Southington church celebrates half a century in new building

Published: September 10, 2014 | Last Modified: September 10, 2014 10:06PM

By Farrah Duffany Record-Journal staff

SOUTHINGTON The Grace United Methodist Church building was falling apart just over 50 years ago and becoming crowded as membership grew.

Members of the church, which was built in the late 1800s on Main Street where the TD Bank is now, thought it was time for a new building. They reached out to church member Charlie Bass for guidance.

Bass was named the chairman of the churchs building committee and the group began searching for a new location. They eventually chose a spot at the corner of Pleasant Street and Spring Lake Road. The church is now celebrating the 50th anniversary of the building.

They still call it the new building, said Deborah Leonard, a member of the church for 30 years. Weve been through several wonderful pastors, and its just been a very warm and family-oriented congregation.

The church was built for $175,000 and paid for through donations.

We thought we couldnt afford not to do it because the church was growing out of proportion, Bass said.

Bass created a newsletter on church history to share with the community to mark the 50th anniversary.

Things began to change, Bass wrote about the congregations size. The Sunday School was growing so fast that we had to hold many classes at the YMCA.

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Southington church celebrates half a century in new building