Truro Worship Pauses As They May Lose Church

Pastor David Brown and his vibrant congregation built community within Chapel on the Pond in Truro — but now  the sale of the building has this largely Jamaican faith community on the verge of losing its physical home.

What is The Chapel On The Pond?

15 March 2023 - TRURO, MA - Pastor David Brown first stepped through the doors at the Chapel On The Pond in 2017, a century after it was built.  Brown fell in love with the church - and when asked if he would like to become its new pastor it was an easy decision.

He made the church his new home. The congregation was small, but the handful of churchgoers would soon grow to a full house of foot stomping, dancing and singing parishioners, joining together for worship and fellowship, an enclave reminding people of a tropical island home and culture transplanted to a peninsula jutting into the cold North Atlantic Ocean.

Today, every Sunday the music spills over to the quiet and narrow Pond Road. Everyone - regardless of background or religion - is welcome to join this largely Jamaican faith community. That is, if it will still be there after the end of March.

Why is The Chapel On The Pond Closing?

The owners of the property are selling the church building, giving Pastor Brown and the congregation an initial notice period of 30 days to leave. At the end of March that time is up, and with no new home in sight Pastor Brown continues to work hard to find a new place of worship whilst keeping his congregation calm. This loss of space affects all of the parishioners, he says. Everyone feels hurt and disappointed. What really concerns them though, he adds, is the short amount of time they were given to prepare for such a move. " It sort of struck us real hard," he said.

What Will Happen To The Church?

Community efforts are underway to try and save the church - but nothing is certain yet. In the meantime, the parishioners keep stomping, dancing and singing their hallelujahs; everyone on Pond Road can hear them. They may be without a home, but their faith is not going anywhere.  The song they sing sums up the way they feel and their belief in the future: "The best is yet to come."