Expansion project celebrated at Harrowsmith Free Methodist Church

Photo: Outgoing Reverend Will Keller and his wife Connie in the new gymnasium at the Harrrowsmith Free Methodist Church

Members of the public were invited to the new 5000 square foot gymnasium at the Harrowsmith Free Methodist Church on September 26 to
celebrate the church’s Gymnasium Expansion Project, which is nearing completion. The project, initiated in 2005, has more than doubled the indoor space from roughly 10,000 to 20,000 square feet.

A number of church and community representatives, along with dignitaries from the community, attended the official ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony. Bishop Keith Elford of Mississauga made the ceremonial dedication.

Estimated at a total cost of approximately $1.2 million, the project includes a 5000 square foot double gymnasium equipped with a full stage, an attached servery/kitchen facility, additional bathrooms and hallways, storage space and extra outdoor parking. In 2005 after the initial plans had been drawn up and a few upgrades were made, the foundation was laid. There was then a hiatus and work did not begin again until October last year, when the project was restarted. Most of it was completed in mid-July of this year.

A number of final installations are still needed: the laying of the floors, additional plumbing and cabinetry work in the servery, the removal of a wall to join the new building to the existing one, and the installation of the gym stage, which includes a drop down curtain that will allow the gym to be divided in two.
According to the Reverend Keller, the facility will be used primarily by various church youth groups and children’s ministries within the church itself but it will also be open for use by various community groups who have shown support for the project along the way. “There is a lot of interest being shown in the new facility and just recently we’ve been approached by one organization who would like to use it for a trade show. Others groups have asked to use it for various sporting events.” The facility will also be available for rent.
Funds for the project were raised solely by the church, which, to date, has paid for roughly half of the costs; ongoing fundraising is planned to cover the remaining costs.
For Reverend Will Keller, who has been at the church for 15 years, the project represents the
realization of a dream and a goal of the church since the original building was constructed in 1991. “At that time we had always intended to build a gym facility to accommodate youth groups, which until now have had to run their programs at other locations. Now we have a facility that can keep our programs here at home, which is great.”

For Keller the completion of the project comes at a time when his work at the church is wrapping up. “After 15 years I feel I have completed the work that I needed to do here and I feel that I am ready to do something else, though I am not sure yet what that might be. However, it will be ministry-related.”

Intentional interim Carl Bull will take over beginning on October 4 until a new minister can be found. Anyone interested in making a donation to the project can contact the Harrowsmith Free Methodist Church office at 613 372-1238.