Aurora United Church steeple raised 10 years after devastating fire

Dozens gathered on Young Street in Aurora on Thursday morning to see the steeple raised at the new construction site where the Aurora United Church is being rebuilt following a devastating fire 10 years ago.

"It's a very exciting day. It's a long-time coming. We've been a little bit delayed in getting it done because of the use of the cranes on the building. So, we had to wait until the cranes were finished so that we could get our steeple up, and it's finally happening," said Nancy Kerswill, chair of council with the Aurora United Church.

• Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device 
• Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox

In April 2014, the church went up in flames in what was deemed an accidental fire.

Four years later, construction began but came to a halt shortly after.

"We actually broke ground in 2018, thinking we were in good shape to keep moving forward, but then we were delayed by COVID and through that time, we also discovered that there were some remains from a cemetery that had been removed, and we had issues with groundwater. So, all of those things ended up taking time that delayed us actually starting construction," said Kerswill.

Work started back up two years ago.

Dozens of people stand by to watch the steeple be raised onto the Aurora United Church in Aurora, Ont., on Thurs., July 4, 2024. (CTV News/Molly Frommer)

Bill Newman was among those in the crowd Thursday morning. He has been a member of the Aurora United Church since 1984.

"Over the years, the church has meant a great deal to us," he said. "So, when the church burned in 2014, it just felt like a real void, a real loss that something had been taken, not only from ourselves and the members of the congregation but from the entire community."

Newman said seeing the steeple being placed was a pivotal moment.

"It really is a sign that it's all coming together, and the long-awaited dream is going to come true, he said.

Despite the challenges and the heartache of seeing the 200-year-old building burn to the ground, those involved with the church look forward to the future.

"It really just feels like a prayer coming true for all of us, that we would make our way back to Young Street and you can see today that with the raising of the steeple that it's coming true," said minister Lorraine Newton-Comar.

Officials say the church rebuild will be completed by the end of June 2025.