LOWER LAKE— Almost four years after the devastating wildfire, known as the Clayton fire, caused by the arsonist Damin Anthony Pashilk, that burned more than 300 buildings, the Lower Lake Community United Methodist Church opened its doors again. The official date was July 3, but finishing touches are still in progress and limited services are available to church members only.
Safety precautions are in place, such as having 18 members at a time, and social distance rules adhered to. Zoom services are offered on Sundays to those who do not wish to mix in groups, beginning at 10:45 am, with pastor John Pavoni delivering uplifting spiritual messages and thoughts for the day and week ahead.
The church was completely destroyed in the fire of August 2016. “He (Pashilk) set the fire on Saturday, the day before. We had our service and left. I left my car there because I went a couple blocks away, about a mile, to visit somebody. All of a sudden, the place and everything was on fire. I couldn’t get back to get my car back, to the church,” remembered the pastor John Pavoni. “We have a social hall, which is across the parking lot from the church. We lost four of our five buildings in that fire: the parish house, the church, the Sunday school building, and the roof of the social didn’t burn through, but it crisped up. They had to replace the roof.”
Jo Bennett, active member of the congregation since 2015, and a Clearlake City Council member from 2000 to 2004, recapped the process of rebuilding, including going through the County to apply for a permit to rebuild the church: “You have a meeting to get people to do the job in order to get the contractors, and then get them on board… It really took about a good two and a half to three years to get back. And the contractor we have is really good. He had the insurance paid off right away, so we were able to reorder things, but it was quite a process.”
The pastor agreed: “The bureaucracy was incredible. It took over a year to get through the County. And because the fire had gone through the town, every time we came out the door, all we could see was (where things) burned. Lots across the way were burned. A lot of people had to move out of the area, because there was no place to rent. Everything was just burned. It was extremely emotional and very traumatic. The church had been there for over 150 years.”
Bennett said the totality of belongings of the church got completely burned. Nothing could have been saved: “We lost the organ, the piano… So, you have to keep people informed, what’s going on, because they’re quick to think ‘I’m not a part of it’; ‘I didn’t know about that’ etc. The pastor has kept everybody updated about all the meetings – and this before all of this COVID-19. Everybody in that church was allowed to come and be a part of this. He set up a committee for people to get together and give their input, and to make sure that everybody was on the same page.” If someone in the community didn’t agree with the acquirement of this or that, then the negotiation wouldn’t be made. “We got a new organ, we got a new piano… The people that did the job was just phenomenal,” she said.
The rebuilding has been a positive focus to the community. “I was affected by how it affected my people. It was minor compared to how it affected the people of the church,” said Pavoni. “They got married, baptized, raised their kids, were buried – all there. It was our community. During the next four years, several of them died, because of old age; some moved away, because of the fire. We went from about 56 down to about 12,” he added.
Being on Main Street shows a commitment to the growth of the town of Lower Lake. “When we rebuilt, we decided not to rebuild the church where it was. We put the church over on Main Street. Everything had to come from scratch. We were on Second. We moved it to Main Street to be more a part of the community,” said Bennett.
“We can be open for 40 minutes per Sunday, we don’t serve any food or anything. We have services, and we go home. The social hall is where we would meet after church. We would bring food, talk to one another and socialize, and that was the purpose of that. Well, we can’t do that anymore. We just have the services and that’s it,” she said.
“We can only have 18 people in the church. It’s emotional going into our church again and not seeing the people that we had before. It’s really noticeable that they’re gone. Some passed away and they never got to see their church rebuilt. Those are the kinds of things that affect me, just because those people become part of your family. They care about each other. They celebrate birthdays, holidays, weddings and everything together,” said Pavoni.
The Lower Lake Community United Methodist Church also runs a thrift shop, operated by the United Methodist Women. It has been in operation for over 25 years. Proceeds support the church and the community. Clothes are given to victims of tragedies, or other traumas. Items that are not usable are donated to be recycled and made into rags. Church leaders said everything is usable.
