Workers from Genesis Roofing and Construction, Cortland, and SRI Roofing and Sheet Metal, New Castle, replace the roof over the narthex at Brookfield United Methodist Church.
Over the last few years, Brookfield United Methodist Church has undertaken several improvement projects.
“We’ve improved security,” said Pastor Dick Smith. “We remodeled the restrooms, new doors, all the things that really needed to be done. The preschool, we’ve put a lot of work into there, making that a great place for the kids.”
While the congregation had savings and sold the parsonage to fund all the work, one more job did in that cushion – the roof over the narthex, the office wing between the sanctuary building and the fellowship hall.
That job cost $20,000.
In hopes that the ministry work the church has done by creating a food pantry, maintaining the preschool, running a youth program and providing emergency relief to individuals in need has earned goodwill in the community, Smith is asking the community if it will help pay for the roof.
Support from outside the church membership has helped pay for the ministries the church provides.
“There’s a lot of people that come and volunteer at the food pantry that aren’t members,” Smith said. “Most of the kids that come to the youth ministry, they aren’t members, or their parents aren’t. We do a lot for the community. I think we need to reach out and say, ‘Hey, we know you’re not members, but we feel we’re doing some important ministry here.’ We’re gonna reach out to the community this time and try and get some help for our roof, because it’s just a little too much for us. We can pay for most of it, but it’s gonna deplete us.”
The church’s goal is $6,000.
“If we collect over, it’s gonna go into a fund for in case something like this comes up again, or we’re looking at how we can expand our ministry,” Smith said.
Donations can be dropped off, the church during business hours of 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday; mailed to Brookfield United Methodist Church, 6951 Grove St. Brookfield OH 44403; or sent electronically through the donations page of the website www.mybrookfieldchurch.com
“No donation is too small,” Smith said.
