Pawtuxet Baptist Church is looking to make repairs to its historic steeple after years of decay and is putting out an SOS: Save Our Steeple.

The church, 220 years old this year, has seen several repairs over the years. In 1938, the congregation had to recover after The Great New England Hurricane damaged the church and forever rid them of a weathervane and a widow’s walk. In the 1970s, they switched to aluminum siding on the building to avoid the constant repainting they were doing. However, none of those repairs have been as large as this upcoming one.

After years of concern, the church in 2018 finally began to address the damage done to the steeple by the elements over the decades. Wooden slats were falling off, the paint was chipping and the overall structure was growing fragile. In 2020, the church began fundraising and seeking grants to help with repairs, which have since been quoted at just under $83,000. This includes replacing the steeple’s roof shingles and painting the woodwork. The most expensive portion is not actually the repairs but the placement of scaffolding around the steeple, which will cost about $50,000.

The 150-foot-tall steeple is a piece of Pawtuxet Village history. From 1891 to 1995, volunteer firefighters would look out the tower’s window for smoke and ring the church bell if they saw some. Now, 30 years later, it is a gamble to ring the 2,300-pound bell at risk of it falling.

In December, the church received a $35,000 grant from the Champlin Foundation, which supports nonprofits throughout Rhode Island. Since 2020, the church has also raised about $25,000 through fundraisers, leaving it nearly $23,000 short of the quote.

Longtime congregant and volunteer Deb Boxser notes that, with so few members, repairs and outreach are difficult to obtain. “It’s a beautiful church; it’s just so in need. We especially need to fix the outside, but that’s gonna require time, money and talent, and we don’t have all that,” Boxser said.

The Champlin Foundation has told the church to file for another grant. However, they filed this new application for repairs to the porch, another part of the building that has chipped paint, broken features and historic moulding that cannot be easily replicated. With the porch cost estimated at $24,000 and the remaining steeple cost being $23,000, the church is not hopeful of receiving that much support.

In the coming weeks, congregants plan to visit local businesses and ask for donations. It is their hope that Pawtuxet Village residents care about the steeple as much as they do and can help the cause.

“We used to be a very active church,” said Boxser. “We want to get back to that. It’s all about community.”

To help Pawtuxet Baptist Church with repairs, you can donate during Sunday service from 10 to 11 a.m., visit pawtuxetbaptistchurch.com/giving, or mail a check made out to the church to 2157 Broad St.