MOORESVILLE — Two religious traditions that share common biblical beliefs also will soon share the same 121-year-old Mooresville church building that is getting new life from local property developers.
The church groups also will share a much newer fellowship-hall-style building next door.
The two congregations are Upper Room Church, 450 St. Clair St., and Renewal Bible Fellowship, 111 S. Jefferson St. From blocks apart, they will come together in one location.
Since 1848, believers have worshipped at the corner of Jefferson and Harrison streets — first in a Lutheran building moved to the site, and since 1904, in the current building.
The 1904 building, 61 W. Harrison St., has been home to several congregations over its long life, including Community Christian Church, Heritage Christian Church, Grace Missionary Church and First Christian Church, before the latter moved to the intersection of Indiana and St. Clair streets.
It was for a time referred to as “The Little Church Around the Corner.”
It also was the site of John Dillinger’s first major crime in 1924. (See accompanying story.)
Williams Rental Properties LLC took possession of the two buildings — 61 W. Harrison St. and 111 S. Jefferson St. — on Feb. 1. Work is planned to make the older building ready for mid-spring services. The newer building needs no major touchups.
“I simply saw an efficiency opportunity, where two small churches share the costs of a facility, making it easier for them to continue worshipping,” said Shane Williams, one of the rental company’s principals, explaining how the two congregations came together.
The Williamses, in fact, bought the buildings from Renewal Bible. That congregation, led by Pastor Randy Weddle who also pastors Mt. Pleasant Christian Church in Hall, has been meeting in the 111 S. Jefferson St. building since January, when the church first formed and now has about 20 members. It meets at 5 p.m. on Sundays. Weddle has pastored churches during the 15 years he has been in Mooresville.
Upper Room Church’s pastor Ron Wagner said his congregation of about 30 will meet in the sanctuary at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays. Wagner and his wife, Judy, have plans to have their first service and an opening celebration there on May 4. Wagner said he has pastored Upper Room for 16 years, after 15 years in Hobart and five years in Logansport.
Weddle says his congregation “kinda swings toward Lutheran,” with maybe a touch of Anglican. Wagner’s congregation is Pentecostal, but he prefers to call it “Saved,” believing people are too hung up on religious labels.
Both pastors, who had not met before the project brought them together but now are on first-name basis, find the Scriptures — more than a common building — binding them.
Says Wagner: “Jesus accepted everybody, so why shouldn’t we? Our doctrine is the best one: the Bible. If the Bible says it, that’s what we do. [Someone might ask,] ‘Do you mind if I’m Catholic?’ [And I say,] ‘Do you mind that I’m fat?’
That brings laughter from Judy Wagner, Weddle, Shane and Rebecca Williams and a reporter gathered on a Saturday morning on the church’s pews.
Then, seriously, he adds: ”It doesn’t matter.”
Says Weddle: “We say we are rooted in the Word, and that is exactly what we do. We search the Scriptures to find out what it is saying, not what we want it to say. We admit we could be wrong on things, and where we find we are wrong, we need to change.”
Having Williams Realty providing and maintaining the building gives both congregations added assistance.
Weddle sees it this way: “Churches are suffering, and attendance is dropping in many. For us to be able to have a place where we can focus not on [maintaining] a building but on service is very important.
“One of the motivations for our selling this building … is to make sure this place was going to be cared for; we didn’t want it to be in disrepair. We want to reach people. We are not trying to build some large structure.”
At the Upper Room, which has been meeting in a storefront for 15 years, Wagner says, “My people got all excited when I said, ‘We have a chance to move to an actual church.’” He tried to caution his members about how much work it would be, but they mainly saw “the excitement of moving.”
Of his own perspective, Wagner said, “Every time I turn to say, ‘I don’t think this is gonna work,’ the Lord has done something to say, ‘Follow me.’”
Wagner, at 67, said he had not been looking to move the church.
“I figured it was my last hurrah” to worship on St. Clair Street.
But Wagner’s preliminary, cautionary “no” to the idea has become a solid “yes.” “I want to minister. I want to reach out to people.”
The pastors agree that being planted in the middle of a neighborhood, close to downtown, will add to possibilities of attracting members, some of whom can walk to services.
“We simply want to focus in on teaching Scripture and serving people,” Weddle, 59, said. “That’s what we are called to do: being the church.”
The two congregations are considering occasional joint services and will invite each other’s members to fellowship, holiday and celebratory meals and events. Believers are supposed to “have fellowship, pray and break bread,” Wagner said.
Beyond church services, co-owner Shane Williams, foresees the building being used for small weddings, stage plays, musical presentations and similar events. He also hopes the building can play a part in Mooresville’s Victorian Christmas events.
The building’s “bones are good,” said his wife, Rebecca Williams, who is the project’s general contractor. The decades-old carpet in the sanctuary needs attention as does a dropped ceiling that hides a tall ceiling, condition not yet known. Smaller rooms in the back of the older building need renovations to make space more usable, she said.
Work on the building will go on over several months, both Williamses said.
Upper Room has first dibs on using the older building, and Renewal Bible Fellowship has first choice on use of the newer building, but the congregations will be able to use each other’s buildings when they are not already called for, Rebecca said. For instance, church meals would be served in the Renewal building.
“We definitely are going to pamper the 1904 building and take care of it,” she said. “If it can’t go original, I’d like it to have an early 19th century look. … I think the fact that we can keep it a church is huge.
“This is God’s home,” she added. “If we are going to take care of our houses, how should we take care of God’s?”
The signal that the old building is open for services will come on May 4 when Upper Room members ring the bell in the building’s tower and call members and visitors to worship.
Old pictures wanted
If you have old pictures of the church, especially inside, Rebecca Williams would like to see them so she can design the building to look as it had historically.
You can contact her at 317-834-4680 or rebeccawilliams290@hotmail.com.
