The members of Plymouth United Church of Christ will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a community open house this afternoon (Thursday, Sept. 13) to celebrate their move into the new church building on the site of the one destroyed by a fire two years ago.
The general community is invited to both the ribbon-cutting at 4 p.m. and the open house that will follow, until 6:30 p.m. Beverages and light refreshments will be provided, according to Rev. David Huber, the church’s pastor.
Plymouth UCC’s previous building at 2010 Moholt Dr. burned down after a lightning strike on Sept. 22, 2016, and the congregation began planning for a new home almost immediately. It worked with its architects, Lien and Peterson, to design a modern energy-efficient and accessible building.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Oct. 29, 2017, and construction began the next day. The church received its occupancy permit last month and moved from its temporary quarters at Grace Lutheran Church, 202 W. Grand Ave. The first worship service in the new building was held on Aug. 19.
The architects for the new building, the general contractor (Marawood), and others who worked on the project have been invited to attend the ribbon cutting and open house. Additional information is available on the church’s Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/2198357213755031/.
A service of dedication for the new building is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 23 at 4 p.m.
Plymouth UCC was founded in 1885 as Second Congregational Church. In 1957, it joined more than 6,000 other congregations in the United States to form a new denomination, the United Church of Christ, and changed its name to Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ.
The name change highlighted the historical ties to the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock. In 1993, the church sold its building on Bellinger Street, built a new one at the Moholt Drive site and moved into it on Easter Day, 1995.