Center for Life
SARVER — Some may see Zion United Methodist Church's project as a new building, but church members see it as a potential new way to reach into the community, or as the site of a volleyball tournament, or as an emergency shelter.
Parishioners of the 167-year-old church, at 438 Bearcreek Road, broke ground Sept. 24 on the 11,000-square-foot Family Life Center.
Construction on the 68-feet-by-165-feet brick building is expected to begin “in early spring as soon as the weather breaks and be completed in eight months,” said Hobe Kenton, the building committee chairman.
The center will be to the southwest corner of the existing church but not be connected to it, according to Zion United Pastor Rob Wilson.
“It's not going to be attached. We'd have to have a whole new sprinkler system if it was attached,” said Kenton.
The building will contain a multipurpose gym, a commercial grade kitchen, showers and restrooms. The gym can function as an auxiliary chapel.
It took the church and its various committees nearly five years to reach this point, said building committee member Tim Riemer.
Wilson said it's more than a mere building.
“This is a tool to allow us to expand our ministry into the community,” he said. “It will allow us to have volleyball tournaments with neighboring churches, host seminars, hold receptions.”
He added the church's weekly ministries preschool with before- and after-school care could find a home in the Family Life Center.
He added the gymnasium space can be used for church services as well. The commercial grade kitchen can provide meals to large groups at receptions or other events.
Wilson said, “With the showers and the bathrooms, we would be able to provide emergency shelter.”
Wilson said the $2.3 million project will be paid with a loan from the United Methodist Church Development Fund of Texas and money raised by donations over the past several years.
Construction will be done by Delta Contractors of Clarion.
“This will allow us to expand our outreach to a growing community, expand God's love to a growing community,” said Wilson.There was another reason as well: The church was getting cramped.Riemer said, “We were running out of space. The vision committee started to lay out a plan with a little more detail five years ago.“It's been discussed for a long time,” said Riemer.Building committee member Jeanne Fox said, “The church was founded in 1850. It was originally a German church that only had worship services in German.”Today, Wilson said, Zion United Methodist has an 800-member congregation.“I would say we have about 237 in weekly attendance. Due to today's job market, not the same people come every Sunday,” said Wilson.Riemer said once the Family Life Center is complete, there may be more construction in Zion United Methodist's future.He said, “It's worth noting that this is the first phase of building plans.”
