BELDING, Mich — Have you ever heard of Belding United Methodist Church?
It's had a long run of over a century serving the community of Belding. However, Sunday, we say goodbye.
After 120 years of service, Belding United Methodist Church celebrates its final Sunday in the historic building that lifelong members call home.
It's much more than a church. It's the people.
Third-generation member Marianne Nickel said, “I was born and raised here, and it’s always been home.”
Another longtime member, Jennifer Schumaker, agreed. “It’s like family," she said.
For Nickel, this church changed her life. "I gave my life to the Lord here, during a revival that came," Nickel said.
Schumaker, too, was hooked from her first Sunday service. “I just felt that this was where I was called to be, and I never walked out the doors again," Schumaker remarked.
Standing together, the members of Belding United Methodist Church said a tearful goodbye to not only one another but to the building that is home to so many memories.
With tears streaming down her face, Schumaker said, "We won’t be here again. This was the final service of this church.”
Still, Head Pastor Melissa Wagner tells me that the people haven't lost their joy.
“Even in this moment when we’re closing, they’re singing through their tears,” Wagner remarked.
She added, “It’s a celebration of life more than it is a funeral.”
In reflecting on the legacy of Belding United Methodist Church, Nickel said it best. "I know the church is the people," she said. "But it’s housed in this gorgeous monumental statute.”
It's safe to say that this church is not founded on the cement that supports it but, rather, by the community that sustains it.
“I love Jesus and I love the building that was built to worship Him,” Nickel said.
So, while this church is closing its doors, members say they plan to keep their faith alive by attending other congregations in the area.
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