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In the early Spring of 2006, a Restoration Committee comprised of Mrs. Gertie Smith, Mrs. Cindy Smith, Mr. Raymond Langor, Mr. Raymond Spurrell, Mr. Andrew Peddle and Ms Sarah Sharpe was formed. The objective was to come up with a fundraising strategy to raise enough funds to cover the contributor's cost toward a restoration project. A direct mail campaign was chosen as the key fundraiser. A letter was developed and signed by The Rev'd Nelson Chatman and the two Wardens, Mr. Fred P. Smith and Mr. Raymond Spurrell. Every household in Great Heart's Ease received a letter and an In Memoriam form. With at least 130 people on the mailing list, letters and forms were sent all over Newfoundland and Labrador and to various parts of Canada and the United States. Response was excellent! It was through the generosity of current and former residents that we were successful in raising over $10,000 toward our restoration project.

The project took off in fine style in September! With funding from Service Canada Job Creation Partnership, five people were hired to work on the Church. Those individuals hired were from the surrounding communities and included - Mr. Andrew Peddle, Foreperson; Ms Velma Peddle, Carpenter; Ms Marion Stone, Laborer; Ms Doreen Smith, Laborer; and Mr. Neil Tricco, Carpenter, who left for another job and was replaced by Mr. Clayton Smith. All of these individuals deserve to be recognized for their very hard work and diligence.

Along with funds from Service Canada, those funds raised allowed for the addition of a 12' x 24' extension to the Vestry with a quiet room, the Minister's room was made smaller but received a new window and French door, an accessible entrance with a 92' ramp, the restoration of the tower, and additional new windows. The enlargement of the Vestry will now allow space for meetings and for family members of deceased loved ones to sit and have a coffee or rest. The ramp will allow our parishoners with disabilities and our elderly to attend Church should they wish to do so. A wheelchair has been donated for this cause (all the way from Kelowna, BC), and a paschal candle for the Church has been donated as well.

With the installation of six windows in 2005, there are now twenty-five windows installed in the body of the Church and another five in the Vestry for a total of thirty windows. Mr. Allison Spurrell volunteered his time and carpenter skills to construct the diamond grills for all the windows. Mr. Spurrell must be commended for his work and dedication to his Church. He did a wonderful job, and everyone is extremely grateful and proud of the results. We would like to thank him publicly for his contribution of time and craftsmanship while working on this labour of love. God bless you, Allison!

The spire was removed from the tower on December 7^th, 2006. What a scary feeling! However, with Parsons Trucking and the skill of its workers, it was removed with precision. It was truly amazing to see the spire lift from its resting place of 78 years, but it came away with such grace, and was lowered to the ground into the care of the churchmen. Some of the workers who worked on the tower were Mr. Fred P. Smith, Mr. Ron Smith, Mr. Raymond Spurrell, Mr. Andrew Peddle and Mr. Fred D. Smith. It took only fourteen days to strip the old spire from its shaked and shingles and replace them with fibreglass panels. Once painted, WNR International provided the finished work. The spire was adorned with the most beautiful aluminum cap and cross. On December 21^st, it made its ascent to the tower and was laid back in its rightful place overlooking the community of Great Heart's Ease to serve as a guide for the fishers at sea. The parishoners of St. Alban's would like to thank Parsons Trucking Company, Southern Harbour, for their generous donation of the cost of removing and replacing the spire on the tower with such care. May God bless you!

The project was not without its downside.....when the extension was added and ready for wiring, it was found that the existing wiring was outdated. This meant that a whole new service, panel box and rewiring of the whole Church was needed. Mr. Calvin Lambert, a local electrician, was hired to undertake the job. The upside was this enabled the installation of plugs throughout the church - where we had one, now we have many.

St. Alban's will celebrate its 80^thAnniversary of the laying of the cornerstone in September 2008. This beautiful House of Worship stands as perfect today as it did when built in 1928. St. Alban's Church is not a building....it is the wonderful House of God that was constructed by our forefathers for us, so that we could enjoy God's glorious House of Prayer.

It has been an honor to be a part of this project, and I would like to thank all the parishoners of St. Alban's Church who answered our call for help. You have done yourselves PROUD, and I thank you for affording me the opportunity to be part of this once-in-a-life time experience.