Abbyville had a Methodist church and a Christian church, both of which were slowly but surely dying. I don't have a lot of information on the Methodist church, but the Christian church was Norma's home church, so I've been there several times. The congregation was aging, there were few young families coming, the building was beautiful but tired. I'm sure the situation down the block at the Methodist church was similar. It took some far-sighted people (and the help of God) to propose a solution. It took even more blood, sweat, toil and tears to make that solution come to fruition.
What they did was merge the two churches! I'm not privy to the actual workings of the merger, and I am sure there were more than a few ruffled feathers, but the merger stuck. The Methodist's building was in better shape than the Christian church building, so everyone met there for many years. The preacher, a man who grew up just down the road a couple of miles, is the sort of man you can't help but like. He's full of energy, but he keeps it easy-going enough that I don't see how anybody could feel pushed or railroaded. He melded the two styles of worship well. When I visited, I still saw vestiges of Methodist worship, but nothing that was off-putting to me. After all, the real differences between the two groups is mostly in worship style, not in substance. There were a few defections over the merger, I'm sure, but for the time being, Abbyville still had a congregation where the locals could worship and fellowship on Sundays.
Problem is, this didn't solve the aging congregant situation, nor did it attract young families. The attendance figures continued to drop into the 60s, then the 50s, then the 40s sometimes. So what did they do? They built a new building! Talk about stepping out on faith.
My brother-in-law didn't remember the exact numbers, but he believed the building cost around $400,000. The land appears to have been donated, and I'm sure there were other items and labor donated. The old buildings and land were sold, but a quick mental calculation shows that there's still a huge debt that's been taken on by this little church. And if the merger wasn't enough, my observations of human nature tell me that there were probably more than a few people unhappy about the building plan, so there may have been additional defections from the church.
All that aside, the physical facilities are stunning. The layout is practical and functional, and "form follows function". Beautiful, sturdy pews face a simple stage. The stage is equipped with a powered projection screen for the ceiling-mounted projector. A small booth at the back of the sanctuary contains all the sound and computer equipment. Sliding partitions block off additional space for a fellowship hall, which is also easily used as overflow for larger services. At the back of the hall is an ample kitchen. The kitchen is particularly impressive, with lots of cabinet space, an island with a mini-sink, three main sinks in stainless steel (three sinks meet state requirements in case the church wants to prepare food during the large rodeo that's held across the street every summer), two matching ranges and two matching microwave ovens. I'm told that in the original plan, everyone thought that the kitchen was too small, so it was expanded. One wall opens out to the fellowship hall, with a long counter perfect for potlucks. I could go on and on about the space, but I'll settle for a few pictures:
And the upshot? Attendance is UP! Way up. Average attendance is now over 100, with plenty of young families. The day we visited, a couple dedicated their baby. My sister-in-law told me that the minister keeps preaching that the church is NOT a building. But, like she says, the church needs a place to call "home", a base from which to operate, a focal point for the work in the community. And Abbyville has it!
