A church in Westbrook is working to repair the structure after a broken water pipe caused significant water damage. Here’s how the church is bouncing back.
A church in Westbrook is working to repair extensive water damage after a pipe burst on Christmas Day.
The Westbrook Congregational Church was damaged after a leak on the second floor made its way down to the church’s basement.
The church is now without access to its Sunday school classrooms, church offices and fellowship hall.
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Rev. Jeanette Cooper Hicks said she was notified about the water damage by the Westbrook Fire Department after the church’s alarm system sent out an alert.
“What happened was on our second floor, there was a pipe that released gallons and gallons of water,” Hicks said.
Hicks said they have been focusing on drying the church to avoid mold and restore the church’s electricity.
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“We’ve had just wonderful, wonderful support from the fire marshal, fire department and our alarm services. Westbrook is a wonderful small community, so many people have reached out," Hicks said.
The church also offers AA meetings and a soup kitchen on Fridays. Hicks said those services will be temporarily relocated to the Westbrook Firehouse.
The plan is to host Sunday service in the church’s sanctuary on Jan. 5, 2025.
“On the fifth of January, we will definitely be all back in the building for worship services, Sunday school, everything else,” said Hicks.
Sandy Clark, a member of the church, expressed sadness over the incident while sharing her relief over the church’s sanctuary going without damage.
“We recently finished a huge renovation of the sanctuary, and we’re really glad nothing in the sanctuary was affected at all,” Clark said.
