GOWANDA — It was a joyous celebration Sunday at the Gowanda Free Methodist Church as congregants and pastors, joined by the church’s superintendent and bishop, dedicated their new sanctuary and entryway.
“The new addition has been an incredible journey that we have taken together,” said Tim McKeever, assistant pastor at the church, during the service. “The past several years have been a season we have prayed incredibly hard and we have stepped out in bold faith, and as a result we are here this morning as a testimony to God’s faith.”
Church services were held in the new sanctuary, located in the rear of the church’s property on West Main Street, in late December. The former sanctuary had hosted worship in one form or another since the formation of both the church and the Free Methodist denomination in the early 1860s.
The new chapter was ushered in officially Sunday with a sermon from the church’s bishop, David Roller, and the prayer of dedication was led in part by the church’s superintendent, Pam Braman.
Roller, who oversees in the ministry of 11 annual conferences in the eastern United States and lives in Maryland, challenged the congregation to push forward and take advantage of the new church building.
“This is a lovely place,” he said in his message. “You have done well, and I congratulate you. But I want to place this building in context to the journey God has each one of us on and the church.
“This is not so we can stay as we are, ministering to those we minister. This is so that we may enter the new adventure which you are already on.”
Dedication of the sanctuary was prevalent throughout the service, including the selection of songs. In homage to the former sanctuary and the style of worship prevalent in the church since its inception, worship started with a hymn, “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” played only on piano.
The worship band led in the singing of the other praise songs during the service, including “God of This City,” “God is on the Move” and “Holy Spirit.”
“We chose the songs we chose this morning because we believe ‘God is on the move,’ we believe he is the ‘God of this city’ and we believe the greatest days for this church have yet to come,” McKeever said. “I don’t think today is the greatest day in the history of the Gowanda Free Methodist Church. I believe this is just the beginning of the next 160 years.”
The new sanctuary of the church, which was nearly full for the combined service, is noticeably different than the church’s former worship space. Among the differences include a larger raised platform in the front for the worship band and a much wider seating area for congregants.
There are also more convenient accommodations for the media team for its computers and sound equipment. A large wall in the front of the sanctuary, which is painted to allow for projections, is able to display lyrics and movies.
It’s also more contemporary in design, featuring chairs instead of pews that expands the seating capacity to about 300.
McKeever, along with lead pastor John Horton, told The Gowanda Press in December the new sanctuary will cater to the church’s movement in the last several months toward more contemporary music and atmosphere.
“We are trying to be a church that is attractional to the unchurched,” McKeever said in December.
Work on the church building, which also includes a new entryway and gathering area for church attendees to the rear of the sanctuary, began in February.
“Each and everyone of us had some type of role to play, and for that we want to say, ‘Thank you,’” McKeever said.
Plans have not yet been announced for the church’s old sanctuary.
The Gowanda Free Methodist Church hosts services at 6 p.m. Saturday and 9 and 10:30 a.m. Sundays.
