Business: Those Fear-of-Freezing Blues

The heating oil run-up spurs sales of wood and woollies, and budget worries

Our Lady of Pity, a Roman Catholic church in North Cambridge, Mass., had never before seemed so aptly named. Looking ahead to the coming winter, the priests were stunned to discover that their heating-oil bill for 1979 will make even the $12,000 they paid last year look like a bargain. To cut costs, they plan to close off the 1,100-seat main sanctuary during the cold months and hold services in the church chapel and chapel hall, which together can accommodate only...