NEWS

Three Crosses UMC Shines Its Light

By Rick Wolcott

(View Slideshow) The night time skyline in Butler has a new glow, thanks to the folks at Three Crosses UMC.  As parishioners sang “This Little Light of Mine,” the new church steeple was illuminated for the first time on Sunday, December 18.  The new landmark is visible to all travelers coming into town on State Route 97.

It’s easy to see the impact Three Crosses is having on its surrounding community.  The church is brimming with life.  Prior to lighting the steeple, Pastor Jonathan Priebe, his family and about 20 parishioners sang Christmas carols to shut ins, spreading the love of God to those unable to make it to Sunday services.

Three Crosses UMC sits on the site of the former Trinity UMC.  The church merged with Bellville UMC and Mt. Sinai UMC in 2007 to form Three Crosses.  At the time, the new congregation decided to step out in faith and build a new church.  Soon after the decision was made, the church received a surprise… a $600,000 check from the estate of Mrs. Verdabel Plank, a past member.  The money helped pay for part of the new construction and for a scholarship fund.

To date, two of the three phases of construction have been completed.  Phase I was the exterior shell for the new 250-seat sanctuary, including the steeple, plus a new fellowship hall, kitchen, pantry and classrooms.  Phase II, interior finishing of all but the sanctuary, will be completed in January 2012. 

There is a lot of work that goes into a project of this magnitude.  Priebe is the first to credit current building chairperson, Judy Gillespie, the trustees and a host of laity who have stepped up over the past few years to make this dream a reality.

“I am overwhelmed by folks’ dedicating a major part of their lives for this church,” Priebe said.

There was much to do before the project could even begin.  In 2008 the parsonage and its garage were moved from the church grounds to a new location across the street.  Two plots of land were purchased on the other side of the church for a parking lot.  Seeing the need for additional parking in the future, the church outbid another party in July of this year to purchase a home across the street from the church.  The plan was to raze the house and use the land for parking. 

Soon thereafter trustees discovered the house concealed a log cabin.  Painstaking efforts were taken to strip away and salvage the outside shell, exposing the 1820’s era log cabin.  The Greentown Preservation Association is going to take the log cabin and reconstruct it in Ashland County’s Green Township, about 10 miles from Butler.  The Association owns the site of a 1782-1812 Delaware Indian village.  The log cabin will serve as a small museum and visitor center on the site.

The former Mt. Sinai UMC is also buzzing with activity.  Three Crosses UMC began a clothing ministry and preschool there.  Enrollment the first year at the school was 44 children.

“I am glad to be part of a church,” Priebe said, “where God is active and there is vitality and vibrancy.”

(View Slideshow)