news article
United Methodist Center opens doors to public
June 14, 2017 / By Kathleen Christiansen
Before the start of the 2017 Upper New York Annual Conference session, the Conference opened its doors — literally — May 31, to any and all who wanted a tour of the new United Methodist Center of Upper New York, located at 7481 Henry Clay Blvd. in Liverpool
Visitors from across the Conference received guided tours of the new facility from 3:30-7:30 p.m. during the Open House.
“I’m really amazed at the space and the potential. I see a lot of potential for events in this space,” said Molly Butler from the Harris Hill United Methodist Church.
Among things attendees saw were the new Mission Central HUB, the Media Resource Center, Conference office work stations, and the variety of meeting rooms available for individuals and groups across the Conference to use anytime.
“It’s nice to see so many Conference rooms and work areas,” said Mitchel Smith from the Saranac Lake First UMC. “I actually met in Meeting Room C because the Equitable Comp meeting met there recently so it worked out very nice.”
Cindy Smith from Saranac Lake UMC added that the Conference is so big that many people do not know each other, but the new center gives the Conference a place for everyone to connect.
“I like the idea that when there’s more than one group meeting in the Conference Center that they can meet together at the same place for lunch,” she said.
Douglas Pratt from the Lyndonville UMC, who is attending an Annual Conference session for the first time this year, said he found the building “impressive.”
“I see how they purposed the building appropriately, and I love the decorations, the colors — somebody put a lot of thought into this,” he said.
The evening culminated with a Service of Celebration and Dedication for the new center. Assistant to the Bishop and Director of Connectional Ministries, the Rev. Bill Gottschalk-Fielding, opened the service.
“It is my pleasure to welcome you to the United Methodist Center of Upper New York, your Conference Center,” he said.
Rev. Gottschalk-Fielding explained the road to the new center took more than three years. He said when the team working to find a new center walked into the Liverpool building, something captured them, from the fountain at the center to the current Mission Central HUB space.
“The area that we are calling our Mission Central HUB captured us because one of the things our four conferences that came together to form one Conference had in common was a heart for mission, to be a blessing to the people of Upper New York,” he said. “And we saw the possibility of having 6,000 square feet dedicated to just that work.”
The team brought their dream to a special session of Annual Conference in the fall of 2014 and were told to proceed. They knew they wanted the space to be filled with light; to serve as a space where staff, volunteers, clergy, and laity could come together to work on mission and ministry; and to have plenty of parking. This building met those needs.
While the Conference staff moved into the center in March, Rev. Gottschalk-Fielding said, “We all moved in because this is our Conference C enter, a place for us to engage in ministry.”
Rev. Gottschalk-Fielding then invited everyone to participate in the consecration of the space with a Call to Worship and Celebration and singing of Welcome. Conference Lay Leader Susan Hardy read the Scripture, Ephesians 2:13-22, in which Jesus Christ is Jesus himself called the cornerstone.
Upper New York Area Bishop Mark J. Webb spoke following the Scripture, talking to the point of Jesus as a cornerstone.
“This is a building. It’s a great building — but its building,” he said. “It’s the purpose of the mission that Jesus calls us to that makes this building vital and important.”
Bishop Webb said the center gives the Conference opportunities that Upper New York would not otherwise have “to increase the capacity of Christ-following leaders so that we can be the Church that God has called us to be, and that we can faithfully and effectively and fruitfully accomplish that mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
He took time to recognize the hard work of everyone involved in creating this beautiful space, from contractors Irish-Millar Construction to King + King Architects, the Buildout Team, Board of Trustees, and more.
Bishop Webb said there was always an intent to create this space, but God provided a place that was “more than we imagined” for less cost — as the center came in under budget and was fully funded by the sale of predecessor Conference buildings.
Following Bishop Webb’s remarks, he as well as President of the Board of Trustees ,Pastor Richard Barling and Hardy led the consecration of the building
Then, Rev. Gottschalk-Fielding and various members of the Conference staff participated in a consecration of staff work at the new center.
“Bless our ministries with meaning and purpose, productivity and usefulness, so that even our smallest tasks bring honor to you,” Rev. Gottschalk-Fielding said. “Bless all who work here as we acknowledge your mysterious power over all that we will speak, think, do or decide here.”
The service concluded with Our Hope is Built, followed by the benediction, which told the crowd to go forth in the presence and power of God.