal of paying off the loan by 2027.

Donations can be made to the building fund at the Vassalboro United Methodist Church, 614 Main St., Vassalboro, ME 04989; write “building fund” in the memo line.

For more information, call 207-873-5564, email vumc.info@gmail.com, or follow the Vassalboro United Methodist Church Facebook page.