Wesley United Methodist Church Holds Dedication Ceremony
Monday, September 21st, 2020 -- 9:17 AM
(WDLB) -749 days after a fire destroyed their former facility near Marshfield's downtown, the congregation of Wesley United Methodist Church on Saturday held a dedication service for their brand new facility at 205 East Third Street.In a service entitled "Raising From the Ashes", soloist Charlyn Marsh was featured. Confirmand Courtney Donahue gave a presentation of the building. "First, we experienced the taste of loss as our beautiful church of 138 years was totally destroyed by a fire on September 2, 2018. Today, the Marshfield community, Clergies, friends and Wesley family gather together to dedicate this church to God." There was also the official naming of the building, the consecration of the building, pulpit, baptismal font, offering safe and the Lord's Table, and the placing of the Bible from the former church in the Pulpit, done by longtime church and Board member Larry Shortess. Shortess, who on the day of the fire said "I'm sure we'll replace it," added that the new three-million-dollar church building turned out better than they had planned. "I couldn't believe it. This just turned out to be such a beautiful building, such a great place for us to move forward, and to build from here. Yes, it did turn out pretty much the way we had hoped. We didn't have a lot of issues and so forth really. One of the big things that happened, we were able to acquire the land next door, so we could have a building with no steps, and it's great."
The first service in the new 13-thousand square-foot facility was held on July 5. During Saturday's dedication service, the 186-seat sanctuary was a little less than half full, with many more "attending" online. The new church building also features a glass wall that separates the sanctuary from a gathering and entry area that can seat another 112. The facility also includes office and meeting space, a nursery, a full kitchen, classrooms for Sunday School and youth groups, and a space for the Marshfield Area Respite Care Center, which had been housed at the old church.
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