The finishing touch

View larger image Sam Reedy, left, a carpenter, and his cousin James Reedy, a tree surgeon, both of Broadway, fit the steeple on top of Palmyra Church, south of Edinburg on Tuesday. The church had not had a steeple since it was rebuilt after a fire on Dec. 7, 1941. Rich Cooley/Daily View larger image Sam and James Reedy strap the base of the church’s new steeple as they prepare to hoist it to the roof of Palmyra Church. Rich Cooley/Daily View larger image Palmyra Church pastor David Reedy photographs the steeple going up on the church’s roof. Rich Cooley/Daily View larger image Sam Reedy, left, a carpenter, and his cousin James Reedy, a tree surgeon, both of Broadway, fit the steeple on top of Palmyra Church, south of Edinburg on Tuesday. The church had not had a steeple since it was rebuilt after a fire on Dec. 7, 1941. Rich Cooley/Daily

Steeple placed atop Edinburg church more than 70 years after it was rebuilt

By Sally Voth -- svoth@nvdaily.com

EDINBURG -- A handful of people gathered around the small country church Tuesday afternoon and gazed heavenward.

They stood transfixed as a pure white steeple was affixed to the Palmyra Church of the Brethren.

It was a picture-perfect day, with warmer temperatures, blue skies and high, wispy clouds.

"The Lord just gave us a great day," the Rev. David Reedy said.

The site's original church had a steeple, but the church burned down on Dec. 7, 1941, now known as Pearl Harbor Day. It was rebuilt the following year.

"It hasn't had a steeple since," Reedy said. "We feel, the congregation feels, it just needs a steeple to look like a church. It will be good for the church to see a change in the area, to help build the kingdom of God and the work of God."

The men working on the three-piece steeple -- which has a cross on top -- were Reedy's son, brothers and nephews. They used a bucket ladder to get atop the church's pitched metal roof.

Reedy, who was sporting slicked-back hair; a long, grizzly beard; sunglasses and a black leather jacket with leopard-print lining, has been pastor of the small church since June.
The decision to build a steeple came about three months ago.

"The church and I got together and decided we need a steeple," Reedy said. "My brothers are all carpenters."

It's only fitting the church be topped with the steeple, clerk Helen Huffman said.
"You see pictures of old country churches, they've all got a steeple," she said.

Tuesday's operation took a little more than an hour. Belinda Estep, whose late husband John established the church as a Brethren congregation after it sat vacant briefly in the 1980s, was on hand.

"I think it looks nice," she said. "Really didn't think about [the lack of a steeple in the past]. It was brought up, but we had other things to fix that was more important at that time."

Estep thinks her husband would've approved.

"Yeah, he would," agreed Gerlene Lutz, whose husband is pastor Howard "Hardy" Lutz of Community Mission Church of the Brethren. "He would be a proud peacock."
Reedy asked the women for their assessments of the steeple.

"Is it too little, too big, ugly?" he asked. "That's really nice, isn't it? I'm really happy with it.
"You know that little church needed it, didn't it? I think it's just perfect. This is a big day. I could hardly sleep last night."