Back in historic sanctuary, Batavia church holds open house Sunday

Last Sunday, members of the Congregational Church of Batavia held worship services in their 152-year-old sanctuary for the first time in a year while extensive renovations were made to the ceiling and roof. Services were held in the church's fellowship hall while the old roof was taken out in sections and new trusses were installed to replace the original four that were damaged.

To celebrate the end of the ordeal that would have tested the patience of Job, and the reclaiming of the worship area, the church is inviting the community to an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the church, 21 S. Batavia Ave.

A dedication service with a brass ensemble and a newly repaired organ will take place from 3 to 3:30 p.m. The Rev. Jonathon Knight, a representative of the Fox Valley Association of the United Church of Christ, will help officiate.

"We've raised the roof, now we're raising the praise," said the Rev. David Foxgrover, senior pastor. "The sanctuary is even brighter and more beautiful than ever."

The need for repairs struck the congregation like a lightening bolt from the heavens.

Early in 2007, cracks appeared in the ceiling of the sanctuary. It was puzzling because the ceiling was replastered when an addition to the church was built in 2005. By September, examinations by engineers had revealed that all four scissors-like trusses that held up the old roof had suffered damage.

When the sanctuary became a construction site, the congregation decided to "make lemons out of our lemonade," according to Don Schneider, one of the project leaders and the former head of the stewardship and finance team.

"We had our stained glass windows redone and new pews installed," Schneider said. "Our pews were over 100 years old."

The cost of the entire project is about $800,000, according to Schneider. A church member donated the money for the work on the stained glass, and the church raised the funds for the pews. Also, the church recently raised $5,000 to help cover costs by holding eight garage sales at homes in Batavia, Geneva and North Aurora.

Schneider was present last Sunday when the worship services returned to the sanctuary.

"It was wonderful," he said. "To see the sanctuary back to normal, and hear the singing with the organ again, it was inspiring. It made it all worth it."