North Omaha Church hopeful for community donations to replace broken furnaces

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - For decades, Clair Memorial United Methodist Church has been known as a helping hand.

However, they’ve been having problems with their furnaces.

“So, we have six furnaces in this building and the parts are no longer being made,” Reverend Portia Cavitt said.

Cavitt is the pastor of the church and she said they currently only have three furnaces that are functioning.

“We’re trying to maintain those three so that another one doesn’t go out, or else we won’t have heat in the building,” Cavitt said. “Which will cause the pipes to break with the winter and it will be astronomical to address.”

Over the years, they’ve given back to the community in several different ways. They’ve hosted a food drive and a vaccination site, and have been an outreach to schools in the metro.

Cavitt said they don’t want their furnace problem to stop them from helping the community. They plan to take out a loan. Cavitt said the lowest bid was $25,000 and the highest was $43,000.

“Our members are financially donating what they can and as we all put our money together hopefully we will reach the level we need to replace the furnaces.”

However, the church is asking for community donations.

“I have to put some things in God’s hands and trust and believe the Lord will give us a way out.”

If you’re interested in donating you can contact the church at (402)-451-8322.

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