26-02-2025
Flooded kitchen has church looking for a miracle
The flood, when it came, came with no warning.
A 'catastrophic failure' of water pipes in the downstairs Kingsley Hall kitchen at Stone United Methodist Church, home of the Meadville Soup Kitchen, was discovered Saturday as an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting using a nearby room was wrapping up, the Rev. Kendra Balliet said Tuesday.
By the time Balliet arrived on the scene shortly afterward, water in much of the kitchen was about ankle deep before the water supply could be shut off.
'There are all kinds of problems in Kingsley's kitchen now, which the Soup Kitchen depends on and our community depends on to feed anywhere between 60 and 90 folks a day,' said Balliet, who is Stone's pastor. 'We need help because our community depends on us.'
Ripple effects from the broken pipe in the kitchen were quickly evident. The failing pipes included a portion encased in concrete surrounding a support pillar in the basement. Balliet said much of the concrete had been eaten away by the leak and would have to be repaired. The building's electrical system had been affected as well, though she said repairs had it back to normal early Tuesday.
The emergency led to the cancellation of in-person worship over the weekend and the cancellation of daycare services at the Stone Children's Center on Monday, Balliet said. The Soup Kitchen provided bag lunches on Monday and on Tuesday moved upstairs to use a small catering kitchen to provide a scaled-down lunch of beef stew and bread.
As volunteer Jeff Kittka brought out another large serving tray of beef stew, Josh Henry, the Soup Kitchen's director, said he was glad to have the chance to remain open despite not having access to the usual headquarters.
'We wanted to do today as a test run,' Henry said. 'It's going well so far, so my intention is to be open all week.'
Balliet and Henry spoke at lunchtime inside the lobby just upstairs from the Soup Kitchen. Around them, visitors followed signs directing them past the makeshift serving area and into a larger meeting room with plenty of seating.
Also present was church member Armendia Dixon, one of numerous people with plans to use church space in the coming weeks who received an email notifying them of the water line failure over the weekend and its potential impact on their plans. Dixon is scheduled to give a presentation on her book 'Meadville Ebony Genealogy of Sorts' at the church on March 8. The event is part of Meadville 1825, a year-long celebration of a formative period in the city's history. Stone was one of three congregations still located adjacent to Diamond Park that was founded that year.
'We're in a mess here and no money to fix it,' Dixon said as a few more visitors used to heading downstairs instead wandered past to where Kittka was wielding a large ladle. 'And all these people coming in already.'
In addition to the Soup Kitchen, numerous organizations use Kingsley Hall space to meet for free, Balliet said, including six 12-step programs, four Girl Scout groups and others. With water service restored to part of the building Tuesday, the daycare was open again and a Girl Scout troop was scheduled to meet in the evening. With about 300 members, some 50 of whom typically attend worship services each week, the various groups extend the church's reach well beyond what it might otherwise be.
After several days of one issue leading to another following the initial leak, Balliet was uncertain how much the electrical, plumbing and concrete repairs plus cleanup would ultimately cost the church.
She was certain of one thing, however: Things could have been much worse. It was easy to imagine the damaged electrical system leading to a fire like the one that gutted the church's sanctuary in 1927, she said. Instead of the lengthy rebuilding process that followed that disaster, Balliet was optimistic of soon returning operations to normal.
'God was watching out for us,' she said. 'So many people are depending on us. I don't want to let them down.'
You can help
To donate to Stone United Methodist Church, go to or text the word 'GIVE' to (833) 494-0299. For more information, contact the church office at (814) 724-6736.
