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October 27, 2005
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October 27, 2005 |
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Rehab is part of church’s plan to grow
The organizers behind the construction project at the Yellow Springs United Methodist Church want the renovation of the 155-year old building to be more than just a face lift. They want the church’s new concrete stairs, which will have a handicapped-accessible ramp, to signal a revitalization of the United Methodist community and an invitation to people of different backgrounds to experience what kind of support the church has to offer. “We want the church to become an inviting place so that when visitors come they are made to feel by the welcoming, loving presence of Jesus Christ, that they belong,” Reverend Charles Hill, the church’s pastor, said. “That they are made to feel not that they’ve done something wrong, but that God loves them.” Ellen Hoover, president of the Yellow Springs Methodist Church board of trustees, said she wants more local residents to use the church’s facilities and to know that Hill and members of the congregation support the spiritual development of anyone who wants to grow. “The community needs to feel they can use this church for meetings, performances, ceremonies and as a place where groups can come together,” Hoover said. “It’s here, it’s a brick and mortar thing, and the community should benefit from it.” Soon after Hill came to the church as a retired part-time pastor in 2002, the church organized a “futuring” committee. Hill, who has served congregations as large as 1,300 people and was also the superintendent of the Springfield district, said he arrived with the energy to expand the church community and “unify the expertise” that already existed. Last year, the futuring committee identified the need to upgrade the facilities. Through gifts large and small from members and nonmembers of the church, United Methodist has raised three-quarters of the estimated $200,000 needed to complete the project. Construction began in mid-September and is expected to be finished by mid-December. The renovation plans include new stairs on Winter Street and behind the church on Dayton Street; a handicapped-accessible ramp and restroom; new windows in the education wing; and new energy-efficient heating and cooling systems for the building. Since Hill came to United Methodist, he said, the church has grown from an average Sunday service attendance of 30 to 50 people, which he described as a more substantial number. Hill said he would like to increase the average attendance to 100 in the immediate future and as high as 200 in a few years. “I think we can do it if we can convince people church is a good place to be,” he said. “If we accept people for who they are, the church will grow.” Before Hoover joined the Methodist Church in Yellow Springs, she said, she was a member of an Episcopal church that had a hard time accepting her divorce. Feeling unsupported, she searched for another congregation before coming to United Methodist five years ago. She had a difficult time finding her place at first, she said, but she was committed to finding a community that could help her strengthen her faith. “It was hard to stay connected when I came here, but I stuck with it, and it’s one of the reasons I’m committed to making this a really strong building and church community,” Hoover said. “You can have a lot of faith without a church, but you can’t, or at least I can’t, strengthen it too well.” Along with the building renovations, the church community plans to increase the number of activities and events at United Methodist, Hill and Hoover said. For instance, the church plans to host a Christmas breakfast on Dec. 3. Hill said he is hoping to start a book discussion group on spirituality at the beginning of the New Year, and in the spring the church will hold a consecration ceremony for its new facilities. Contact: lheaton@ysnews.com
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