Christian homes on fire in Al-Fawakher village on 23 April 2024. Image: CSW

Source: CSW

Extremists attacked the Christian community in Al-Fawakher village in Minya Province, Upper Egypt, following rumours that they were planning to build a church.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) sources report that several homes and properties belonging to Christians in the village were destroyed on 23 April, and that local police and firefighters, led by the deputy governor and the head of the police department in Minya, acted quickly to contain the situation.

The police have launched an operation seeking to arrest the instigators of the violence, including those who spread rumours online about plans to construct a church.

CSW's Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: "CSW condemns the latest sectarian attack in Upper Egypt that comes as the Coptic Orthodox community prepares to celebrate Easter. An unacceptable culture of intimidation and discrimination is still far too prevalent in this region despite positive steps taken by the Egyptian authorities in recent years, and the personal commitment of President Sisi to fight sectarian extremism and promote equality of citizenship. Egyptian citizens should all be free to practice any religion or belief of their choosing without fear of threats or physical violence. We commend the swift intervention by the local authorities, and urge the government of Egypt to continue to tackle extremism, sectarian hatred and incitement, ensuring an end to policies and practices which create division between communities."

In a separate development, the Egyptian government issued a memorandum designating Sunday 5 and Monday 6 May as bank holidays to celebrate Labour Day, which falls on 1 May. The memorandum has sparked outrage amongst the Coptic Orthodox community for ignoring Orthodox Easter Sunday, which falls on 5 May.

Coptic activists suggested to CSW that the move may be intended to appease Egypt's Salafi Muslim community, who consider recognising Easter to be sinful, as it defies the mainstream Islamic doctrine which denies Christ's crucifixion and resurrection.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide is a human rights organisation specialising in freedom of religion or belief. We work in over 20 countries across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. See: http://www.csw.org.uk

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Egypt: Christian homes attacked following rumours of planned church construction | ICN - Independent Catholic News

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When an old church sells its building | History | newspressnow.com - News-Press Now

WATERFORD The bells of St. Thomas may soon chime no more.

Leaders of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church have made the difficult decision to demolish a historic old sanctuary that might be the oldest church in Waterford.

The 1880 structure at 300 S. First St. is a cornerstone of the Catholic community in Waterford, with a towering steeple whose bells can be heard chiming every day.

But church leaders say the structure is in disrepair and that the cost of repairing it is simply too much.

Blaise Beaulier, the churchs director of administration, said officials are taking steps to prepare for razing the deteriorated chapel. Although no timetable has been set, he said, officials hope to complete the demolition sooner rather than later.

The future of the old church building has been under consideration for the past two years, Beaulier said.

While he acknowledged the buildings historic and sentimental value, he said there are no other options.

Its a very emotional thing, he said. We have to make decisions that are in the best interests for St. Thomas.

Historic preservation advocates are saddened to hear that a piece of Waterford history soon will be gone.

Robert Gariepy, a member of the Waterford Heritage Committee, said he and others tried to get the St. Thomas church a state historic landmark designation that might protect it from demolition.

State officials denied the request, he said, because of cosmetic changes that have altered the original appearance.

Gariepy said the building remains the oldest church in Waterford, and many people will miss hearing the bells chime each day from the clock and bell tower.

Its just heartbreaking, he said. A lot of people do not want to see that icon go.

Built for $20,000 just a few years after the U.S. Civil War, the church replaced an original St. Thomas chapel that had stood in Waterford since 1851. A growing parish demanded more room for Sunday worship in the 1880s.

The chapel served generations of church-goers until 2007 when an adjacent former Catholic school was razed and a new St. Thomas Church was built in its place at 305 S. First St.

The parish currently serves about 900 families.

The old 1880 structure currently serves as the location for a food pantry. Church leaders are relocating the food pantry in preparation for demolition of the old house of worship.

Sarah Crupi, a member of the St. Thomas pastoral council, said she and her colleagues have reluctantly come to the realization that they do not have enough money to restore the property.

Noting that similar historic landmarks are preserved elsewhere around the world, Crupi called it a shame to lose part of Waterfords history.

Its pretty sad, she said.

Gariepy, who also is a member of the St. Thomas parish, said he heard estimates in excess of $1 million for the cost of repairing the 1880 church. An earlier estimate, he said, showed it would cost $250,000 just to restore the bell tower and steeple.

Unless a large donor comes forward to help, Gariepy said, he sees no hope of staving off the wrecking ball.

I dont know of any other way, he said.

St. Thomas leaders will need approval from the Catholic archbishop of Milwaukee to move ahead with demolition. A spokeswoman said Monday the archbishop had not yet received a request regarding the Waterford church.

Beaulier said stained glass windows and other important artifacts have been moved into the new church. Other materials will be salvaged and preserved for some sort of tribute to the old chapel, he said.

Our intent is to further capture the memory and essence of the building, he said. We plan to continue moving forward to best serve our parishioners and our surrounding community with the decisions we have made.

The farmhouse is one of the few reminders of the once rural landscape of Madison's Far West Side. Formerly Uno Pizzeria, the house is now part of a housing development of apartments along Mineral Point Road.

This undated aerial photo shows a more recent layout of the farm along Mineral Point Road.

The former Uno Pizzeria & Grill that was housed for 26 years in a historic farmhouse closed in 2016, but the 132-year-old building is being preserved as part of a 64-unit workforce housing development along Mineral Point Road. The house will soon be moved to a new foundation, lower left, closer to the road and will be used for a community room, kitchen and fitness center.

The former Uno Pizzeria & Grill that for 26 years was in a historic farmhouse at 7601 Mineral Point Road is slated to be moved closer to the roadway to make room for a multifamily development.

Construction workers with Connery Construction prepare the site where the farmhouse will be moved in the coming weeks.

In 1980, the Shopko under construction along Mineral Point Road was on the edge of farmland and much of the Far West Side had not been developed. Mineral Point Road is on the left and West Towne Mall in the background.

Awnings and other modern additions to the 1890 farmhouse, seen here in 2015, are being removed to restore the building to more of its original look.

The gathering room of a restored interior of an historic farmhouse that once housed Pizzeria UNO restaurant at the new UNO Terrace housing development on Mineral Point Road in Madison, Wis. Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL

The restored farmhouse's exterior is largely unchanged but the interior has been modernized to serve as a community room for the residents of Uno Terrace.

Northpointe Development design manager Emily OBrien walks through one of 64 living units at Uno Terrace. The apartments and town homes include granite counter tops and a washer and dryer in each unit. The development was completed in September and only a few units remain available to rent.

To accommodate a new, adjacent apartment building, the historic farmhouse was moved closer to Mineral Point Road. The project also add a large outdoor patio and porch.

Northpointe Development design manager Emily OBrien enters a commons area from inside a restored farmhouse that has been incorporated into the Uno Terrace.

Emily and Sean OBrien of Northpointe Development show off the remodeled interior of a more than 130-year-old farmhouse along Mineral Point Road. Now part of Uno Terrace, the farmhouse is serving as a community room for the 64-unit housing development.

A childrens play area in a gathering room at the Uno Terrace housing development honors the history of a restored farmhouse which once was home to a Pizzeria Uno.

A quatrefoil window, one of the signature design elements of an historic farmhouse which has been incorporated into the new Uno Terrace housing development in Madison.

An historic farmhouse that once house Pizzeria Uno has been restored and incorporated into the new Uno Terrace housing development on Mineral Point Road in Madison.

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Waterford prepares for the heartbreak of seeing its oldest church come down - Journal Times

Mike Bell used Blender, open-source 3D computer graphics software, to model the collapse of the First Congregational Church in New London. (Courtesy of Mike Bell)

Mike Bell, a retired architect in South Africa, does animations on YouTube that explain building collapses, plane crashes and other topics. (Courtesy of Mike Bell)

News of a building collapse on another continent isnt the kind of thing that normally sends people into a frenzy of activity.

But when Mike Bell, an architect in Cape Town, South Africa, heard about the fall of New Londons First Congregational Church, he knew instantly he had to determine the cause. Its the same reaction hes had to other disasters.

My mind goes into overdrive, he said. When I see the photographs and I hear the witnesses talking and the sequences, my brain just must, must figure it out.

Bell, 61, whose rsum includes the design of a 40,000-seat soccer stadium in South Africa built for the FIFA World Cup, is retired after a 35-year career. He now makes videos for YouTube in which he explains complicated things in a simple manner with 3D animations for your enjoyment, his bio reads.

With 58,000 subscribers, Bell has made videos on everything from a drone strike that killed the leader of al-Qaida to the implosion of a submersible exploring the Titanic. But he has a specialty.

You really do need to have a niche, and building collapses totally are my niche, he said. Theres nobody else who does it and who can do what I do.

Mike Bell, a South African architect, used Blender, open-source 3D computer graphics software, to animate the Jan. 25 collapse of the First Congregational Church.

His recreation shows the towering granite spire falling inward through the roof of the building.

Graphics courtesy Mike Bell

Mike Bell, a South African architect, used Blender, open-source 3D computer graphics software, to animate the Jan. 25 collapse of the First Congregational Church.

His recreation shows the towering granite spire falling inward through the roof of the building.

Graphics courtesy Mike Bell

To figure out and animate collapses, he said, he bounces ideas off structural engineer friends and draws on a wealth of experience from his career.

When youre working for really, really long, you dont even need to think, he said. If somebody asks you a question, it just sort of rolls off because youve done it so many times. Its an amazing place to get to.

Solving New Londons church collapse, which happened Jan. 25, was right up his alley. When he heard about it online, I immediately just went into every nook and cranny I could find, got everything I could, and within a day and a half I published the first video.

Eight minutes long, it includes the widely seen security camera footage that gives a partial view of the collapse. He followed that up with a 16-minute video, released a week ago, that goes into more detail.

Though Bell worked on the second video for weeks, by the time the first one came out, he said, he had already figured out what brought the building down.

* * *

Officials in New London are still investigating the collapse and have not announced the cause. They have the advantage of being here, while Bell is an ocean away.

But in the internet age, distance has almost ceased to matter.

If I could drive there and come and have a look for myself and take footage, that would be better, Bell said, but the distance actually is immaterial to me.

A cutaway view of the front of the church and the center spire. If Bells theory is correct, the seeds of the churchs demise were planted at its birth.

A cutaway view of the front of the church and the center spire. If Bells theory is correct, the seeds of the churchs demise were planted at its birth.

The information he consulted is much of what would be available if he were here: the footage from the ISAAC School, which caught the spires fall; the most recent report on the buildings condition; drone video; photographs; and news stories, including those in The Day, to which he bought a subscription.

Most of what he needed was at his fingertips, and he found more by connecting with people via email and social media.

The internet is absolutely phenomenal, Bell said. There was a plane crash in Nepal a year ago, and within no time at all I had spoken to the guy who happened to be filming the crash from his balcony, which was key to my video. He found the man by messaging him on TikTok.

Getting a video online promptly is important, he said, because YouTubes algorithm sends more viewers his way when a story is fresh. His second video about the church was delayed while he hurried to complete an animation of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore.

Still, of over 90,000 people who viewed his quick response church video in January, only about 100 were in the New London area. For some reason, his effort didnt catch on here, even though he explained in detail how and why the building failed.

* * *

So what happened?

It was pretty obvious from the clues, Bell said. There was a bad pocket of masonry, which he called a ticking time bomb.

He said he pinpointed the location to the steeples north wall behind the balcony. There were reports of a serious water leak and buckling door frames at the spot, which is where the pipe organ was.

Thats part of my theory, he said, that the organ might have covered up the damage.

The organ was replaced with a digital one around 2011 because of the leak, said Alan McNeely, whose Waterford company maintained the instrument. But the larger pipes and oak casework were there until the end.

The organ, shown in photo above, is outlined in magenta.

Bell believes a pocket of bad masonry was the cause of the spires tilt and its eventual collapse. He says it was in the steeples north wall, shown in white, and may have been hidden by the churchs pipe organ.

Bell believes a pocket of bad masonry was the cause of the spires tilt and its eventual collapse. He says it was in the steeples north wall, shown in white, and may have been hidden by the churchs pipe organ.

The pipe organ, shown in photo above, is outlined in magenta in Bells graphic.

If true, Bells theory would be part of a remarkable story. Because, he said, the masonrys poor condition wasnt anything recent. It dated all the way back to the churchs construction in 1850-51.

As The Day has reported, Leopold Eidlitz, the churchs architect, wrote a letter of warning to the congregation as soon as the building was occupied. He said the tower walls were parting in consequence of defective masonry and unequal settling.

Eidlitz decided to secure the tower with iron anchors as a temporary solution, and the church arranged for permanent repairs in 1857, though Eidlitz had recommended the tower be demolished and rebuilt.

Steel rods called anchor ties were installed in the spire shortly after the church was completed to hold it together because the walls were already parting.

The churchs architect said the tower walls were unstable because of defective masonry and uneven settling. He wanted the tower demolished and rebuilt.

Steel rods called anchor ties were installed in the spire shortly after the church was completed to hold it together because the walls were already parting.

The churchs architect said the tower walls were unstable because of defective masonry and uneven settling. He wanted the tower demolished and rebuilt.

The unequal settling produced a problem that was hiding in plain sight. The churchs granite spire, 150 feet high, was left with a slight but significant tilt, Bell said. The tilt, which was toward the rest of the building, began around the apex of the roof, below the bell room, and was probably there from the beginning, he said.

Bell noted that the church survived the 1938 hurricane, a Category 3 storm, which suggests the masonry pocket degraded considerably after that. The rest of the building was solidly built, he said.

The spires tilt was stable until around 2019, when photos show it started to worsen. By Jan. 25, it had increased to 2 degrees, shifting the weight of the spire to the damaged north wall. When the walls bearing capacity was exceeded, he said, the whole thing collapsed.

New London Fire Marshal Vernon Skau, who is coordinating the official investigation, declined to provide any details about its focus and did not indicate when it would be finished.

* * *

Bells main evidence was the ISAAC footage: not just the five seconds everyone has seen, but 24 minutes of high-resolution video that allowed him to track the tilt frame-by-frame. The school, which supplied the video, also gave him still images for the prior 10 days.

Video is super, super valuable to me, or photographs as well, but video is the best, he said.

In the ISAAC footage, only the spire is visible over the parking garage on Governor Winthrop Boulevard. But Bell used Blender, open-source 3D computer graphics software, to model the entire event. Blender helped Bell document the tilt, as did a 2014 photo and 3D views of downtown New London from 2019 on Google Maps.

As the tilt worsens in the footage, the spire pivots on a point near the roof line, suggesting that the damage is just below that, around the balcony.

In his second video, Bell tracked the gilded ball atop the spire, where the tilts increase was most evident. The balls movement grew exponentially: 15 inches in the last four years, another 17 inches in the 10 days before the collapse, 7 more inches in the final 24 minutes, and 19 inches in the 1.7 seconds before the spire reached its tipping point.

Using video and photo evidence, Bell tracked the movement of the gilded ball atop the spire. The tilt worsened dramatically in the days before the collapse.

Using video and photo evidence, Bell tracked the movement of the gilded ball atop the spire. The tilt worsened dramatically in the days before the collapse.

As the spire began to fall, it built up momentum that increased its weight, creating a hammer blow effect that overwhelmed solid stonework at the steeples base, he said. Then, the rest landed on the rubble, slowing the fall and causing the top of the spire to break off, a key moment in the ISAAC footage.

The spire fell through the roof while the lower steeple spilled onto the churchs lawn.

Photos of the church at different periods were also available, some of them supplied by The Day. They showed a sag in the roof where it met the steeple on the east side, but the steeple fell asymmetrically on the west side, he said.

A photo from the 1860s shows the buildings facade studded with anchor plates, where steel rods, or ties," stabilizing the tower from within are bolted to the outer walls. This was a common corrective measure in older buildings, Bell said, and its possible one rusted through, contributing to the collapse.

The anchor plates, apparently from Eidlitzs repairs and the churchs slightly later ones, look the same in recent photos.

Nobodys added any more, he said, which means if they added those anchor ties as the building was being completed, that masonry was indeed trouble.

The steel tie rods were bolted to the outer walls with anchor plates, which were visible on the facade of the building.

The steel tie rods were bolted to the outer walls with anchor plates, which were visible on the facade of the building.

* * *

If Bells theory is correct, the seeds of the churchs demise were planted at its birth. Then it somehow survived until a random January day more than a century and a half later. He said for a flawed structure to last that long is rare.

The architect would have been incredibly surprised that it took 175 years for it to fall down, he said.

In his letter to the church, Eidlitz said the steeple had been built in a hurry by a contractor of questionable competence.

To write a strong letter like that is professionally very brave, Bell said, noting that Eidlitz was young at the time. You can potentially lose future work if you get a name for being an alarmist. But at the same time, youve got to be professionally responsible and call out stuff that should be called out.

Bell criticized what he said was a failure to call something out more recently. In 2011 the buildings condition was analyzed by Silver/Petrucelli + Associates, an architectural and engineering firm in Hamden. The firms report said that by all visible accounts, the tower is structurally sound.

The report included a photo of granite steps from the balcony to the tower that had fractured down the center. There was no recommendation that the fracture be examined more closely. But Bell believes it was significant and said it suggested some quite severe movement on the masonry."

Having this photograph and then calling this tower structurally sound is just, beats me, he said. I wouldnt have done it, but you know were all clever in hindsight. But this really worries me. I think this was irresponsible.

Silver/Petrucelli did not return messages seeking comment.

A photo included in a 2011 report by a Hamden architectural and engineering firm shows fractured granite steps between the balcony and the tower.

The firm concluded that the tower was structurally sound.

A photo included in a 2011 report by a Hamden architectural and engineering firm shows fractured granite steps between the balcony and the tower.

The firm concluded that the tower was structurally sound.

Bell noted that the report also mentioned damage in the area where he believes the crumbling masonry was but did not include a photo, which suggests there were no visible signs of structural cracks.

The absence of those photographs probably means there was nothing glaring, he said.

Except for the fractured steps, Bell said, he doesnt know of much visible damage in the days before the collapse, making it hard to say whether there was any sign of imminent catastrophe.

Thats whats so terrifying about this, he said. You would like to know that the building was really shouting and screaming, giving everybody a warning, and they were ignoring it or whatever.

I think the lesson is that the warning signs are minimal. So the responsibility is to actually monitor buildings in different ways, pick up minor movements, and thats the alarm bell to come and check it out and keep the building safe.

j.ruddy@theday.com

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Why did the church collapse? South African architect says he knows - theday.com

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Church rebuilds a year after highway demolition | News | thefacts.com - Brazosport Facts

ROCKFORD, Ill (RNS) In early April, just a few days after Easter, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church was filled with sounds of new life.

And hammers.

Two years ago, the church, which has shrunk from a congregation of 400 to a few dozen worshippers, decided to donate its building to the YMCA of the Rock River Valley in hopes the building could be reborn as a local Y. After months of planning and fundraising the project will cost about $3 million the rebirth of Good Shepherd finally got underway in late March 2024.

On Tuesday, April 2, the Rev. Eric Lemonholm, pastor of Good Shepherd, and Brent Pentenburg, CEO of the YMCA of the Rock River Valley, took a tour of the 1950s-era church, which is being transformed into Good Shepherd YMCA.

There were smiles all around as a long-anticipated dream was becoming a reality.

We were once a big congregation in a big building, said Lemonholm. Then we became a small congregation in a big building for decades. The congregation knew something had to change.

In recent years, the people of Good Shepherd, like thousands of congregations nationwide, found themselves dealing with the new math of American religion. In 2000, the median-sized congregation in the United States had 137 people, while today that number stands at about 60, according to data from the Faith Communities Today study. That has left congregations like Good Shepherd with buildings they cant fill or afford to keep up.

Rather than closing its doors, the congregation at Good Shepherd decided to find a partner to share their space and continue the congregations work in the community. When the renovations are complete, the churchs former classrooms will house a fitness center and changing rooms, and the boxy sanctuary will be a brand-new gym.

The congregation will continue to hold services in a small chapel at the new YMCA facility when it opens. In doing so, theyll become part of a small but growing group of churches who decided to make the Y their permanent home.

Well be the church in the Y, said Lemonholm, who splits his time between Good Shepherd and another small Lutheran church.

Founded in 1844 as the Young Mens Christian Association, the YMCAsofficial mission is to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all, but the group has no official ties to any church or denomination, instead partnering with people from all backgrounds. In some communities, the Christian part of the mission is stressed more than in other communities.

The YMCAs history and mission often make it a popular spot for startup congregations to meet before they can afford a building of their own. According to Tim Hallman, a former pastor and director of Christian emphasis for the YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne, Indiana, several churches like that rent space from the Y in their community.

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Near Chicago, a Lutheran Church Finds New Life at the YMCA - Church Leaders

A small 19th century church in Williamsburg that was once used as a synagogue will be demolished and replaced by two four-story apartment buildings, if the new owners plans go ahead.

A small 19th century church in Williamsburg that was once used as a synagogue will be demolished and replaced by two four-story apartment buildings, if the new owners plans go ahead. The quaint house of worship has sat on the corner of Leonard and Stagg streets since 1855, when it was built for a German congregation in what was then a German enclave in the borough.

Although the property is now the worse for wear and seemingly forgotten, its early 20th century tax photo shows an elegant Italianate building with neo-Classical details.

In February, the church, located at 157 Leonard Street, was sold by Action in Christ International to 157 Leonard Street LLC for $4 million, city records show. Joel Schwartz signed a mortgage for 157 Leonard St LLC.

A permit to demolish the building was applied for in September 2023, but has not been issued. Two new-building applications for the site, which includes the parking lot at 78 Stagg Street behind the church, have been submitted but neither permit has been issued yet. Both applications are for four-story apartment buildings; the one at 157 Leonard Street will have seven units and the one at 78 Stagg Street will have eight, the applications say.

Diego Aguilera Architects P.C. is the architect of record on both, and Hershey Silberstein of Blue Shine Builders Inc. is listed as the owner. No renderings have been posted on the construction fence or online.

Originally built as the German Evangelical Mission Church, in an area old maps show had a number of German businesses at the time, the structure started going up in the spring of 1855. The cornerstone was put in place in May, and in October the brick church was dedicated.

The buildings tall arched windows and doors were popular during the heyday of the Italianate style in the mid-19th century and also recall Romanesque Revival. The four pilasters across the front bring Greek Revival to the mix, and the front facades keystones are neo-Classical. Three stars of David on the roof and three more on the frieze, along with a plaque and a sign in Hebrew, identify the building as a synagogue. The cornice with its dentil molding and gable could be original or a later addition.

The church was substantially remodeled circa 1885 to 1895, and the congregation celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1903. Around the time of the celebration, a great number of Jewish families from the east side of Manhattan moved over to Brooklyn and settled in the immediate vicinity of the church, while the German congregants moved to other parts of the city, according to an early 20th century newspaper account of the church history. With a dwindling congregation, the church moved to Ridgewood in 1904 and laid the cornerstone for a new building there in 1907.

From at least 1903 through 1915, space in the basement of the church at 157 Leonard Street was rented for use by the local public school. During that time the ownership of the building changed, and by 1914 the Congregation Lovers of Peace Synagogue (also known as Ohev Sholom Anshei Sfard) was occupying the former church. The synagogue owned the property until 1970 when it transferred the deed to the building to the School of Biblical Instruction of Brooklyn (also known as Beth Talmud De Tora Brooklyn). In 1993, the school transferred the deed to Marcos Miranda of Action in Christ Church for $80,000.

Across the road from the church is Brooklyns oldest NYCHA development, Williamsburg Houses, which was built in the 1930s.

The Leonard Street church is the latest in a years-long building sell off by churches all over the borough, which have faced declining attendance and deteriorating structures while property values have skyrocketed. Many have been demolished for new housing, including the recently torn down St. Lucy-St. Patrick in Bed Stuy, but in some cases buildings are altered or extended, and occasionally preserved and adapted for new uses.

[Photos by Susan De Vries unless noted otherwise]

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Apartments to Replace 19th Century Church in Williamsburg - Brownstoner

The sale of a Middletown church will result in a cooperative agreement RSR Realtors thinks will become a trend for religious organizations.

RSR Realtors said Wesley United Methodist Church at 64 Ann Street in Middletown was sold to Zion Assembly of Harrisburg for $299,900. RSR represented the sellers and Josh Mumaw of Coldwell Bankers represented the buyers.

The sale of the 14,000-square foot property represents a negotiated solution between the parties, RSR Realtors said. Although Wesley UMC is selling its ownership in the property, they will continue to hold weekly services and Sunday school at the church for the long term.

Zion Assembly of Harrisburg, which sold its previous church before the pandemic, will shift back from virtual services to in-person services at 64 Ann Street.

Both congregations will conduct services in the church in their own individual time slots, RSR Realtors said.

Garrett Rothman of RSR Realtors thinks this type of cooperative use of the church will be a trend that will continue across the country.

As many churches are dealing with shrinking memberships and high overhead costs associated with owning their buildings, it makes perfect sense for multiple congregations to share the same building, allowing them to share expenses, Rothman said.

From the first moment representatives from both churches met, we all could tell there was synergy between the two congregations, and that they would mutually benefit holding their services under the same roof, he said. It was a true win-win situation.

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Sale of church building to benefit two congregations - Central Penn Business Journal

A long-vacant church in St. Cloud may soon become a place where people can get help for their mental health and addiction challenges, despite pushback from some residents in the neighborhood.

Nelson Construction and Development, working with Ascension Recovery Services, wants to rehab the 15,303-square-foot church at 302 Fifth Ave. S. and turn it into a 48-bed inpatient and outpatient center for treatment of substance abuse, anxiety, and depression.

Built in the 1960s, the building has been vacant since 2013, when the First United Methodist Church relocated after 50 years of holding services there. The building has an assessed value of $208,000, according to Stearns County property records.

As part of the adaptive-reuse project, crews would renovate the education wing and congregation hall for inpatient and outpatient services. Also planned are exterior improvements, new windows, tuckpointing and a roof replacement, among other fixes.

St. Clouds Planning Commission recently recommended approval of a zoning change to move the project forward. Last week, the City Council set a Feb. 12 public hearing date for the proposed reuse, said Matt Glaesman, St. Clouds community development director.

At a Planning Commission meeting in January, project backers said the treatment center would address a big need in the city and create a productive new use for an aging building with historical value.

Weve gotten the bug of repurposing old buildings and saving the history of our community. Well, the First United Methodist Church building was expected to be torn down and ripped down, Brian Schoenborn, the buildings owner, said at the meeting. The idea that we can now invest $17 million to repurpose a historic building is very important.

Brandon George, vice president at Ascension Recovery Services, which operates programs in 25 states, told the commission that St. Cloud, like many, many, many other communities around the country, is struggling with addiction.

The new treatment center, he said, would serve everything from college kids that may need help with anxiety and depression to people that work in the community that may struggle with alcohol or other mental health concerns.

But some residents are cautious about the plans. A recurring theme among project skeptics: centers for treatment of mental health and addiction may be necessary, but build it someplace else.

At the Planning Commission meeting, neighbors peppered the project team with questions and concerns about everything from the type of medication that would be offered at the facility to traffic and public safety issues.

I dont know if Im supportive of this because our neighbors didnt hear anything about this at all, a 22-year resident of the neighborhood told the Planning Commission.

As somebody who has lived there and walks everywhere, I dont feel safe going to Holiday. [The neighborhood] is not a space that you can go into at any time of day or night because of the amount of homeless, drug-addicted, alcohol-addicted folks that loiter in the area.

Weve had a couple of shootings in that area. So we need not just this facility but we need [to take care of] that neighborhood, the resident added.

Another neighbor acknowledged the need for treatment centers, but wondered if the former church is the best place for it. The issue of the placement of this particular program in this particular neighborhood is a concern.

The treatment center would be staffed at all times with up to 30 employees during the day and 12 at night, according to a city report. Onsite employees would include administrative, counseling, medical and operations personnel.

Inpatient services could last up to 28 days, the staff report says, adding that participation in the program is voluntary.

Sue Abderholden, executive director of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness [NAMI-Minnesota], said opposition to projects like the one in St. Cloud is not unusual, despite the huge demand for mental health and addiction treatment.

NAMI-Minnesota points to the proposed Lincoln on the Creek project, which would bring 89 units of workforce housing to Edina. As part of the project, Touchstone Mental Health would provide support for at least 18 households, including at least nine with a mental illness.

The project is facing rising opposition, according to NAMI-Minnesota.

In recent years, similar opposition upended plans to bring residential treatment centers for children to cities such as Golden Valley and Forest Lake, Abderholden said.

People struggling with mental illness and addiction are living in your city and neighborhood, she added. We want them to be able to get treatment. It could be one of your own children, a sibling, a neighbor, a coworker.

It affects a lot of people. The worst thing we can do is have people not have access to treatment.

RELATED:One-time St. Cloud orphanage to become treatment center

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Church-to-treatment center project up for approval in St. Cloud - Finance and Commerce

The new Mary Queen of Angels Church will be very similar to the structure it is replacing. (Artists rendering courtesy Alloy Architecture.)

An unsuspecting parishioner of Mary Queen of Angels Parish in Fort Scott who walks into the church next Christmas after several years of being away might be shocked to discover hes in a different building.

The new churchs design is very similar to the structure that was severely damaged by fire on Aug. 29, 2022, after a lightning strike.

Andrew Faires, an architect with Alloy Architecture in Wichita, said the new church will be handicapped accessible and have a larger gathering space, but will be a few feet shorter than the building it is replacing.

Weve added a vesting sacristy near the front of the church, he said, and weve added a bank of restrooms near the front of the church off of the gathering space as well.

Easier entry, exit

The footprint of the church was moved farther away from the street, Faires said. So now theres a bit more of an exterior plaza for entry and exit off the main entrance of the church.

The architect said he and his colleagues attempted to maintain the integrity of the original design of the churchs interior.

Bishop Carl A. Kemme, Fr. Yancey Burgess, and others associated with the construction of a new Mary Queen of Angels Church took part in ceremonial groundbreaking Sunday, Dec. 17, in Fort Scott. (Courtesy photo)

We wanted the parish to feel as though they were already homeso theres not that shock that can happen with a new church. Weve gone in there with the intent of this is what it felt like beforehand, he said. A lot of the work was how can we make it feel like its just restored and improved for modern-day use of the building.

Stained-glass windows are being refurbished

Another reason parishioners will feel at home is that the stained-glass windows are being refurbished and reused in the new church building.

Its still going to be the same rose window stained glass and all the side windows stained glass, Faires said. There are different ways that weve had to arrange them. We couldnt necessarily place them in the same locations, but we were able to get them all integrated into the building design.

The reredos and side altars are being replicated. The Stations of the Cross and statues are being refurbished and will be returned to the new church. Were trying to go back with the same design but with a slightly different scale, he said. For the most part, its all integrating with what the original church looked like.

Brick detailing will be similar to old church

Red brick will again be used for the exterior and the brickwork detailing along the roof line will be similar to the previous church. One difference is that the base of the church will be limestone, which will tie it to the adjacent school building.

A larger paved parking area will be added south of the church, Faires said.

The church is scheduled to be finished by the end of November.

Fort Scotts pastor, Fr. Yancey Burgess, said he appreciated Bishop Carl A. Kemmes blessing at the groundbreaking, an event that occurred during Advent, a season of anticipation.

We would like the church to have been done yesterday, he said. Its a slow process and we understand that but its begun.

The congregation is excited about construction, Fr. Burgess said. Mass and other services are being held in the parishs Kennedy Gym.

Looking forward to the old church in the new church

The people wanted to rebuild their church only with indoor plumbing we had only one bathroom, he said. Theyre looking forward to having their old church the look of the old church with modern conveniences.

Fr. Burgess added that parishioners have expressed their appreciation that the new church will be at ground level and that accessibility will be much easier for the elderly and others with mobility challenges. Theyre going to miss the old church but theyre excited to see the old church in the new church, he said. They should be able to walk into the church and, for the most part, recognize they are back home.

Simpson Construction Services of Wichita is the general contractor for the project.

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Fort Scott parishioners will return 'home' after construction of new church is finished - Catholic Diocese of Wichita