Nova Scotia will spend more than 450k to restore African Nova Scotian Church

Weymouth Falls Community Land Trust founder and President Shekara Grant (second from right) is pictured with community members outside Mount Beulah United Baptist Church (Source: Province of Nova Scotia)

Nova Scotia will fund the restoration of an African Nova Scotian church to protect it from climate change.

The province will spend $453,531 through the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund so the Weymouth Falls Community Land Trust can restore the Mount Beulah United Baptist Church as a community hub.

“This funding will help breathe new life into the church,” said Minister of Service Nova Scotia and MLA for Digby-Annapolis, Jill Balser, when she announced the funding Wednesday during Black History Month. “Not just to preserve this historic building, but to restore an important gathering place for people connected to Weymouth Falls.”

The trust will use the funding to make the building energy efficient and climate ready to “help the community better adapt to climate change impacts,” said the news release.

The church will become a community gathering space that will honour African Nova Scotian history and the provide a safe space during emergencies, said the release.

Protecting these places gives communities the resources to adapt and lead with confidence and helps African Nova Scotia culture thrive said Twila Grosse, minister of African Nova Scotian Affairs.

“Supporting these communities preserves our shared history while strengthening the future of rural Nova Scotia,” Grosse said.

The project demonstrates how climate-ready infrastructure and heritage preservation can work together, said Shekara Grant, founder and President, Weymouth Falls Community Land Trust.

“By centering African Nova Scotian culture and community resilience, the Weymouth Falls Community Land Trust is modelling a locally driven, replicable approach to climate adaptation in rural Nova Scotia,” Grant said.

The historic community of Weymouth Falls was founded by Black Loyalists in the 1780s.

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