Favorite Things: Country Churches

 

Sue Rothhaar, The Prequel

 

 

 

In the beginning....

 

 



Photo by Sue Rothhaar

This lovely gem is the old Pietist Church in Chatfield, Ohio. As you can see, it is a tiny brick structure that is filled with stained-glass windows.  The craftsmanship that went into building this church has withstood over one hundred years of cold winter winds that blow across the open fields that surround it followed by scorching hot days of summer. In its churchyard are headstones of past parishioners; remembrances of loved ones who were baptized, married, and worshipped within the shelter of stained glassed walls.

 

 

Small brick buildings like churches and one-room schoolhouses dot Ohio's countryside and serve as quaint reminders of a time when life was lived on a local scale; before the era of consolidated schools, "big box" stores, and mega churches. Sadly, many of these buildings are neglected after their original purpose is no longer useful. What a shame.

 

Time Marches On

 

But, like everything, a school or church has to grow or it will die. The congregation of the Pietist church had a sudden growth spurt several years ago, so much so that they simply could not fit everyone in their beloved church home. At that time, the winds of change came calling to the local school district. Instead of small, community schools, the school board decided on building a central campus. This left another well-built landmark in Chatfield sitting empty.

 

Did Serendipity step in just at the time when a congregation needed a bigger building and a school district had a school to sell, or was a bigger plan already in motion? Either way, the congregation of the Pietist church bought the former Buckeye Central Elementary School to transform into their new church home. The church still owns and maintains the old building, of which I am truly thankful for because I hate it when I see Ohio's past torn down or left to rot.

 

 

Honoring the Past, Embracing the Future

 

 

Thanks to a new generation of fine craftsmen, the new Pietist Church is a wonderful fit for the needs of modern life. Classrooms that formerly housed students now serve as Sunday school rooms. There are rooms for lounges, offices, kitchen, and the Sanctuary, of course.  When the congregation moved into the newly remodeled building, the only thing missing, and missed greatly by the worshipers, were the stained-glassed windows.

 

 

Removing and re-locating the old windows was out of the question because the congregation wants to preserve their old church and keep it original.

 

How was the quandary solved? By needle and thread . Can you believe it? Tune in tomorrow to read about the talents of Sue Rothhaar and her Big Idea of how to bring architectural elements of the beloved brick church into the new church home.

 

Marcheta *seeing is believing