By Seth Abrahamson, CVPost reporting intern
Plymouth Congregational UCC Church has finished construction on its new building, but there are still some parts of the structure that haven’t been completed, according Rev. David Huber, the church’s pastor.
The congregation held its first worship service in the new building on Sunday. Huber called that and a Saturday memorial service “a soft opening” for the building, and said the congregation “wanted to get settled in first” before making a general announcement that it is operating again at 2010 Moholt Dr., the site of the building that burned in 2016.
The congregation had a groundbreaking ceremony at the end of October 2017, after a lightning strike set the building ablaze in September of 2016. Huber said the construction schedule ran through August, but the work got done ahead of time.
The new building will have a more modern feel than the one that burned, Huber said. The square-footage will be about the same as the original, but the new structure will have less “wasted” hall space and more usable space, he added.
The new church will also be more energy efficient, including better insulation, windows and LED lighting, according to Huber. The parking lot is closer to the building and the plans added a drive-under canopy in front of the entrance to better accommodate the community, he said.
Grace Lutheran Church, 202 W. Grand Ave., hosted Plymouth congregation since the fire, which has been a blessing, Huber said.
“Grace (Lutheran) has been a really good host,” Huber said. “They actually reached out to us and let us know they had available space for us.”
Huber also mentioned that the community has shown great support for Plymouth. Community members have donated to the church and to church groups like the knitting group and have also routinely asked Huber how the construction is going and when it would be finished.
Huber said the church plans to have a grand opening for the community sometime this fall and close to the two-year anniversary of the fire.
“We are thinking of doing a big open house sometime toward the end of August or the beginning of September,” Huber said. “Then we will have a dedication ceremony after that.”
Note: the photos of Plymouth Congregational UCC Church that accompany this article were taken by Seth Abrahamson.