For Sale: one aging church
building with walls permeated by memories of love, service,
hope and transformation.
Yes, the United Methodist church
in Krum is moving. Soon we will begin construction on
our whole new building at 1001 E. McCart St. And sometime
in 2008, we will move out of this historic building at
310 W. McCart.
How well I remember the first
time I saw this building in May of 2006! I had never been
to Krum before, and drove with both interest and apprehension
to the place were I would be introduced that evening.
Awaiting me were a representative group of people from
this church where I was being appointed to serve as their
pastor.
I walked down some steps into
the basement Fellowship Hall. They got their first glimpse
of me, and I of them. The awkwardness of those first moments
soon passed and we began to learn about each other. Later,
they showed me through the building and offered me some
tidbits of its history.
I would guess this is the only
building in the area with a basement. When I walk into
that space on a hot day when the upstairs sanctuary is
already too warm and feel the coolness of the downstairs
room, I can easily see the wisdom of such a space. That
basement was built in 1924, long before air-conditioning
could make any room comfortable in our long months of
Texas heat.
The graciousness of the upstairs
sanctuary space immediately touched me that first night.
The sanctuary, added to the basement in 1936, was built
long before the days when people considered the needs
of those who might not be able to climb stairs. Yet there
is something symbolically powerful about climbing those
stairs to reach the place of worship. It reminds us that
our journey to the heart of God does take effort and energy
and might leave us a bit breathless in our approach. I
am awed at the expert craftsmanship represented here with
hardwood floors built to last and kneeling rails to help
us humble ourselves before God. Many mornings I’ve
sat in there, bathed in the golden light filtering in
through the windows, sensing the communion of the saints
from the years of worship and singing and prayers and
weddings and funerals that have taken place there.
I saw the education wing, added
in 1975. The nursery, the children’s rooms, the
library—badly needed serviceable rooms built as
the community began to grow and the church wanted a place
to offer care and education. The only bathrooms in the
church are in that wing. I’ve often wondered if
there were no bathrooms at all in the original building.
Could very well be—a building that old could easily
have been built with outhouses rather than indoor facilities.
Intriguing thought.
Yes, I saw the building that
night, so appreciated the years of love and ministry here.
I also thought, “Oh my goodness—we really,
really, really do need to move into a new and more accessible
and welcoming space.”
Although we could remodel that
building, we still would not have the space that would
be most helpful as we consider the future of Krum. This
church is one that has a passionate love for children
and youth. We want to be a part of helping to raise the
next generation by offering programs that nurture and
care for children of all ages. We need a place with good
multi-media capacities where we can use film and image
to communicate the message of grace. We need a place where
our youth can form musical groups and rock bands, can
gather in large numbers, can play and talk and laugh and
examine the possibilities of knowing Jesus. There is simply
no way to come up with this kind of space even with extensive
remodeling at the current location.
So the “For Sale”
sign has gone up. We will leave it with sadness, and trust
that there will be a buyer who can see the potential of
such a building in our prime location in the center of
Krum. Some have already suggested that it would be a great
artist’s studio, with a gallery in the current sanctuary
and space downstairs for classes. It could be a fun restaurant
or even a unique residence. Just remember when you see
that “For Sale” sign—we’re not
moving away or shutting down. We are moving on with plans
to continue to serve this community and the wider world
in all the ways we can.
Christy
The Rev. Dr. Christy Thomas, Pastor, Krum
UMC
Questions or comments about this article?
Please contact me at christy@krumumc.org
or phone the church office at 940-482-3482.
