The tree was more than just a hazard to the church building; it was an opportunity.

After being chopped down, a fir tree leaning over Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church has been recycled as benches, a sign and most recently, a cross.

The wood was slabbed and dried out, and it was finally ready to be put to use this year.

Catherine Michel, in charge of building and grounds at the church, sees it as the community’s responsibility to beautify and take care of their little part of the island.

When there were plans to remove the tree, many saw it as a large supply of firewood, but Michel saw a greater potential.

Others approached her with their ideas; a new sign was built and put up four months ago, and an Eagle Scout created three large benches last month.

The most recent use of the wood is a cross created in remembrance of Frank Vibrans, who designed it himself.

Vibrans saw beauty in mathematics, and he designed the cross using the Golden Mean, a proportion often found in nature, architecture and art which is believed to create balance and be aesthetically pleasing. When he passed away, David Wilson made the cross using his design.

There are still four slabs of wood left, which could easily be dedicated to creating more benches or tables.

“The sign and cross both seem so significant that they might be hard to beat,” Michel said.

The cross “looks like it belongs there,” she said.

It will remain there for many years as a symbol of the tree that kept giving and the people who didn’t waste it.