It’s been a long road, but the new Wyoming United Methodist Church, 216 Wyoming Mill Road, is nearly completed with services scheduled to start Sunday, July 19.
However, church members emphasize the $7 million building will become secondary once they finally move in, as it’s the 830 parishioners that make the church.
“It’s like when a child gets a box for Christmas, that box doesn’t really matter,” said assistant pastor Jim Dorton.
Wyoming UMC also is planning a celebration for the full opening Sept. 13.
“We’re celebrating the culmination of a vision,” said lay leader Barbara Shaw. “It’s exciting that vision is becoming a reality.”
The vision began eight years ago, when the church had to face the decision of whether to build a new building or add on to an existing one at 107 S. Broad St., said Jeff Townsend, campaign chair. That building suffered from a lack of space, parking and handicap access, he said.
Although started in 1865, Wyoming United Methodist Church has moved and expanded various times, and this time church members decided to build new. However, Townsend said it wasn’t easy to find a location large enough and close by.
“It’s the Wyoming Methodist Church, so we wanted to stay in the town of Wyoming,” explained lead pastor Patti Collett.
After nearly a year of looking and almost settling on another property, Papen Farms Inc. decided to donate 20 acres on Wyoming Mill Road to the church, Townsend said, which since has been annexed into the town. Plans then were drawn up, taking into account all of the different groups within the church who would use the building in a variety of ways.
Another obstacle was when the church’s selected builder went bankrupt and they had to find someone new, Collett said.
However, with each of the hurdles, from zoning to regulations, they would stand up in the church and explain the problem to the congregation, which had members who had a useful connection or the skills to overcome the problem, church members said.
Shaw said the obstacles actually brought them closer together as a congregation.
“They’ve hung in there, never stopping giving, even though we never had a stick in the ground until two years ago,” said Townsend, referring to the $2.9 million raised through fundraisers and donations.
Now, the approximately 42,000-square-foot facility, which seats 650 in the sanctuary, is finally a reality. He said the old building was approximately 14,500 square feet with room for 225 in the sanctuary, sitting shoulder to shoulder.
