Linda Stonehouse, chair of the board for the church, said the sale of the home the church owns for its minister to live in is not necessarily a sign of rough times, but more a shift in priorities.
The decision to sell the manse was made about two years ago, with no definite time frame put on the sale.
The house was set to be sold when the serving minister, Rev. Kathy Brett, left the home.
Now that Brett has moved on from the ministry in Corner Brook, the house on Clarence Street is up for sale.
The new minister, Rev. Fran Ota, will receive a housing allowance in lieu of the manse when she arrives some time before her starting date in mid-November.
Ota is currently ministering to the congregation at Glen Ayr United Church in Scarborough, Ont.
Stonehouse said the sale is not a sign of financial trouble for the church.
“This is a positive thing as far as we’re concerned,” Stonehouse said. “The income we get from the sale of the manse will be put in a long-term deposit of some sort and the interest will be used to supplement the housing allowance.
“Obviously having a manse to look after, your priority becomes the manse because that’s where somebody’s living as opposed to worrying about the maintenance of the church.”
Other United Churches in the Corner Brook area, First United and Oakland United, have also given up their manses, opting for the housing allowance instead. The United Churches in Pasadena and Deer Lake have given up the houses, too.
“Ministers, generally, now want to build up some equity in their own homes,” Stonehouse said.
