Knox United Methodist Church Congregation Looking Forward to New House of Worship

Scott Shindledecker

Scott Shindledecker

Published February 19, 2017 5:31 am
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KNOX, Pa. (EYT) — The economy is difficult, and new construction is limited in Clarion County, but with a strong faith in God, the congregation at Knox United Methodist Church is about to realize a dream that has spanned a decade.

Tom Shawley — a member of Knox UMC who sits on the building committee — gave an update on the ongoing construction at their new home in Beaver Township.

“Things are going well. It’s really something to know we will have a new place of worship in about four months,” Shawley said.

“When we started thinking about doing this, we wondered where would the money come from. It costs millions to do this, but God has provided every step of the way.”

That faith propelled church leaders to go ahead with their decision to build a new church.

The process began 10 years ago when a facility review committee was developed to determine current and future needs of the church.

A few years later, that became a facility improvement committee.

knox church construction
Shawley explained there were many reasons to build a new church.

The size of the property at the original location at 628 West Railroad Street was limited for what church leaders wanted to do, and the fact that it’s a two-story structure was not desirable.

“We wanted a facility that would be big enough to accommodate our growing congregation,” Shawley said. “We wanted to make it better for the next generation. Being two stories can be difficult for our older members to get in and out of the building.”

“The new building will be one story, so that’s a major improvement.”

The Church made the decision to stay with a local business to build their new building, Rod and Ryan Flick of CBF Contracting in Sligo.

Part of the new facility will include a large, 5,000-square foot hall that can accommodate up to 299 people for such things as concerts, dinners, weddings, banquets, and receptions.

It will also be used for an indoor play area, for things such as soccer.

The church will sit on a 14-acre piece of land. In the outdoor area, there will be a play field for youth activities where kids can have practices for soccer, baseball, and softball.

“We are trying to cover all our bases to make the new facility as user-friendly as possible,” Shawley said. “We want to make it so that young and old alike can come here and enjoy themselves.

“This is not just for members of the congregation; we want the entire Knox community to enjoy this.”

“It’s been a joyful and difficult road getting to this point, but we know it will be a benefit for Christ’s Kingdom and the Knox community.”

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