Page 6 THE REVERE ADVOCATE - Friday, February 8, 2019 Fully Licensed & Insured Emergency Service Available 24/7 SPECIALIZING IN KITCHEN & BATHROOM REMODELING * Heating * Cooling * Electric * Tile All Estimates Done By Owner * Drain Cleaning crnplumbing@gmail.com • • • A bout 10 people attended a morning tour at First Congregational Church on Saturday. “In 1849 we built an outdoor bell, and it’s known as the historic bell of Revere,” Pastor Nick Granitsas said. “Kids like to ring it.” The church is known for its old-fashioned outdoor clock, which still works. Granitsas went on to say that although congregational churches are traditionally beige, a restoration architect came in and painted the church multiple colors since he said there’s nothing wrong with beauty. The church also features stained glass windows, a nonelectric organ with 1,000 pipes, and two spiral staircases. The church hosts English classes, featuring 17 diff erent countries, on Mondays and Wednesdays and sponsors a food bank, which is located in the church basement. After the tour, guests shared what they learned about the church’s history during the hour-long excursion. Eddie Taborda, a volunteer in Revere’s Veterans Office, learned that individual contriSKATING CENTER www.Roller-World.com | 781-231-1111 ATM on site Located adjacent to Honey Baked Ham in Saugus Plaza, South Bound Route 1 MBTA Bus Route 429 FREE WI-FI - 2 WIDE SCREEN TV’S FULLY AIR CONDITIONED Fall-Winter Skating Schedule ATTENTION! Sunday Monday Tuesday 12-8 p.m. $7.50 Private Parties 7:30-10:30 p.m. $8.50 Adult Night Friday Saturday Wednesday & Thursday 3-11 p.m. $7.50 Private Parties Admission after 6 p.m. $8.50 12-11 p.m. $7.50 Admission after 6 p.m. $8.50 Inline Skate Rentals $3 - additional Roller skate rentals included in all prices. Birthday & Private Parties Available School & PTO GROUPS Win a trip for 2 to Las Vegas Bellagio Hotel Jet Blue Air 5 days / 4 nights Your school PTO can for your group. Call for details. BIRTHDAY PARTIES $11.50/Person, min. of 10 kids. Price includes Adm. + Roller Skates. Cake, soda, paper goods, 20 tokens for birthday person plus 100 Redemption Tickets and a gift from Roller World. in one of our private BP Rooms. Church tour unveils history dating back to the 1800s By Tara Vocino Shown in the bottom row: Society for Cultural and Historical Preservation member Bob Upton, Historical Commission member Bill Reedy and resident Jerry Ianniciello. Shown in the center row: Revere Veterans Offi ce volunteer Eddie Taborda, First Congregational Church Rev. Nick Granitsas and Everett resident Larry Scott. Shown in the back row: Church member Tom Coots, Church Administrative Assistant Loralei Lauranzano, Church member Joe DeSantis and Church Sexton Russell Boyington. (Advocate photos by Tara Vocino) At right, First Congregational Church Rev. Nick Granitsas shows guest Eddie Taborda a book about church history during Saturday’s tour. butions funded the architecture and stained glass. “It was a collective eff ort,” Taborda said. He said the oldest congregational church, the Cultural Center, is across the street from First Congregational Church. Church member Tom Coots said he learned that a rear addition was built in the 1930s and that the 1849 altar lies underneath the current altar. Historical Commission member Bill Reedy was impressed that the structure of the church and the stained glass had held up over the years. Society for Cultural and Historical Preservation member Bob Upton, who attends a congregational church in Woburn, walked away with a much greater appreciation for the community outreach aspects. “From offering a food pantry downstairs, feeding the homeless on Saturday, family support, social services, to language classes, there is way more going on here than people realize,” Upton said. “The pastor has worked here 45 years.” Upton went on to say that people must be aware of the historic jewels in the neighborhood. Resident Jerry Ianniciello was surprised to see that the Star of David and the Torah were painted on the stained glass windows, and he noted that religions tend to be kept separate. “You used to have to walk on the other side of the street if you were Catholic,” Ianniciello said. “But those days are gone.” First Congregational Church Administrative Assistant Loralei Lauranzano said in response to Ianniciello that Christianity has roots in the Jewish religion, as the Old Testament is the Jewish Bible. She said many of the Psalms are written by King David and the Song of Solomon was written by King David’s son, Solomon. “Jesus was Jewish,” Lauranzano said. “They called him rabbi and teacher.” Sunday services are held at 8 and 11 a.m. at 230 Beach St. For information, call 781-284-4158, or visit FirstCongRevere.org. Tara Vocino may be reached at printjournalist1@gmail.com.
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