A new name, location for historic St. Charles congregation
It's not the largest congregation in the Tri-Cities area and, in fact, might be one of the smallest.
But the St. Charles Free Methodist Church carried a lot of history with it as members moved into their new church site at 2402 W. Main St. in St. Charles in preparation for services there on Easter Sunday.
How much history? Nothing short of 159 years, with the claim of being one of the original churches of the Free Methodist Movement in 1860.
While still being affiliated with Free Methodist, the church is going for a complete new beginning, as the new church will carry the name Main Street Church.
“We felt a more descriptive, nondenominational name would be more inviting to the unchurched young families in the Fox Valley,” said Robert Yessa, a church board member. “Keeping God as the main thing on Main Street seemed a good thing to do.”
Yessa admits that keeping the Free Methodist Church history intact with the name change won't be easy. “But we've been here since 1860, so we want to keep that history alive, too,” he said.
The church is making this move after four years of planning and the completion of the sale of its church site at 214 Walnut St. in St. Charles to Lazarus House in October of 2017 after sharing the site with the homeless shelter since 2000.
A “faithful group” of about 35 members has stayed with the church through the building sale, Yessa said, and also through the search for a new location and welcoming a new pastor in Sabra Dyas.
The church takes a spot on Main Street in a small commercial strip that previously housed a Heartland Bank drive-through facility.
“It took some imagination to see that it could be an excellent building, with some major remodeling, to become a ministry and worship center for us,” Yessa said.
Last look at cathedral:
If timing is indeed everything, then Madeline Schuster of Batavia can say she was fortunate enough to have seen the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris just a few weeks before its catastrophic fire.
As the Tri-Cities Jank Youth Ambassador, a recognition she earned through an annual program by Jank Guitar Store owner Scott Corbin, she toured the cathedral as part of a visit in France.
Corbin's store was located on Main Street in St. Charles the past few years before closing as he searches for a new location in the Tri-Cities area.
But the Jank Youth Ambassador earns the trip to France because Corbin spends a lot of time at the Jank European headquarters in Saint-Malo, Brittany, France.
“Personally, I can tell you that standing within the breathtaking cathedral that dates back to the Middle Ages gives one a tangible sense of connection to French history and human history,” Corbin said in an email sent from Paris this week.
“This tragedy is a stark reminder of the fragility of our historical and cultural treasures.”
While heartbroken about the fire, Corbin said he also feels grateful that Schuster was able to visit the cathedral and experience “Notre Dame in its full splendor.”
Trades get exposure:
They weren't my favorite classes in high school, but I certainly didn't mind having woodworking, metal, chef's class or basic electricity on my schedules. I did well in English and history classes, but I needed these tech study courses to keep me out of the math and science classes that were like sticks of dynamite to my grade-point average.
While the technical skill classes were important for a lot of people, I knew pretty early on that I wasn't going to be making things out of wood or metal, or wiring the electricity for anyone's home or business in the future.
Over time, it seems, schools put even more emphasis on any number of skills that don't focus strictly on the basics of education. They knew it was the right thing to do in order to help students find their way.
That's how I look at Batavia High School's second annual Career and Technical Education Showcase planned for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, April 25, at the Batavia Fine Arts Center.
The event gives visitors a glimpse of students in culinary arts, building trades, child development, art, graphics, engineering and various other occupations.
These school programs do exactly what they are designed to do — help a student figure out if college or joining the workforce is the key part of their career plans.
Funny garden signs:
The Geneva Beautification Committee did its spring plantings throughout downtown last weekend, and it's obvious that these folks see some of the things that can tarnish their work.
But they have a sense of humor about it and displayed it through some new signs with the committee logo displayed.
The new sign in front of bars and restaurants tell you what you need to know about what can litter our downtown streets and, yes, the gardens.
“Please don't throw cigarette butts in our garden. The plants come out at night to smoke them and we are trying to get them to quit.”
There is a method behind this humor.
“We hope it brings a few laughs to those reading it, but also makes a statement in our efforts to keep Geneva looking beautiful,” said committee co-chair Kathy McNeil.
dheun@sbcglobal.net